Tsumagoi Work&Camp
Reserve
Winter aerial view facing the mountains

Access

About 3 hours from Tokyo by car, or a direct limited-express train into Gunma.

Address
2401-615 Hoshimata, Tsumagoi, Agatsuma District, Gunma 377-1611, Japan
From Tokyo
~3 hours · 170km
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GUNMA · 1,444 M

Tsumagoi Work&Camp sits at 1,444m in Tsumagoi, Gunma. Drive the Kanetsu Expressway to the Joshin-etsu Expressway, leave at Karuizawa IC, then Route 146 and Route 144 (about 3 hours from Tokyo). Or take the limited express to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi and a rental car. Map and a trip planner are on this page.

  • About 3 hours from Tokyo (Karuizawa IC)
  • ~3 hours · 170km
  • Kusatsu-Shima · ~2h 20min
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Tsumagoi Work&Camp

2401-615 Hoshimata, Tsumagoi, Agatsuma District, Gunma 377-1611, Japan

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The route at a glance

By Car
  1. Tokyo
  2. ~3 hours · 170kmKan-Etsu → Joshin-Etsu Expwy
  3. Karuizawa IC
  4. Route 146 → 144
  5. Tsumagoi Ranch
Winter tires required Nov–Apr
By Train
  1. Ueno Station
  2. Kusatsu-Shima Ltd. Express · ~2h 20min2-3 trains/day
  3. Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station

At Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi the route splits. Pick one:

A
Car or taxi from the station

About 3h from Ueno · rail ¥5,480+

  1. Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi
  2. Rental car or taxi · ~30 minutesScenic drive through Manza Highway to Tsumagoi
  3. Tsumagoi Ranch
B
No car: local train, then the M-line bus

3h 14min from Ueno · rail ¥5,810+ · bus ¥890

  1. Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi
  2. JR Agatsuma Line local · 16–17 minChange at Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi. Buy your ticket through to Manza-Kazawaguchi
  3. Manza-Kazawaguchi Station
  4. Seibu Kanko Bus M-line · 21 minBound for Manza Bus Terminal. The stop is at the ranch entrance
  5. Tsumagoi Ranch (Bell of Love)

Connections from Ueno (2 a day)

  1. Kusatsu-Shima 1Ueno Local Bus Ranch
  2. Kusatsu-Shima 3Ueno Local Bus Ranch
  • The last bus to the ranch leaves Manza-Kazawaguchi at 15:08. Miss it and there is no later bus that day.
  • Bus times are from the operator's timetable in effect from Oct 1, checked 2026-09-25. Timetables change by season, so check the operator's timetable before you travel.
Official bus timetable (PDF)

Rail fares are JR East's with the regular-season reserved express, checked 2026-09-25. Express fees vary by season.

By BusBus stop at the ranch entrance. Karuizawa-origin arrivals 13:14 and 15:29. The 10:08 downhill needs an early out arranged in advanceOpen trip planner
Trip planner

Check train, bus, and car connections. Karuizawa-origin M-line arrivals at the ranch are 13:14 and 15:29.

Where are you coming from?

How will you travel?

Day type

  • No direct bus from Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi to the ranch
  • You need both express and basic fare tickets

Rough guide only — times and routes can change. Always double-check on Google Maps and the operator timetable for your travel date.

  1. 10:00 → 12:18

    Ltd. Express Kusatsu-Shima

    Ueno → Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi (~2 h 20 min)

    Open details

  2. 12:30

    Toyota Rent a Car, Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi

    5-min walk from station · ~12 min to pick up

    Open details

  3. 12:30 → 13:00

    Scenic drive to the ranch

    Manza Highway · winter tires Nov–Apr

Kusatsu-Shima · Train stop times verified 2026-09-25 (JR snapshot)

NAVITIME timetable
The way up

Ueno to 1,444 m, in one scroll

Scroll and the train pulls out. Scroll back up and it carries you home to Ueno.

10:00Ueno10:00 — the Kusatsu-Shima limited express pulls out
10:26Omiya10:26 — calling here
11:19Takasaki11:19 — calling here
11:58Nakanojo11:58 — calling here
12:18Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi12:18 — end of the lineNo direct bus to the ranch — rental car or taxi (~30 min)
~30 minutesScenic drive through Manza Highway to Tsumagoi~30 minutes up the mountain road
1,444 mTsumagoi Ranch (Bell of Love)Welcome to 1,444 mThe Karuizawa bus stops here too · Only ~3 buses per day each direction — plan connections carefully
DuskPitch the tentA tent on the grass at 1,444 m
NightTsumagoi Ranch (Bell of Love)It gets truly dark. The stars come out.
That day is open to book.
Car-free access

Tokyo to 1,444m without a car

Trains and a bus reach the ranch entrance — and the Gear Concierge carries everything you can't: ship your tent ahead, ride up with a daypack.

Limited express + rental

Limited express + station rental car (most reliable)

The Kusatsu-Shima limited express from Ueno Station reaches Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station in ~2h 20min (2-3 trains/day, all reserved seats, power outlets). Toyota Rent a Car is in front of the station; the final drive is ~30 minutes.

  1. Reserve the limited express on eki-net (you need both the express ticket 特急券 and basic fare 乗車券).

  2. Book the Toyota Rent a Car branch by the station in advance.

  3. Ship your camping gear ahead with the Gear Concierge and drive up with day luggage only.

Shinkansen + bus

Shinkansen + M-line bus to the ranch entrance (zero driving)

Hokuriku Shinkansen to Karuizawa, then the Seibu Kanko Bus M-line stops at 「嬬恋牧場 愛妻の鐘」 at the ranch entrance. Karuizawa-origin arrivals are 13:14 and 15:29. The 10:08 downhill leaves before checkout and the staffed desk — arrange an early out in advance. Re-check NAVITIME; winter sheets move.

  1. Tokyo → Karuizawa by Hokuriku Shinkansen (about an hour).

  2. Karuizawa Station north exit → Seibu Kanko Bus M-line toward Kusatsu (via Manza).

  3. Get off at 「Tsumagoi Ranch - Bell of Love」(嬬恋牧場 愛妻の鐘) — you are at the ranch entrance.

Kusatsu-Shima

Limited-express departures (from the official timetable)

Ueno StationKusatsu-Shima 1Kusatsu-Shima 3Kusatsu-Shima 31 *
Ueno10:0012:1009:00
Akabane10:1012:1909:10
Urawa10:1912:2809:19
Omiya10:2612:3509:26
Kumagaya10:5113:0209:52
Takasaki11:1913:3310:20

* Train 31 runs weekends/holidays only. Verify on eki-net before travel.

Ship to this address

Write this on the parcel

2401-615 Hoshimata, Tsumagoi, Agatsuma District, Gunma 377-1611, Japan
c/o Tsumagoi Work&Camp

Label format (required)

山田太郎 / CMP-20260815-001 / 8/15 IN

Your confirmation code (e.g. CMP-20260815-001) is issued the moment you book — it is on your confirmation screen and email.

Ship your gear ahead — arrive with a daypack.

Gear Concierge

  1. ¥500 per parcel

    ¥500 per parcel, free for full-venue charters.

  2. 7 days before check-in

    Parcels accepted from 7 days before check-in. Earlier arrivals may be refused or returned.

  3. guest name + booking confirmation code + check-in date

    The label MUST show guest name + booking confirmation code + check-in date — no booking reference, no acceptance.

  4. host day (Thu–Mon)

    Schedule delivery for a host day (Thu–Mon) using the courier's delivery-date + AM option. For a Thursday check-in, have rental companies deliver Thursday AM, not Wednesday.

  5. Couriers refuse gas canisters (CB/OD缶), lighters, and knives — the minimart stocks CB缶 and lighters on-site.

  6. 14 days after check-out

    Collect at check-in from the Gear Rack; you carry it the last 50 meters. Unclaimed parcels are held 14 days after check-out, then returned freight-collect (着払い).

  7. We sign for parcels and store them indoors, unopened. We are not responsible for contents, courier damage, or perishables.

Leave the box at the desk at checkout — free.

Ship-Back Desk

  1. Outbound shipping goes out every Monday.

  2. Round-trip 往復宅急便 (best)

    ship from home with Yamato's round-trip waybill: outbound label carries our address, the pre-attached return label carries yours, both prepaid. At checkout, just leave the box.

  3. Rental returns

    shipping rental services include a prepaid 着払い return slip in the box. Repack, stick the slip on, leave it at the desk.

  4. Anything else

    ships 着払い (freight collect): take a blank waybill from the desk, fill it in, and leave it on the box — you pay the courier at your own door. We never handle shipping money.

  5. Fri/Sat checkouts that can't wait for Monday can go out with the driver's regular Friday pass — ask at checkout.

After your event, leave the wet tents. We air-dry them in the yard.

Dry & Return — charter add-on

  1. ¥3,000 per tent.

  2. Charter and corporate events only

    arranged with your charter booking, not bookable online. Agree the tent count with us in advance.

  3. with its own storage bag

    Air-dry only, weather permitting — no washing, no cleaning. Leave each tent with its own storage bag; dried gear goes back into that bag as-is. No box packing.

  4. You arrange the return

    book a Yamato pickup (web or phone) with the campground as the pickup address, and tell us the pickup date in advance. The driver brings a 着払い waybill — you pay the courier directly. We never handle shipping money.

  5. Pickup on host days (Thu–Mon); Tue & Wed only by prior arrangement.

  6. damage waiver (免責同意書)

    A signed damage waiver (免責同意書) is required — we are not liable for damage, fading, mold in extended wet weather, or courier handling.

Leave your gear with us — free, when your next booking is confirmed.

Hold for your next visit

  1. Only with a confirmed next booking within 30 days — the rebooking is the payment. No open-ended lockers, no subscriptions.

Plateau

Why here

Manza Onsen is about 10 minutes by car on a clear day, about 15 in snow.

36°35′N · 138°31′E
2025 · Gunma plateau

The mountain opens five days a week.Fiber desk by day, tent under stars at night.Bake pizza by the fire,and sleep under the stars.

A resthouse, reborn

Hi, I'm Kenji. With my wife and a few stubborn friends, I brought an old resthouse back as our own workplace at 1,444m, with no houses for 7km. Five days a week we open the mountain to guests. Fiber desk by day, tent and fire at night. (Oat-milk latte: still working on it.)

Two nights is when your body usually starts to settle.

— Kenji, Tsumagoi Work&Camp · Host

At 1,444m, Tsumagoi's Work&Camp is ¥7,200/night solo (¥11,400 for 2 adults; ¥6,500 for check-ins through 30 Nov) with fiber coworking, heated showers, shared kitchen, gym and heated lounge included — you sleep in a tent. Day use ¥2,000 (kitchen included). Seven nights takes −15% on the same pass (standard-era solo 7N ≈ ¥42,800) — the deepest rate; stays cap at 7 nights.

This used to be a roadside resthouse on the Manza Highway — the kind of place where travellers pulled over for the view, an ice cream, and a ring of the 愛妻の鐘, the "Bell of the Beloved Wife." Then it sat empty for more than five years. I started renting it in autumn 2025. Renovating took the best part of a year, mostly because the winters up here simply tell you to stop. My wife, a few stubborn friends and I camped on the empty ranch through that first winter — no heating, just a kerosene stove, no working shower, an unusable kitchen. We survived. Then we double-glazed the whole building, and now the indoors stays warmer than the outside. Small victories.

I built Tsumagoi for people who want to ship code in silence and eat pizza under stars — not for families wanting a playground or hotel turndown. Day use exists, but this place is three hours from Tokyo; you'll miss the sunset over Asama-Shirane, the plateau going quiet at 22:00, and Manza Onsen about 10 min away (about 15 in winter) if you leave before dark. One night is bookable; two nights is when the mountain usually starts to work. Pack a layer, a sleeping bag, your laptop.

KenjiTsumagoi Work&Camp · Host