Ikaho Onsen Tours and Trips (Gunma)

Honpo Shogetsudo in Ikaho, the originator of hot spring manju
Onsen manju originated from Honpo Shogetsudo in Ikaho. A local elder suggested they make a specialty that represents the hot springs, and inspired by the Enoshima souvenir Katase manju, they came up with a bun with a brown skin filled with brown sugar, resembling the color of the hot spring flowers at Ikaho Onsen, and released it in 1910 as Yunohana manju. After Emperor Showa purchased one in 1934, the brown buns are said to have spread to hot springs all over the country. Currently, over 10 stores in Ikaho Onsen sell Yunohana manju. The sight of them being sold in front of the store, steaming away, is full of hot spring atmosphere.

The town and hot springs of Ikaho, which even Yumeji Takeshita was enchanted by
The current hot spring town was founded about 420 years ago by a long flight of stone steps constructed above the ancient public bath, "Golden Bath." The elegant stone steps now number 365 steps and remain a symbol of the hot springs. Ikaho was beloved by many writers and artists, including Takizawa Bakin and Tokutomi Roka, and Takeshita Yumeji was one of them. He first visited Ikaho in 1919, and even after losing his beloved, he returned to Ikaho many times to find healing in the hot springs. In 1930, he announced his plan for the "Mount Haruna Art Institute" and set up an atelier on the nearby shores of Lake Haruna.