Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal
Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal (Japanese: 草津温泉バスターミナル, Hepburn: Kusatsu Onsen Basu Tāminaru) or Kusatsu Onsen Station (草津温泉駅, Kusatsu Onsen Eki) is a bus terminal in the town of Kusatsu, Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. It is managed by Kusatsu Bus Terminal Company, Limited in a joint venture between JR Bus and the Kusatsu town government. JR Bus, Seibu Bus, and Kusakaru Kotsu Company operate bus services at this bus terminal.
Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal 草津温泉バスターミナル | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Other names | Kusatsu Onsen Station (草津温泉駅) |
| Location | Kusatsu, Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture Japan |
| Coordinates | 36.620833°N 138.596444°E |
| Operated by | Kusatsu Bus Terminal Co. Ltd. |
| Platforms | 9 gates (2nd floor) |
| Other information | |
| Website | Official website (in English) |
| History | |
| Opened | 11 December 1935 |
| Previous names | Joshu Kusatsu Station (上州草津駅) |
| Location | |
  Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal Location within Gunma Prefecture  Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal (Japan) | |
History
From the Taisho Era until World War II, Japan National Railway constructed many railway lines around Japan, in which story, on the area where rail line couldn't be built due to acute topo, a lot of bus terminals for many bus routes which substituted train had been built. A train substitution bus line, Joshu Kusatsu Line which connected Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station with Kusatsu Onsen was open to traffic because transported passengers to Kusatsu Onsen where is now but famous as hot spring from long ago. And after that, JNR Bus had many route buses bound for resort spots such as Yudanaka Station and Karuizawa Station, Mount Kusatsu-Shirane from this bus terminal.
The bus terminal opened on 11 December 1935 as Joshu Kusatsu Station (上州草津駅, Jōshū Kusatsu-eki) by Japan National Railway with the commencement of bus service on the Joshu Kusara Line (上州草津線, Jōshū Kusatsu-sen) to Joshu Otsu Station (上州大津駅, Jōshū Ōtsu-eki) in Naganohara.[1]
The bus terminal was named Joshu Kusatsu Station to avoid confusion with Kusatsu Station in Shiga Prefecture on the Tōkaidō Main Line.
The bus terminal was renamed to Kusatsu Onsen Station on 1 June 1962.
Station layout
The main concourse and gates are on the 2nd floor, along with a JR East "Midori no Madoguchi" staffed ticket office, internet terminals, vending machines, and a coffee and souvenir shop. There is a restaurant and tourist information desk on the 1st floor and a hot spring library on the 3rd floor.
There are 9 gates.
Ticket offices
There is a "Midori no Madoguchi" staffed ticket office (operated by JR East) which sells railway tickets (including limited express tickets) for use at nearby Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station and bus tickets for the bus service which connect this terminal with Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station.
In addition, the staffed ticket office also sells tickets for Seibu Bus and Kusakaru Kotsu bus services.
Bus services
| Gate No. | Name | Via | Terminal | Company | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charter buses and acting buses | ||||
| 2 | Kusatsu Line | Joshu Otsu | Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station | JR Bus Kanto | Passengers who have vaild Japan Rail Pass are able to ride on this route buses at free. |
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 | Expressway Bus Joshu Yumeguri | Ikaho Onsen, Nerima Station | Shinjuku Highway Bus Terminal | JR Bus | |
| Expressway Bus Tokyo Yumeguri | Tokyo Station | ||||
| Expressway Bus Blue Liner Kusatsu Onsen | Takasaki Station, Kawagoe Station | Omiya Station (Saitama) | Koei Kotsu | ||
| 6 | Expressway Bus DTS LINE | Non stop | Yashio Station | Dts creation | At Yashio Station, passengers are able to transfer onto Shirakobato bound to Narita Airport operated by Tobu Bus Central, or they are able to transfer onto Tsukuba bound to Tsukuba Station operated by Kanto Railway. |
| Expressway Bus Kusatsu Line | Shibuya Station, Futako-Tamagawa Station | Tama-Plaza Station | Ueda Bus, Tokyu Transse, Keio Bus | ||
| Express Bus Yubatake | Shin-Kazawa Onsen | Ueda Station (Nagano) | Ueda Bus | ||
| 7 | Shiranekazan Line | Sessho Kawara | Shirane Kazan[2] | Kusakaru Kotsu, JR Bus Kanto | Suspend during winter. Passengers who have vaild Japan Rail Pass are able to ride on this route buses excluding Kusakaru Kotsu operate services at free. |
| Karuizawa Sennoiri Kusatsu Line | Shirane Kazan,[2] Manzaonsen, Manza-Kazawaguchi Station, Onioshidashi-en | Karuizawa Station | Seibu Bus | ||
| Express Kusakaru Line | Kita-Karuizawa | Kusakaru Kotsu | |||
| Kusakaru Hospital Line | Nishi-Agatsuma Welfare Hospital | ||||
| 8,9 | Kusatsu Onsen Round Bus-routes A・B・C[3] | Circular-route | Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal | JR Bus Kanto | Fares at a flat rate of 100 yen.[4] |
- Shirane Kazan bus stop is closed due to the eruption of Mount Kusatsu-Shirane. Any bus routes which are bound for Shirane Kazan bus stop will not operating between Shirane Kazan bus stop and irregular terminus.
Surrounding areas
Kusatsu Onsen Station
Kusatsu Onsen Station 草津温泉駅 | |
|---|---|
 A SL of Kusatsu Electric Railway | |
| General information | |
| Location | Kusatsu, Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture Japan |
| Coordinates | 36.617778°N 138.594778°E |
| Operated by | Kusakaru Electric Railway |
| Line(s) | Kusakaru Electric Railway Line |
| Connections |
|
| History | |
| Opened | 19 September 1926 |
| Closed | 1 February 1962 |
| Location | |
Kusatsu Onsen Station Location within Gunma Prefecture Kusatsu Onsen Station Kusatsu Onsen Station (Japan) | |
Kusatsu Onsen Station (草津温泉駅, Kusatsu Onsen-eki) was a railway station on the Kusakaru Electric Railway Line that had been located near Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal until 1962. It was located about 400m south of the current Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal. So, there is now a stele on Kusakaru Electric Railway and Kusatsu Onsen Station near this bus terminal.[5]
References
- Ministry of Finance Printing Bureau, ed. (1935-12-09). 官報 [Kanpō (Japanese government gazette)] (in Japanese). 日本マイクロ写真. doi:10.11501/2959160. Retrieved 2023-02-21 – via National Diet Library.
- At the bus stop, passengers are able to transfer onto Nagaden Bus for Yudanaka Station via Hasuike and Shiga Kogen.
- ワンコインバス [One Coin Bus]. Kusatsu Onsen Tourism Association (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-02-21.
- 草津温泉町内巡回バス【路線図・時刻表】 [Kusatsu Onsen Round Bus (Route Map - Timetable)]. Town of Kusatsu (in Japanese). 2017-07-07. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
- 草軽電気鉄道 草津温泉駅跡. Kusatsu Skyland Hotel (in Japanese). 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
