Kusatsu, Shiga

This article is about the city in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. For the town with this name in Gunma Prefecture, see Kusatsu, Gunma.

Kusatsu 草津市
City
JR Kusatsu Station east gate
Flag
Location of Kusatsu in Shiga Prefecture
Kusatsu Location in Japan
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Shiga Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Wataru Hashikawa
Area
• Total	67.92 km2 (26.22 sq mi)
Population (April 2008)
• Total	123,690
• Density	1,820/km2 (4,700/sq mi)
Symbols
• Tree	Sweet Osmanthus
• Flower	Aobana (Commelina communis L. var. hortensis Makino)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City Hall Address	3-13-30, Kusatsu, Kusatsu-shi, Shiga-ken 525-8588
Website	www.city.kusatsu.shiga.jp

Kusatsu (草津市, Kusatsu-shi) is a city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on October 15, 1954.

As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 123,690 and a population density of 1,820 persons per km². The total area is 67.92 km².

Overview

In Edo era, Kusatsu developed as a junction shukuba of Tōkaidō and Nakasendō, Kusatsu-juku. The city and its adjoing city Rittō are still an important traffic junction of southern Shiga; Biwako Line, Kusatsu Line, Meishin Expressway, Shin-Meishin Expressway, Japan National Route 1 and Japan National Route 8. So Kusatsu is a regional commercial center next to the capital city Otsu.

Kusatsu can be reached from Kyoto within 30 min by travelling by train on the Biwako Line. The heart of the city mostly comprises large new apartment blocks and many people chose to live there due to the ease of commuting to work in central Kansai such as Kyoto and Osaka. For similar reasons, there are several business hotels, love hotels and hotels catering for weddings around Kusatsu. Ritsumeikan University of Kyoto has a subcampus in Kusatsu.

Tourism

There is a museum related to the natural history of Lake Biwa located within the city and close to a bridge over the lake, and the Mizunomori Water Botanical Garden features extensive displays of lotus plants.

The city is often confused with Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture, which is a famous hot spring resort. There is even an imitation of the Gunma Kusatsu hot spring in the local public bath house.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Japan

Twin towns – Sister cities

Kusatsu is twinned with:

• Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
• Pontiac, Michigan, USA
• Xuhui District, Shanghai, China

Huge lotus pond bloom in summer at Karasuma Peninsula in Kusatsu.

Historical site of Kusatsu-juku.

External links

• Kusatsu City official website (Japanese)
• Kusatsu (Shiga) travel guide from Wikivoyage