PYRTPlan Your Road Trips
Create TripCommunityMerchandise
PYRTPlan Your Road Trips
Create TripCommunityMerchandise
Daimaru_kobe_Kyuiryuchi.jpg
at Former Foreign Settlement of Kobe (Kyukyoryuchi) in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture, Japan
Monument of Alexander Cameron Sim (Higashi-yuenchi Park,Chūō-ku,Kobe,Hyogo,Japan).Built in 1901[1].
Photo by Tomomarusan
Destinations
Home›Destinations›Hirobaba
AsiaJapanGunma

Hirobaba

Gunma, Japan · Asia

About Hirobaba

Hirobaba is worth a stop: 10 minutes from Ogura, 11km from Mount Haruna Touge.

Hirobaba is in Gunma, Japan, with about 14,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Ogura, about 4 km away.

Where to Stay in Hirobaba

Compare prices across Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, and more. Select your dates to see availability.

Filter presets

Pick your must-haves once: provider links open pre-filtered. Each filter lists which sites it applies to.

Booking.comExpediaTripAdvisorHotels.comAgodaAirbnb

Compare before you book!

Prices can vary significantly between platforms. We recommend checking at least 2-3 sites to find the best deal for your stay in Hirobaba.

Explore the Area

Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Hirobaba.

Loading map...
Open in Google Maps

Frequently Asked Questions

What is there to see near Hirobaba?

Within an hour or so of Hirobaba: Mount Haruna Touge (11 km), Usui Pass (30 km), Fukiware Falls (38 km), Kusatsu Yubatake (40 km).

Are there any good drives near Hirobaba?

The nearest famous roads are Mount Haruna Touge, Usui Pass and Shibu Pass.

Where is Hirobaba?

Hirobaba is in Gunma, Japan, about 4 km from Ogura.

Road trip

Drive to Hirobaba

Add it as a stop and the planner works out the driving, the nights and what's worth seeing on the way.

Start planning

What's nearby?

Swipe through places to go

Places within a drive of Hirobaba. Keep the ones you like and add them to your trip.

Explore now

Quick Information

Population
14,216
Continent
Asia
Country
Japan
Region
Gunma
Timezone
Asia/Tokyo
Coordinates
36.4231, 138.9697

Emergency & Services

Essential numbers in Japan

Police
110
Ambulance
119
Fire
119
Driving side
left

Japan Helpline (24h English assistance): 0570-000-911. An International Driving Permit (1949 convention) is required to drive.

Full driving guide for Japan

Tags

AsiaJapanGunmaTown

Worth the detour from Hirobaba

8 notable places within an hour's drive.

famous road

Mount Haruna Touge

The winding climb to Lake Haruna in Gunma, immortalised as 'Mount Akina' in Initial D. Gentle hairpins, a crater lake at the top, and constant pilgrimages by fans of Japan's street-racing manga.

11 km · about 20 min drive

mountain pass

Usui Pass

Historic pass on the old Nakasendo route between Gunma and Karuizawa, packed with 180-plus corners and the brick Megane-bashi viaduct. Another Initial D battleground beloved by drivers and rail historians alike.

30 km · about 35 min drive

waterfall

Fukiware Falls

A 7 m fall where the Katashina River drops into a fissure worn through flat rock, earning it the name the Niagara of the East. A riverside walkway runs right along the rim.

38 km · about 45 min drive

photogenic

Kusatsu Yubatake

The steaming timber sluice at the centre of Kusatsu, where 4,000 litres a minute of highly acidic spring water is cooled across wooden channels before reaching the baths. Floodlit and clouded in steam after dark.

40 km · about 45 min drive

mountain pass

Shibu Pass

At 2,172 m this is the highest point on any Japanese national highway, on Route 292 between Nagano and Gunma. In spring the road is cut through snow walls several metres high.

47 km · about 55 min drive

natural wonder

Jigokudani Monkey Park

A unique hot spring area where wild Japanese macaques famously bathe in steaming thermal pools surrounded by snow.

57 km · about 65 min drive

landmark

Shibu Onsen

A cobbled onsen village of wooden inns where guests in yukata and geta make a circuit of nine small public bathhouses. It is the road-end village below the snow monkey valley.

59 km · about 70 min drive

famous road

Irohazaka Winding Road

Twin one-way mountain roads with 48 hairpin bends linking Nikko to Lake Chuzenji, each curve named after a character of the old Japanese alphabet. Spectacular in autumn and legendary among touge drivers.

60 km · about 70 min drive

Driving roads near Hirobaba

  • Right hereMount Haruna TougeThe winding climb to Lake Haruna in Gunma, immortalised as 'Mount Akina' in Initial D. Gentle hairpins, a crater lake at the top, and constant pilgrimages by fans of Japan's street-racing manga.
  • 30 kmUsui PassHistoric pass on the old Nakasendo route between Gunma and Karuizawa, packed with 180-plus corners and the brick Megane-bashi viaduct. Another Initial D battleground beloved by drivers and rail historians alike.
  • 47 kmShibu PassAt 2,172 m this is the highest point on any Japanese national highway, on Route 292 between Nagano and Gunma. In spring the road is cut through snow walls several metres high.
  • 60 kmIrohazaka Winding RoadTwin one-way mountain roads with 48 hairpin bends linking Nikko to Lake Chuzenji, each curve named after a character of the old Japanese alphabet. Spectacular in autumn and legendary among touge drivers.
  • 78 kmVenus LineA 76 km free touring road across Nagano's Kirigamine and Utsukushigahara highlands, rolling over open alpine meadows at up to 1,959 m. One of Japan's best-loved drives for bikers and grand tourers.

Nearby Destinations

Other places to explore near Hirobaba.

Kanekomachi

🇯🇵 Japan

3 km awayPop. 37,107

Ogura

🇯🇵 Japan

4 km awayPop. 21,792

Shibukawa

🇯🇵 Japan

7 km awayPop. 76,098

Maebashi

🇯🇵 Japan

10 km awayPop. 332,149

Takasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

11 km awayPop. 372,973

Tamamura

🇯🇵 Japan

19 km awayPop. 36,367

Higashiagatsuma

🇯🇵 Japan

21 km awayPop. 13,349

Nakanojō

🇯🇵 Japan

22 km awayPop. 15,571

Plan a trip around Hirobaba

Asia road trip planner

Your trip starts here

Plan a road trip from Hirobaba.

Pick the days, drop in the stops, and share it with whoever's coming.

Start planning
PYRT

The ultimate road trip planning platform. Discover 150,000+ destinations worldwide, plan scenic routes, and create unforgettable adventures.

Inspiration

  • Discover Trips
  • Travel Guides
  • Community

The Product

  • Calendar Planner
  • Integrations
  • How It Works
  • Collaboration Mode
  • Get the App
  • Merchandise: PYRT Supply Co.
  • Become a Creator
  • Trip Marketplace

Plan Your Trip

  • Road Trip Planner
  • Famous Routes
  • Drive Times & Distances
  • Planners by Country
  • Best Road Trip Planner App
  • Discover Road Trips
  • Events
  • Travel Guides
  • How It Works
  • My Trips
  • Community Groups

Company

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • About PYRT
  • Support
  • Contact Us
  • Sign In
  • Create Account

© 2026 Plan Your Road Trips. All rights reserved.

•[email protected]
Data sources:GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)•Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)•Mapbox•Photography: George Lawrence