A daruma is a lucky charm, a Japanese figurine resembling the zazen form of the Indian Buddhist monk Daruma. Takasaki is well known as a Daruma producing area.
Darumaya Mashimo sells various kinds of Daruma including traditional and modern variants, and is located at the foot of Kannonyama.
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00
Closed on Sundays. Irregular holidays, check website to confirm.
Daruma painting experience: 7/20 – 9/30 ¥2,200 (Reservation is required)
https://www.darumaya-mashimo.com/
Tanigawadake is one of the most popular mountains for climbers.
After a 10-minute ropeway ride from Doaiguchi Station at the foot of the mountain, take the lift to Tenjin Pass. From Tenjin Pass, it takes about two and a half hours of walking along the ridge to reach the summit.
At the foot of the mountain there are gentle paths and you can enjoy walking with nice views of the valley and mountain streams.
http://www.tanigawadake-rw.com/tanigawadake/
Tambara Shitsugen is known as “Little Oze”, where visitors can observe marshland plants in each of the four seasons.
It takes about two hours to get there from the center of Tokyo, and the main pathway begins near the parking lot and takes about one hour to walk, so it can be enjoyed by all ages. If you walk a little further, you will come to “Beech Flat”, a forest of giant beech trees.
https://www.numata-kankou.jp/activity/nature/tanbara_shitsugen/index.html
About 100 species and 1,000 animals from continents such as Africa, Asia, and America live here in a large area and can be seen in surroundings close to their natural habitat. You can enjoy the feeling of a safari in the wild by riding in a private car, rental car, ranger car tour, safari bus, or feeding experience bus. The powerful feeding experience allows you to see the faces of both herbivorous and carnivorous animals up close. There are also events such as cat house tours, feeding time, flying shows, and night safari tours.
Opening hours: 9:30-16:00 closed at 17:00 from Mar. to Oct. / 9:30-15:30 closed at 16:30 from Nov. to Feb.
Closed on Wednesdays
Pricing: ¥2,700 adult / ¥1,400 kid
Oze is a famous mountain wetlands area located at the shared border of Gunma, Niigata, Fukushima. The lengthy wooden pathways are well maintained and hiking in Oze can be really refreshing. It is a nice place to spend 2 or 3 days, but a one day trip from Tokyo is not out of the question.
https://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/oze/index.html
https://www.pref.gunma.jp/04/e23g_00065.html
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7440.html
