Onsenmon Gate at Kusatsu Hot Spring

The Onsenmon Gateway

The Onsenmon (literally the Hot Spring Gate) is a contemporary timber-clad portal built to mark the main approach to Kusatsu Onsen. Its wooden façade dresses what was once a plain concrete overpass, turning a busy junction into a welcoming landmark at the threshold of the resort.

National Route 292 Grade Separation

The gate spans the National Route 292 grade separation, a project that replaced the old stop-controlled junction whose frequent backups once snarled the road into town. The new flyover keeps vehicles flowing while the decorative gate above doubles as a signpost guiding arriving guests.

Footbath and Yubatake-Style Channels

Beneath the gate, a free public footbath and a set of hot-water channels echo the town's iconic Yubatake (hot-water field), letting travellers dip their feet in mineral water on a grand scale. A large free car park opposite the gate serves the many visitors who pause here.

About Kusatsu Onsen

High in the mountains of Gunma, Kusatsu is renowned for some of the most abundant natural hot-spring flows in Japan. The Onsenmon serves as the modern front door to a town whose steaming waters have drawn bathers for centuries.