Yoshii Onsen Gunma

Takasaki, the largest city in Gunma Prefecture and one of the most important transportation hubs in the Kanto region, is celebrated as the city of the Daruma doll — the round red good-luck effigy inspired by the Bodhidharma whose production at the Shorinzan Darumaji Temple has made Takasaki the supplier of approximately 80% of all Daruma dolls produced in Japan. Yoshii Onsen Gunma draws on sodium and bicarbonate thermal waters from the geological resources of the Takasaki basin, offering restorative baths in the greater Takasaki urban area where the Daruma craft tradition, the Gunma Symphony Orchestra, and the excellent Shinkansen access to Tokyo create a lively and culturally confident spa destination. The Shorinzan Darumaji Temple's spectacular Daruma Fair held in January, the Kannon statue of Takasaki — one of Japan's largest white concrete Kannon at 41 metres — and the Gunma Music Centre designed by Italian architect Antonin Raymond create an appealing mix of folk craft, spiritual tradition, and modernist architecture in this vibrant Gunma city.