Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal

From the Taishō era until World War II, many railway lines were constructed around Japan, though the country's acute topography led many bus routes to substitute train lines. The Joshu Kusatsu Line was one of many bus lines connecting Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station with Kusatsu Onsen, Yudanaka Station, Karuizawa Station, and Mount Kusatsu-Shirane.

The bus terminal was opened on 11 December 1935 as {{Nihongo|Joshu Kusatsu Station|上州草津駅|Jōshū Kusatsu-eki}} with the commencement of bus service on the {{Nihongo|Joshu Kusara Line|上州草津線|Jōshū Kusatsu-sen}} to {{Nihongo|Joshu Otsu Station|上州大津駅|Jōshū Ōtsu-eki}} in Naganohara.{{Cite web |date=1935-12-09 |editor=Ministry of Finance Printing Bureau |title= |script-title=ja:官報 |trans-title=Kanpō (Japanese government gazette) |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/2959160/3 |access-date=2023-02-21 |publisher={{lang|ja|日本マイクロ写真}} |language=ja |via=National Diet Library |doi=10.11501/2959160 |doi-access=free}} The "Joshu" in the name was intended to avoid confusion with Kusatsu Station in Shiga Prefecture on the Tōkaidō Main Line.

The bus terminal was renamed to Kusatsu Onsen Station on 1 June 1962, following the closure of the Kusatsu Onsen train station.

File:Kusatsu-Onsen-Sta-inside.jpg

The main concourse and gates (of which there are 9) are on the 2nd floor, along with a ticket office, internet terminals, vending machines, and a coffee and souvenir shop. There is a restaurant and tourist information desk on the 1st floor and a hot spring library on the 3rd floor.

There is a MARS ticket office operated by JR East, which sells railway tickets (including limited express tickets) for use at the nearby Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station, as well as tickets for the bus service that connects the Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal with Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station. The ticket office also sells tickets for Seibu Bus and Kusakaru Kotsu bus services.

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File:Kusatsu-Onsen_Bus_Station.jpg

{{Infobox station

| name = Kusatsu Onsen Station

| native_name = 草津温泉駅

| native_name_lang = ja

| type =

| image = Kusatsu Light Railway in Taisho era.JPG

| alt = Kusatsu Electric Railway train

| caption = A Kusatsu Electric Railway train

| address =

| borough = Kusatsu, Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture

| country = Japan

| operator = Kusakaru Electric Railway

| line = Kusakaru Electric Railway Line

| platforms =

| connections = {{Plainlist|

• Bus stop

}}

| structure =

| code =

| opened = {{Start date|1926|09|19|df=y}}

| closed = {{End date|1962|02|01|df=y}}

}}

File:Kusakaru-kusatueki-ato.JPG

Located approximately {{Convert|400|m|mi|abbr=unit}} south of the current Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal, the original {{nihongo|Kusatsu Onsen Station |草津温泉駅|Kusatsu Onsen-eki}} was a train station on the Kusakaru Electric Railway Line that operated from 1926 through 1962. The site of the former station has since been turned into a park, with a monument dedicated to the station.{{Cite web |date=2015-07-29 |title= |script-title=ja:草軽電気鉄道　草津温泉駅跡 |url=https://skylandhotel.jp/?p=10103 |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=Kusatsu Skyland Hotel |language=ja}}

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{{reflist}}

• [https://highway-buses.jp/course/kusatsu.php Official Website]

{{commons category}}

Category:Bus stations in Japan

Category:Transport buildings and structures in Gunma Prefecture

Category:Kusatsu, Gunma

Category:Transport infrastructure completed in 1935

Category:1935 establishments in Japan