Gunma

  • Gunma's shape resembles a flying crane, earning it the nickname 'tsurumau katachi no Gunma-ken' (crane-dancing-shaped Gunma).
  • The Jomo Karuta is a regional card game featuring Gunma's landmarks and historical figures, taught as a mandatory subject in elementary schools for the prefectural tournament.
  • SUBARU's domestic automobile plants, descended from the former Nakajima Aircraft Company, are concentrated in Ota City, producing over 98% of their passenger cars in the prefecture.
  • The World Heritage Tomioka Silk Mill began operations in 1872 as Japan's first government-operated model factory.
  • Gunma produces about 90% of Japan's konnyaku potato, and the prefectural office even has vending machines selling drinkable konnyaku jelly.
  • The 32nd-floor observation lobby of the prefectural office is free and offers sweeping views of the Kanto Plain and Mt. Akagi, making it a hidden night-view gem.
  • Tatebayashi City is notorious for extreme heat, recording temperatures over 40°C multiple times, and is also famous for frequent thunderstorms, earning the nickname 'Kaminari Ginza' (Thunder Boulevard).
  • The symbol of Kusatsu Onsen, the Yubatake hot spring field, boasts an output of over 4,000 liters per minute.
  • Oze-ga-hara in Katashina Village is Japan's largest highland marsh, with mizubasho (skunk cabbage) blooming in late May.
  • Takasaki daruma dolls feature cranes in the eyebrows and turtles in the beard as good luck symbols, with production ranking number one in Japan.
  • Though landlocked, Gunma's Caribbean Beach in Kiryu City offers wave pools for surfing.
  • Minakami Town, claiming to be the birthplace of dam curry, serves over 52 varieties of local dam curry matching the number of dams in the area.
  • Takayama Village enacted a light pollution prevention ordinance as a star-gazing village, with Gunma Observatory offering public access to a 150 cm reflecting telescope.
  • Historically, the prefecture's romanization alternated between 'Gunma' and 'Gumma,' with an official English explanation PDF available on the prefectural website.
  • Gunma-chan, the beloved mascot, won the Yuru-Chara Grand Prix in 2014.