Nakazawa Village

Located only a 15 minute walk away from the heart of Kusatsu town, Nakazawa Village is a hotel and hot spring resort boasting a variety of recreational activities including archery, bowling, tennis, skiing, golf, a heated pool called Therma Therma, large open air baths, beauty massages, arcades, karaoke and cycling to name a few. Once you have arrived at the hotel and completed check-in with the friendly staff, you will find yourself at a loss deciding which fun activity you should do first.

It may be tempting to start with the hotel’s many new, clean stone-made hot springs, as they are sourced from the center of Yubatake in Kusatsu town. Moreover, Kusatsu prides itself as being ranked number 1 for having the most superior water quality in Japan; thus your hot spring experience here will be unparalleled to any other hot springs you’ve visited before. Nakazawa Village also offers up the opportunity every Friday and Saturday for you to see a Yumomi (湯もみ), a traditional ceremony involving long wooden planks to cool down hot spring water to a temperature suitable for bathing. Once the ceremony has been completed, you will have the chance to dip into the ready-made silky water that was prepared before your eyes.

Then again, you may be lured by the forest activities just waiting to be explored around Nakazawa Village’s grounds. You can feel like Robin Hood by shooting bows and arrows in the woods. Or trek through forest hiking trails during the fresh hour of 7am. Or feel the wind through your hair with Kusatsu Forest Stage, a heart pumping obstacle course that soars 10m from the ground and spans 640m. The Kusatsu Forest Stage’s experienced staff members are also able to explain things easily in English, making your journey through the Forest Stage smooth sailing. And on the plus side, they are more than happy to snap photos of you zipping around the course.

With Nakazawa Village offering regular shuttle buses that transport you to Kusatsu town, you may find yourself itching to explore what the town has to offer. Moreover, Nakazawa Village provides shuttle buses which drop you at the most central location of the town at night, providing a safe, convenient way to experience Kusatsu’s steamy, bubbling, hazy hot spring nightlife in your traditional yukata and traditional geta shoes.

Not to mention, when it comes to breakfast or dinner time, you may be hard pressed to decide what to eat with their buffets decked with Western, French, Chinese and Japanese dishes, all of which are so delicious that you may need to stop yourself from stuffing your face with everything.

But all in all, regardless of which activities you decide to do, you can always be rest assured that after a jammed-packed day you can kick back and relax at your hotel room. Nakazawa Village provides many sorts of rooms at affordable prices that don’t compromise on comfort and a warm atmosphere. You can choose from a Western room for 2-4 people, or a room containing both a Western and a Japanese room for 2-5 people.