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Capital · Japan

Maebashi前橋

Give Maebashi one night as a Gunma base, or skip it: the sights are thin, but it is 90 min from Tokyo and cheaper than Takasaki.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
JPY
Best months
Mar–May, Oct–Nov
avoid Jul–Aug (hot and humid), Golden Week
Airports
NRT · HND
Nights
1
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 5
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • Japan ↗IC cards (ICOCA/Suica) are topped up with cash at station machines.
  • Japan ↗Smoking while walking is banned in most city centres; use designated areas.
  • Japan ↗Shinkansen bags 160–250 cm (L+W+H) need a seat reserved with the oversized-baggage area.

Maebashi is the capital of Gunma and a low-key stop on the JR Ryomo Line, 75–90 minutes from Tokyo via Takasaki. It works as a cheap bed for the Akagi foothills, the prefectural building's free observation floor and the spring cherry road, but most travellers pass through to Kusatsu, Minakami or Takasaki.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Maebashi, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Coffee¥400–700 (≈ US$3–5)
  • Street or quick mealNoodle soup (soba or ramen)¥800–1,300 (≈ US$6–9)
  • Beerdraught / can at a convenience store¥500–750 (≈ US$4–6)¥250–350 (≈ US$2–3)
  • Metro or bus rideLocal bus ride¥190–400 (≈ US$2–3) (check)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week¥2,000–4,000 (≈ US$14–30)
  • Budget bedHostel or capsule bed, a night, per person¥3,000 (≈ US$25)
  • Mid-range bedBusiness-hotel double room, a night, per room¥13,000 (≈ US$90)
  • High-end bedBusiness-hotel double room, a night, per room¥28,000 (≈ US$190)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget ¥7,000 (≈ US$50) · Mid ¥12,000 (≈ US$85) · High ¥22,000 (≈ US$150)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Gunma Prefectural Government Building observation floorAkagi Nanmen cherry blossomsGreen Dome Maebashi and keirin racingYakimanju and sauce katsudon
Airports
NRT Narita (Azalea limousine bus to Maebashi Station, about 3 h 30 min; or Narita Express to Tokyo, Joetsu Shinkansen to Takasaki, Ryomo Line to Maebashi, about 2 h 30 min) · HND Haneda (Limousine bus to Maebashi Station, about 3 h 30 min; by train via Shinagawa, Tokyo and Takasaki, about 2 h)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Maebashi: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

9°C

−1°C

4 rd

Feb

10°C

0°C

5 rd

Mar

14°C

3°C

8 rd

Apr

20°C

9°C

9 rd

May

24°C

14°C

10 rd

Jun

27°C

18°C

13 rd

Jul

31°C

22°C

14 rd

Aug

33°C

23°C

11 rd

Sep

28°C

19°C

12 rd

Oct

22°C

12°C

8 rd

Nov

17°C

6°C

6 rd

Dec

12°C

1°C

4 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The centre is walkable and the wide shared pavements and straight back streets suit a bicycle. Local buses radiate from Maebashi Station (about ¥190 to Maebashi Park and the Green Dome, 10 min) but are not frequent; the rail network is too sparse to rely on alone.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Takasaki

go

Door to door: About 20 min

JR Ryomo Line from Maebashi

Shinkansen stop and the region's transport hub; use it for connections, not sights.

Kusatsu Onsenovernight

Door to door: 2–2.5 h

JR to Shibukawa or Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi, then bus

Hot-spring village; sleep there rather than returning.

Minakami

go

Door to door: About 1.5 h

Joetsu Shinkansen to Jomo-Kogen, then bus or taxi

Rafting, canyoning and onsen; a full day out.

Tomioka

go

Door to door: About 1.5 h

JR Ryomo Line to Takasaki, then Joshin Line

Silk mill and its UNESCO-listed workshops.

Kiryugo

Door to door: About 40 min

JR Ryomo Line east

Textile and pachinko-parlour heritage; half a day.

Ota

caution

Door to door: About 1 h

Tobu Isesaki Line from Chuo-Maebashi

Subaru factory tours need a booking well ahead.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Maebashi Station area

Buses start and end here; Comfort Hotel is a 5-min walk from the station.

Shin-Maebashi

One stop west on the Ryomo Line; quieter, with the Terminal Hotel beside the tracks.

Chuo-dori and Benten-dori

Central arcade and riverside park; walkable, few hotels.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
¥7,000–11,000 (≈ US$50–75) excl. bed
Mid
¥11,000–17,000 (≈ US$75–120) excl. bed
High
¥17,000 (≈ US$120)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Business-hotel double room1 × 1 night × ¥13,000¥13,000
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × ¥12,000¥24,000
Shinkansen Tokyo → Takasaki, one way (reserved)2 × ¥4,800 · check¥9,600
Ryomo Line Takasaki → Maebashi, one way2 × ¥240 · check¥480
eSIM, about a week of data2 × ¥2,500¥5,000
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge¥5,210
Trip total≈ ¥28,650 per person per day, bed included¥57,290≈ US$400

2026 estimate in yen; flights and rail passes excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee¥400–700 (≈ US$3–5)
Noodle soup (soba or ramen)¥800–1,300 (≈ US$6–9)
Sauce katsudon¥900–1,500 (≈ US$7–11)
Yakimanju skewer¥150–300 (≈ US$2–3)
Beer: draught / can at a convenience store¥500–750 (≈ US$4–6) / ¥250–350 (≈ US$2–3)
Local bus ride¥190–400 (≈ US$2–3) (check)
eSIM or data SIM, about a week¥2,000–4,000 (≈ US$14–30)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Maebashi is a quiet, safe prefectural capital. The real risks are summer heat, infrequent last buses and keirin betting halls on race days: watch your wallet in crowds.
  • Buses from the station are infrequent and stop early; check the last run before an evening trip.
  • Many smaller museums and the prefectural building close on Mondays and over New Year: check before you go.
  • Summer is hot and humid; the cherry road and Akagi area are exposed with little shade.

Emergency numbers

Police
110
Fire and ambulance
119
Japan Visitor Hotline (JNTO, 24 h, English)
050-3816-2787

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Maebashi前橋

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

ここまでお願いしますTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police110
  • Fire and ambulance119
  • Japan Visitor Hotline (24 h, English)050-3816-2787

Embassy

No embassies in Maebashi; most are in Tokyo. The US has a consulate in Nagoya (check the address).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Shinkansen Tokyo → Takasaki: about ¥4,800 (≈ US$35) reserved, about 50 min (check)
  • Ryomo Line Takasaki → Maebashi: about ¥240 (≈ US$2), about 20 min (check)
  • Bus Maebashi Station → Green Dome: about ¥190 (≈ US$2), 10 min (check)

Say or show

  • すみません — Excuse me / Sorry (sumimasen)
  • ありがとうございます — Thank you (arigatō gozaimasu)
  • これをください — This one, please (kore o kudasai)
  • いくらですか？ — How much is it? (ikura desu ka)
  • カードで払えますか？ — Can I pay by card? (kādo de haraemasu ka)
  • トイレはどこですか？ — Where is the toilet? (toire wa doko desu ka)

Cash is still useful in small shops and buses; carry some yen.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Maebashi. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Mar–May, Oct–Nov · avoid Jul–Aug (hot and humid), Golden Week · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 6 day-trips, door to door
  6. 3 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for NRT and HND: last bus and last train field-checked, taxi fallback.
  2. Walking clusters with rescue anchors: Maebashi Station, Chuo-dori and Benten-dori, the prefectural building and Rinkokaku, Maebashi Park.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (prefectural building observation floor, Rinkokaku, Green Dome, Akagi Nanmen) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Hostile arrival fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Japan

Sources