Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal

Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal (草津温泉バスターミナル), or Kusatsu Onsen Station (草津温泉駅), is a bus terminal located near Kusatsu Onsen in the town of Kusatsu, Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. It is managed by Kusatsu Bus Terminal Company in a joint venture between JR Bus and the Kusatsu municipal government. JR Bus, Seibu Bus, and Kusakaru Kotsu operate bus services at the terminal.

History
From the Taishō era until World War II, many railway lines were constructed around Japan, though the country's acute topography led many bus routes to substitute train lines. The Joshu Kusatsu Line was one of many bus lines connecting Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station with Kusatsu Onsen, Yudanaka Station, Karuizawa Station, and Mount Kusatsu-Shirane.

The bus terminal was opened on 11 December 1935 as Joshu Kusatsu Station (上州草津駅) with the commencement of bus service on the Joshu Kusara Line (上州草津線) to Joshu Otsu Station (上州大津駅) in Naganohara. The "Joshu" in the name was intended to avoid confusion with Kusatsu Station in Shiga Prefecture on the Tōkaidō Main Line.

The bus terminal was renamed to Kusatsu Onsen Station on 1 June 1962, following the closure of the Kusatsu Onsen train station.

Station layout
The main concourse and gates (of which there are 9) are on the 2nd floor, along with a ticket office, internet terminals, vending machines, and a coffee and souvenir shop. There is a restaurant and tourist information desk on the 1st floor and a hot spring library on the 3rd floor.

There is a MARS ticket office operated by JR East, which sells railway tickets (including limited express tickets) for use at the nearby Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station, as well as tickets for the bus service that connects the Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal with Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station. The ticket office also sells tickets for Seibu Bus and Kusakaru Kotsu bus services.

Former train station
Located approximately 400 m south of the current Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal, the original Kusatsu Onsen Station (草津温泉駅) was a train station on the Kusakaru Electric Railway Line that operated from 1926 through 1962. The site of the former station has since been turned into a park, with a monument dedicated to the station.