Maebashi
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Maebashi (前橋) is the capital city of Gunma prefecture in Japan's Kanto region.
Understand
[edit]Tourist information site
[edit]The city has a Japanese-only guide site with limited English support.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]From Narita Airport (NRT IATA), Maebashi is served by Azalea Limousine Buses operated by Chiba Kotsu (3 1/2 hours to/from Maebashi Station, ¥4500). By train, the easiest (and most expensive) way to reach Maebashi is to take the Narita Express to Tokyo Station, the Joetsu Shinkansen to Takasaki, and the Ryomo Line to Maebashi (Approx. 2 1/2 hours, ¥7800, no charge with the Japan Rail Pass or JR East Pass). Reservations for the Narita Express and Shinkansen can all be made from Narita Airport.
From Haneda Airport (HND IATA), Limousine buses operate to/from Maebashi Station (3 1/2 hours, ¥3500). Going by train is much faster, but more expensive and requires more transfers: The Keikyu Line to Shinagawa, the Yamanote Line to Tokyo, the Shinkansen to Takasaki and the Ryomo Line to Maebashi (Approx. 2 hours, ¥5200; cheaper with unreserved shinkansen seat). You can purchase tickets for the JR portion of the journey upon reaching Shinagawa.
By train
[edit]Maebashi is located on the JR Ryomo Line, between Takasaki and Isesaki.
From Tokyo, the fastest way to reach Maebashi is to take a Joetsu Shinkansen train to Takasaki and change to the Ryomo Line (75-90 minutes, ¥4800; no charge with the Japan Rail Pass).
Local trains from Tokyo depart from Ueno station. With a transfer at Takasaki, Maebashi can be reached in 2 1/2 hours (¥1890 from Tokyo Station). Some trains continue to Maebashi station.
By bus
[edit]Long-distance buses to/from Maebashi stop outside of the Maebashi train station's south exit, as well as the Maebashi Bus Terminal some 15-20 minutes further away.
Nippon Chuo Bus operates several daytime bus services from the Tokyo area to Maebashi. All buses stop at the Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku, with some buses also stopping in Ikebukuro and Akihabara (3 hours to/from Shinjuku, ¥1500).
Other long-distance buses include the Tokai Liner daytime runs from Shizuoka and Nagoya, Sendai Liner overnight runs from Sendai, and Silk Liner overnight runs from Nara, Kyoto and Osaka. All of these buses are operated by Nippon Chuo Bus.
Get around
[edit]While there are several train stations in Maebashi, the coverage of the railway network isn't really comprehensive enough to rely on it as a sole means of exploring the city. Most local bus routes start & end at Maebashi Station, but they might not be the easiest to use.
The central business district is quite walkable, and the city's wide shared sidewalks and quiet but straight back streets make bicycle an excellent way to get around.
See
[edit]- 1 Gunma Prefecture Governmental Building (群馬県庁舎, Gunma-ken Shōsha). A beautiful building with two restaurants on the second highest floor and a mechanized car park. The top floor is enclosed in window allowing a 360 degree view of Maebashi, awesome at night, and beautiful during the day.
- Nakanosawa Museum of Art (中之沢美術館). A small non-profit art museum.
- 2 Kozuke Kokubunji (上野国分寺跡). A park featuring the ruins of the head temple of the former Kozuke Province (modern Gunma Prefecture).
- 3 Maebashi City Soja History Museum (前橋市総社歴史資料館).
- 4 Kashikawa History and Folk Museum (粕川歴史民俗資料館). A museum featuring local archaeological findings.
- 5 Rinkokaku (臨江閣). A guesthouse dating back to 1905 with a nice garden.
- 6 Akagi Shrine (赤城神社). A shrine on Mount Akagi dedicated to the god of Lake Onuma, Akagi Daimyojin. It features a long and scenic bridge over the water and lots of blooming flowers around the lake during the summer months.
Do
[edit]
- 1 Green Dome Maebashi (グリーンドーム前橋). A beautifully-designed domed stadium situated in Maebashi Park. With a seating capacity of 8,000, it hosts indoor sports events and exhibitions. It is most popular for hosting Keirin races (pari-mutuel bicycle races) throughout the year. Local buses connect JR Maebashi station to the park and the Green Dome in 10 minutes (¥190).
- 2 Akagi Nanmen Cherry Blossom Festival (赤城南面千本桜まつり). A very picturesque road lined with cherry blossoms. The trees blossom among rape blossoms, creating a colorful mix of pink and yellow (and blue on clear days). It is listed as one of the nations top cherry blossom spots. The road also leads into Miyagi Senbonzakura no Mori Park (みやぎ千本桜の森) where you can see the cherry blossoms bloom amidst the purple shibazakura.
Buy
[edit]- 1 Benten-Dori (Chuo-Dori, Rose Avenue) (From the north exit of Maebashi station head north along the tree-lined street (National Route 17, Ekimae-dori). At the complicated intersection with the four-way pedestrian overpass, turn left onto National Route 50. Continue straight about 400m; the entrance will be on your right). This covered open-air shopping arcade is a fun place to explore, with numerous small shops, video arcades, and restaurants in the area. The north end opens onto Hirose Riverside Park, with plenty of seating for an impromptu picnic or just to sit and relax.
Eat
[edit]Yakimanjyu has been popular since the Edo period, with the cradle being in Maebashi city. Yakimanjyu is a fried manjyu, which is a ball made of flour. It is served on a bamboo skewer with soybean paste and sugar sauce. In Gunma, people have a yakimanjyu festival each summer and New Years.
- The Seven Gods of Good Fortune rice cracker (七福神あられ, Shichifukujin-arare) is a famous rice cracker in Maebashi.
The shop's name is “Saiwaisenbei”(幸煎餅), located in the middle of Chiyoda-cho. It has seven flavors: curry, cheese, beefsteak plant, wasabi, shrimp, laver, and salt. These days, a new flavor is cocoa.
Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]- 1 Shin-Maebashi Terminal Hotel (新前橋ターミナルホテル). A nice hotel with Western and Japanese-style room options.
- 2 Bells Inn Maebashi (ベルズイン前橋). A hotel with its own onsen.
- 3 Comfort Hotel Maebashi (コンフォートホテル前橋). Just a five minute walk from Maebashi Station.
Go next
[edit]| Routes through Maebashi |
| Nagaoka ← Minakami ← Shibukawa-Ikaho ← | N  S |
→ Takasaki → Tokyo |
| Takasaki ← | W  S |
→ Isesaki → Ota-Kiryu → Ashikaga |