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Joetsu Shinkansen Guide · Kumagaya Station
Best Hotels Near Kumagaya Station: Japan’s Hottest City,
Rugby & the Great Uchiwa Festival
40 Minutes from Tokyo · Record-Breaking Summers · A Rugby Town on the Snow Line
🚄 Tokyo in ~40 min on the Toki or Tanigawa
🌡️ Once the hottest place ever recorded in Japan
🏉 A serious rugby town — a 2019 World Cup host
🏮 Home of one of Kanto’s biggest summer festivals
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What Kind of Area is Kumagaya? A Local’s Honest Take
Kumagaya is a mid-sized Saitama city that most travelers know, if at all, for one striking fact: it has recorded some of the highest temperatures in Japanese history, and it leans into the reputation with good humour. Beyond the heat, it is a proud rugby town — it hosted matches in the 2019 Rugby World Cup — and the stage for the Kumagaya Uchiwa Festival, a summer explosion of floats and paper fans that draws huge crowds.
Practically, Kumagaya is a commuter city just 40 minutes from Tokyo on the Joetsu Shinkansen. It is not a sightseeing destination in the usual sense, but it makes an easy, inexpensive stop for a festival, a match, or a spring cherry-blossom walk along its famous riverbank.
In late March the Kumagaya Sakura-tsutsumi embankment becomes a two-kilometre tunnel of cherry blossom above the Arakawa River — one of Kanto’s finest and least-crowded hanami spots, a short walk from the station.
Getting Around from Kumagaya
🚄 Shinkansen
Tokyo ~40 min · Takasaki ~12 min · Omiya ~20 min. Tanigawa and some Toki services stop; check the board for the next stopping train.
🚃 Local lines
The JR Takasaki line and the Chichibu Railway branch out from here, the latter climbing toward the Chichibu mountains and Nagatoro’s river gorge.
🚌 To the rugby ground
Buses link the station to Kumagaya Sports Culture Park and its rugby stadium on event days.
What to See Around Kumagaya
🏮 Kumagaya Uchiwa Festival
Held each July, this is one of the Kanto region’s largest festivals — ornate floats, taiko and food stalls filling the streets around the station for days, earning it the nickname “Japan’s hottest festival” in more ways than one.
🌸 Sakura-tsutsumi Embankment
The riverside cherry-blossom avenue, floodlit at night in season — the city’s signature spring sight.
⛰️ Chichibu & Nagatoro
Change to the Chichibu Railway for the temples of Chichibu and the boat rides and rock formations of Nagatoro — a rewarding day trip into the hills.
Where Should You Actually Stay?
Kumagaya’s hotels are practical business properties clustered by the station — fine for a purpose, rarely a destination in themselves.
🏨 Station-front: A few reliable business hotels sit by the exits, convenient for a festival, a match or an early train.
🏉 Event stays: On rugby and festival dates, book early — the city’s limited rooms fill fast.
🏙️ Usually better: With Tokyo only 40 minutes away, many visitors simply day-trip and sleep in the capital — the honest default unless an event keeps you here.
Overall Rating: Kumagaya Area
| Category | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shinkansen Access | ★★★★☆ | Tanigawa/some Toki, ~40 min to Tokyo |
| Around the Station | ★★★☆☆ | Commuter city; river, festival, rugby |
| Events | ★★★★☆ | Uchiwa Festival and World Cup rugby pedigree |
| Hotel Choice | ★★★☆☆ | Business hotels; thin on event nights |
| Charm & Atmosphere | ★★☆☆☆ | Functional, with real local spirit |
Who Should Stay Here?
✔ Festival-goers and rugby fans
✔ Hanami walkers in cherry season
✔ Travelers connecting to Chichibu and Nagatoro
✖ Most others — easy to day-trip from Tokyo
