Japan Romantic Road

Japan's version of Germany's "Romantic Road" leads over about 350 kilometers from Ueda City in Nagano Prefecture through the mountains of Gunma Prefecture to Utsunomiya City in Tochigi Prefecture.

Various interesting towns, hot spring resorts and lots of natural scenery can be enjoyed along the Romantic Road, including the mountain resort of Karuizawa, active volcanoes, the hot spring mecca of Kusatsu and the world heritage sites of Nikko.

Due to a lack of convenient public transportation along many of its sections, the Romantic Road has remained off the beaten path for foreign tourists. Private transportation, such as a rental car, and two to five days are recommended to cover the entire route.