'''Takasaki''' (____, [http://www.city.takasaki.gunma.jp/English/default.html]) is a city in Gunma prefecture in Honshu, Japan.
Understand
Takasaki, about 100km north of Tokyo, is famous as the hometown of the Daruma doll. It is also the hometown of former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone.
Get in
By train
Takasaki is a stop on the '''Joetsu Shinkansen''' and '''Nagano Shinkansen''' lines, and is a hub for the JR Takasaki, Hachiko, Ryomo, Joetsu and Shin-etsu lines.
Frequent Shinkansen services depart Tokyo station for Takasaki every 15-30 minutes, with more frequent departures for the evening rush. You can reach Takasaki in about one hour, at a cost of ¥4800. Regular trains on the Takasaki Line depart from Ueno station 2-3 times per hour, reaching Takasaki in about 2 hours at a cost of ¥1890.
There are also hourly departures for Takasaki on the '''Shonan-Shinjuku Line''' which runs via Shinjuku station (1 3/4 - 2 hours, ¥1890 from Shinjuku).
By bus
Get around
See
Do
Buy
Eat
'''Shoya''' (____), Yajima-cho 117-8 (''on the ground level on the left side of the plaza at the West Exit of JR Takasaki station''), tel. 027-328-8833, [http://www.daisyo.co.jp/gyoutai/shoya/index.html]. Open daily 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, Sundays and holidays 1:00 to 5:00 pm. If you can tolerate occasional smokers, this is a pleasant place to sample a wide variety of specialty snacks and sake from around Japan while you wait for train connections. Its catch phrase is ''kutsurogi no sato'' 'a place to relax' and the happi coats of the staff say ''yorokonde'' 'enjoy'. Not much English spoken, but there are picture menus [http://www.daisyo.co.jp/whatsnew/pdf/20060313_01_2.pdf] for both food and sake. Snacks range in price from ¥300 for ''edamame'' (soybeans) or kimchee to ¥1300 for a serving of shabushabu, with most in the ¥500 to ¥700 range. Overflowing glasses of sake in ''masu'' (square boxes) run about ¥700-800.
'''Yaki-manju''' is a Japanese sweet famous in Gumma. It's broiled manju, Japanese-style bun with sweet soybean sauce. You can buy one at any shop with a long line of customers.
Drink
Sleep
Get out
Ashikaga - historical home of the Ashikaga shoguns
Karuizawa - a popular winter and summer getaway with skiing and shopping - a traditional shopping street as well as a huge outlet mall with a number of Western brand stores. One stop westbound from Takasaki on the Shinkansen. For a slightly less expensive route take the Shin-etsu Line west to Yokogawa Station in Annaka and take a 30-minute bus ride through the hills to Karuizawa Station. Savings aside, the bus is worth the extra time during autumn for the colorful scenery.