Takasaki, Industrial center in Gunma Prefecture, Japan
Takasaki is an industrial center in Gunma Prefecture that spreads across a wide plain surrounded by mountains. The white Kannon statue rises 42 meters (about 138 feet) above the urban buildings, serving as a landmark visible from across the area.
This place evolved during the Edo period from an administrative center into a key stop along the Nakasendo route connecting Edo with Kyoto. After modernization in the late 19th century, it transformed into a major railway junction and industrial site.
The Shorinzan Darumaji Temple marks the birthplace of daruma dolls, where artisan families have kept their crafting traditions alive since the 17th century. Visitors can watch craftspeople paint the round red charms with their characteristic blank eyes, using techniques passed down through generations.
Multiple railway lines, including the Hokuriku and Joetsu Shinkansen bullet trains, connect this place to Tokyo in under an hour. The compact downtown area is easy to walk, while buses reach more distant sights like the temple and the Kannon statue.
This place produces over 80 percent of all daruma dolls made in Japan, with most crafted in small family workshops around the temple. Hundreds of these red charms are displayed at the Reifudo building within the temple grounds, showing the variety of sizes and painted details.
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