Located in the middle of Japan, Gunma Prefecture normally takes a visitor three hours to go from Tokyo. The place prides itself on its fabulous hot springs, as well as its mouthwatering dishes and desserts prepared by most local ryokan
“Gunma-chan’s House”, the Gunma antenna shop, is named after the famous mascot of Gunma. The lovable figure is ubiquitous in the shop, and if lucky enough, you may even have a chance of taking a picture with Gunma-chan himself! The shop comes in handy, as it is right beside the No. 4 exit of Higashi-Ginza station.
Once you enter the shop, you will be flabbergasted by the variety of endearing goods and souvenirs made in Gunma. The spacious, wood-furnished interiors of the store is no coincidence, when you know that most renowned places, products, arts and crafts at Gunma are pertinent to woods: hot springs and Daruma dolls. On top of the shelves in the above picture, you can see a wonderful collection of wooden basins, each of which are carved with the name of a Gunma’s hot spring. Most Gunma natives are proud of their invigorating hot springs, which are generally acknowledged to be the bests in Japan.
Right below the basins are the Daruma dolls called Takasaki. Gunma is an acclaimed as one of the best production sites of the dolls. In fact, these wooden gadgets symbolizes great fortune. The intriguing tradition has it that you should paint its left eye whenever you make any wishes, and paint the right when your wish is fulfilled..
If you think that Gunma is only famous for its crafts, you are altogether wrong. Its food is equally gratifying. In the above pictures, for example, you can see a few buns with the fillings of red bean, the most representative food where you can only purchase at the hot springs in Gunma. Among them, Karinto buns are the bestsellers because of its divinely pleasant taste. Its crust, though thin, is sweet with brown sugar. The entire bun is stuffed with red bean paste, and the little bitterness of sugar fits in perfectly with the smoothness, sweetness of the paste, giving rise to an unique, yummy taste of the buns. I highly recommend you to try at least one!
You can also see the merchandise of Gunma-chan, and different T-shirts with an imprint of Gunma's buns.
A corner that provides you with all sorts of sightseeing information about Gunma is also available. If you ask the staff, they can help you to plan a trip to Gunma.
Before you leave the antenna shop, don’t forget to try the ice-cream, which is also the best seller. Rich and thick in the taste of milk, it is well loved by many.
You can see more information here: http://kikaku.pref.gunma.jp/g-info/
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Hours: 10am to 7pm
Address: 5-13-9 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Access: 1 minute from the Higashi- Ginza Station
Map:
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