Japan · Nagano · Gunma
Shiga Kusatsu Kōgen Route
Onsen-to-onsen over Japan's highest national highway. Yudanaka in Nagano to Kusatsu in Gunma, over the 2,172m Shibu-tōge.
A single-day, onsen-to-onsen crossing of the Japanese Alps on Route 292, the Shiga Kusatsu Kōgen Route. Yudanaka Onsen on the Nagano side, Kusatsu Onsen on the Gunma side, and in between, 82 kilometres and Japan's highest stretch of national highway.
The climb from Yudanaka runs through the Shiga Kōgen ski area before topping out at Shibu-tōge at 2,172 metres. The descent into Gunma passes the active crater of Kusatsu-Shirane-san, drops through the bleached sulphur slopes above Yumi-ike, and finishes at Kusatsu's Yubatake, the steaming hot-water field at the centre of one of the three most famous onsen towns in Japan.
The route
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Start
Yudanaka Onsen
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Jigokudani snow-monkey park
Japanese macaques bathing in an onsen pool
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Stop
Shiga Kōgen ski area
Twenty-odd resorts linked by Route 292
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Yokoteyama summit café
"Highest café in Japan" at 2,307 m
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Shibu-tōge
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Kusatsu-Shirane viewpoint
Active volcano and the Yumi-ike crater exclusion zone
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Sulphur slopes
Bleached Gunma-side descent toward Kusatsu
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Finish
Kusatsu Onsen
Who it's for
- Cyclists: a hard day at altitude but fully paved. The climb from Yudanaka is 1,700 metres over 30 km; acclimatisation to the 2,172 m summit matters.
- Motorcyclists: a bucket-list ride. Route 292 has a surface and rhythm that rewards a sport tourer, and the symmetry of an onsen town at each end is hard to beat.
- Drivers: a full day with ryokan bathing and lunch stops. The road is wide and well-graded throughout, but the volcanic section above Kusatsu is a no-stopping zone.
Practical notes
- Base: Yudanaka Onsen or Kusatsu Onsen. Both have abundant ryokan, day-use public bathing, and regular rail or bus connections (Yudanaka from Nagano City, Kusatsu via Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi on the Agatsuma Line).
- Season: late April to mid-November. The Nagano side generally opens earlier each spring; the Gunma descent past Kusatsu-Shirane can remain closed into May depending on volcanic gas readings.
- Volcanic closures: Route 292 closes overnight (typically 17:00 to 08:00) around the Kusatsu-Shirane section as a precaution, and unrestricted stopping is forbidden for about 3 km either side of the crater zone.
- Rental vehicles: a Japanese rental car is the easiest way. Left-hand traffic, compact cars are ideal for the hairpins.