Roadside Station Tomihiro Museum is a roadside station along National Route 122 in Kusaki, Higashi Town, Midori City, Gunma Prefecture. Located beside Kusaki Lake, it is a popular sightseeing base where visitors can enjoy art, nature, local food, and regional specialties in one place.
The facility centers around the Midori City Tomihiro Museum, which displays works by poet and artist Tomihiro Hoshino. Together with the adjacent Kusaki Drive-In, it provides tourist information, road information, and local specialty products.
With art, food, and the surrounding mountain landscape coming together, the site offers a pleasant stop for travelers exploring the area around Kusaki Lake.
In 1976, Kusaki Dam was completed to help control flooding along the Watarase River and provide water for the Tokyo metropolitan area. The same year, Kusaki Drive-In opened and began serving tourists and drivers visiting the newly formed Kusaki Lake.
The former Higashi Village Tomihiro Museum opened in 1991. A new Tomihiro Museum opened at its present location in 2005, and the museum and Kusaki Drive-In were registered together as a roadside station that same year.
In 2022, crowdfunding was conducted to help maintain the facilities, receiving support from many people and demonstrating the strong connection between the site and the local community.
Midori City Tomihiro Museum is a municipal museum dedicated to the works of Tomihiro Hoshino, a poet and artist from Higashi Town in Midori City.
Hoshino’s distinctive shiga, or illustrated poetry, combines delicate watercolor paintings of flowers and plants with poetry. His works quietly express themes such as the preciousness of life and kindness toward others.
The new museum opened in 2005 and features an innovative architectural design. Its square outer form was inspired by a soap bubble, while the interior contains 33 circular exhibition rooms of different sizes.
The design eliminates conventional corridors and columns, creating soft, flowing exhibition spaces without sharp corners. Different colors and tones are used for the walls and floors of individual rooms, helping visitors experience each work in a setting suited to its atmosphere.
In addition to the exhibition rooms, the museum has a video room, information area, museum shop, and café.
The lakeside café offers coffee and homemade bread, providing a peaceful place to relax and reflect on the works after visiting the galleries.
Born in 1946, Tomihiro Hoshino was working as a junior high school physical education teacher when an accident caused a spinal cord injury that left him unable to move his arms and legs.
While hospitalized, he began drawing and writing poetry by holding a brush in his mouth. His works gradually became known throughout Japan.
Exhibitions of his flower-themed illustrated poetry were held throughout Japan and overseas, and his work continued to bring encouragement and hope to many people.
Since the museum first opened in 1991, it has welcomed large numbers of visitors. In 2021, cumulative attendance exceeded 7 million visitors.
Surrounded by the natural scenery of Kusaki Lake, the museum provides a peaceful setting where visitors can take their time and engage with Hoshino’s work.
Located roughly halfway between Kiryū and Nikkō along National Route 122, Kusaki Drive-In has long served as a popular rest stop for travelers and drivers.
It is approximately a 5-minute walk from the Tomihiro Museum and offers both meals and local souvenirs.
One of the best-known specialties at Kusaki Drive-In is “Jōshū Gunma Kusaki Lake Yomogi Manju.” These Japanese-style steamed sweets are made and sold directly at the shop, with sales reaching as many as 2,000 pieces in a single day.
The sweets feature a refined filling made with Hokkaido-grown azuki beans and a soft, chewy dough generously mixed with yomogi (Japanese mugwort).
They are made without artificial coloring or preservatives, allowing the natural aroma and flavor of the ingredients to stand out. Enjoying one freshly made on site is one of the simple pleasures of stopping here.
The restaurant serves homemade udon, soba, and ramen, as well as rice bowls and set meals.
Regional specialties include okirikomi, a traditional Gunma-style noodle dish, sauce katsudon, a rice bowl topped with breaded pork cutlets and sauce, kamameshi set meals cooked in a small pot, and hōtō set meals.
For udon, visitors can choose between traditional Jōshū udon and yomogi udon flavored with Japanese mugwort.
The restaurant can also accommodate groups, making it a convenient place for lunch during sightseeing or a relaxing break during a drive.
The grounds contain several unusual attractions, including a small shrine where visitors are said to ward off bad luck by striking a log, as well as a Hotei Buddha, associated with wishes for financial good fortune.
In the rear garden, visitors can also find a large Reclining Buddha lying peacefully with Kusaki Lake as a backdrop.
This reclining statue was installed in 1999 for visitors who find it difficult to reach the original Stone Reclining Buddha of Tōnosawa in the mountains.
The original statue is located on the slopes of Mount Kesamaru and requires a mountain hike to reach. The statue at Kusaki Drive-In provides a much more accessible opportunity to pay one’s respects.
Kusaki Dam is a gravity-type concrete dam completed in 1976. It is approximately 140 meters high and 405 meters long.
From the observation area, visitors can enjoy expansive views of Kusaki Lake with the mountains of the Ashio area forming a dramatic backdrop.
Periodic inspection water releases from the dam can create an especially powerful spectacle when they take place.
The lakeshore has walking paths and areas where visitors can enjoy being close to the water. Activities such as canoeing, boating, and birdwatching are also available in the surrounding area.
The scenery of Kusaki Lake changes throughout the seasons, offering a different atmosphere each time visitors return.
By train, the site can be reached by taking a local bus for approximately 10 minutes from Gōdo Station on the Watarase Keikoku Railway.
By car, it is approximately 45 minutes from the Isesaki Interchange on the Kita-Kantō Expressway and approximately 80 minutes from the Sano-Fujioka Interchange on the Tōhoku Expressway.
Because the facility is located directly along National Route 122, it is also a convenient stopping point for travelers driving between Kiryū and Nikkō.
The Tomihiro Museum is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with admission permitted until 4:30 p.m. Closing days vary by season, so visitors are advised to check the latest schedule before traveling.
Roadside Station Tomihiro Museum and Kusaki Drive-In are much more than places to take a break during a journey. Together, they form a sightseeing base where visitors can experience local art and culture, the natural beauty of Kusaki Lake, and the flavors of Gunma.
After taking in Tomihiro Hoshino’s gentle illustrated poetry, visitors can enjoy a famous yomogi manju or a local meal while surrounded by the scenery of the lake and mountains.
For travelers exploring Midori City, this lakeside destination offers an easy way to combine art, nature, local cuisine, and regional culture in a single visit.