Usual hours and prices, checked 2026-10-04 against the sources under “What this place is”. They can change for holidays and events — confirm before you go. Official site
Our guide
Mount Kusatsu-Shirane is a 2,165 m active volcano in Kusatsu, named to tell it apart from Mount Nikkō-Shirane on the other side of Gunma. Its summit is a group of overlapping cones with three crater lakes; the largest, Yugama, is an acidic emerald-green lake on which rafts of yellow sulfur are sometimes seen floating.
This is an active volcano, and that matters for planning. On 23 January 2018 a small steam-driven eruption set off an avalanche that killed one person and injured others; a month later officials said only the summit remained closed to the public. Access can change with volcanic activity, so check the current situation before you go. The hot springs of Kusatsu Onsen draw their water from this mountain.
Written by japan-spots.com (2026-09-22) from the sources credited on this page. Distances are straight lines between map positions.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence — see credits
- Kusatsu-Shiranesan03s5s4272 — 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · source · resized
- Kusatsu-Shiranesan02n4272 — 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · source · resized
- Kusatsu-Shiranesan04s5s4272 — 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · source · resized
- Mount Kusatsu-Shirane seen from the north - panoramio — Алексей Чикишев · CC BY 3.0 · source · resized
- Mount Kusatsu-Shirane (30310930800) — 姐夫 吳 · CC BY 2.0 · source · resized
- 草津白根山の紅葉 — くろふね · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
What this place is
Mount Kusatsu-Shirane (草津白根山, Kusatsu Shirane-san) is a 2,165 m (7,103 ft) active stratovolcano in Kusatsu, Gunma, Japan. It is called Kusatsu Shirane to differentiate it from the Mount Nikkō-Shirane on the other side of Gunma Prefecture. The summit of Kusatsu-Shirane volcano, located immediately north of Asama volcano, consists of a series of overlapping pyroclastic cones and three crater lakes. The largest of these is Yu-gama, an acidic emerald green lake with rafts of yellow sulfur sometimes seen floating on its surface. On January 23, 2018, a minor phreatic eruption of the volcano occurred. One person was killed, and others were injured in an avalanche triggered by the eruption. The next day, new activity forced police to suspend search operations. One month after the eruption, it was announced by prefectural officials that only the summit of the volcano was off limits to the public.
Visitor information checked: 2026-10-04 · Official visiting information
Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What to expect at this type of place: Mountain
Getting there
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