【Weekend Drive】A course to enjoy breathtaking views and gourmet food around Mount Akagi in Gunma Prefecture

I headed from Numata IC in Gunma Prefecture towards Mount Akagi, exploring various spots around the summit. I have visited Gunma for reporting in the past, but this was my first time at Mount Akagi. What kind of scenery can I expect to see?

Heading towards Mount Akagi from Numata IC via mountain roads

I will be heading towards Mount Akagi from the Numata IC in a Jimny. This time, I will take a slightly longer route and drive towards National Route 251 leading to Mount Akagi.

After turning right at the Nango Post Office from National Route 62, I will join National Route 251. The gradient road starts, and the surrounding scenery becomes more mountainous.

Continuing along the mountain road, I could see Lake Ozu and the drive-in at the top. Numerous swan boats were lined up, giving a vaguely reminiscent impression of Lake Haruna.

The grilled sweetfish I ate at the drive-in by Lake Ozu was delicious.

Lake Onuma is a caldera lake approximately 800,000 square meters in size, formed by a volcanic eruption, and is a landmark spot of Mt. Akagi. There are drive-ins lined up around the lake, so we decided to take a break here.

Since we had plans to eat various things later, we opted for a light meal of grilled sweetfish here. It has a deep taste of the mountain. There were many other customers enjoying their time while looking at the lake. Many people had parked in the shade and were eating their packed lunches, which also looked fun.

Heading to the scenic spot of Kakumanbuchi

After leaving Lake Onuma, we moved to the parking lot of Kakumanbuchi, which is just a minute away by car towards Prefectural Route 70. Since it's so close to Lake Onuma, there shouldn't be any chance of getting lost.

Kakumanbuchi is a small pond about 1 km in circumference, known as "Little Oze" because alpine plants grow naturally in its wetlands. A tranquil atmosphere unique to wetlands flows here, and many tourists were visiting this place as well.

You can easily access the wetland right from the parking lot, making it a place you can visit casually if you're dressed lightly. Walking along the pier, a cool breeze flows, allowing you to experience the atmosphere unique to highlands.

To see the breathtaking view, head to Torii Pass

From Gakuman Pond, it's about a minute heading south on National Route 70 to reach Torii Pass. If the weather had been good, I had planned to capture the stunning view with my car, but unfortunately, the skies were not favorable. However, looking at Gakuman Pond from above provided a different atmosphere to enjoy. This place comes highly recommended.

On the opposite side of Gakuman Pond, there is a spot like an observation deck, where, if you're lucky, you can see a sea of clouds. Since it's over 1,000 meters above sea level, the weather can change quickly and is dependent on the conditions. On this particular day, it suddenly became foggy.

To a popular grilled corn shop at the foot of Mount Akagi.

Returning from Torii Pass via National Route 70, I head towards Lake Onuma again and turn left onto National Route 4, which has downhill sections. The next destination is a popular grilled corn shop located at the foot of Mount Akagi. I had been looking forward to it as it had high ratings in reviews while searching for spots around Akagi.

In addition to grilled corn, there are plenty of fresh items, various vegetables, and ornamental plants, making it a lively place. I immediately ordered a grilled corn (300 yen each).

There are benches set up in the shade of trees, so while savoring the grilled corn, I found it surprisingly sweet, and combined with the flavor of the savory-sweet sauce, it was delicious. I enjoyed the fresh taste that you can only experience in the production area, and the staff were bright and friendly, making it a very pleasant place to be.

Kōgen Grilled Corn
Location: 2034-1 Akagiyama, Fujimicho, Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture
TEL: 0272-87-8933

Akagi offers an atmosphere of highlands and interaction with warm local people, making it a very relaxing place. The spots are compactly clustered near the summit of Mount Akagi, which is also attractive. If you visit Gunma, why not take a drive to experience the refreshing air of Mount Akagi?

Reporting/Article by Kazuma Tanaka

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