🐦 Through Historic Castle Parks and Modern Art: A 9km Ptarmigan Loop in Maebashi 🐦
Maebashi City in Gunma Prefecture, nestled at the southern foot of Mount Akagi along the mighty Tone River, is a historic destination that thrived as an Edo-period castle town and a modern silk-manufacturing hub. This 9km GPS art course invites you to sketch a Ptarmigan (Raicho), using the historic parklands and vibrant cultural streets around Luna Amusement Park (Maebashi City Central Children’s Amusement Park) as your creative canvas.
The journey begins in the adjacent Rakuhodou Maebashi Park, where you can admire Sachinoike Pond and Taro Okamoto’s striking monument, the Bell of the Sun. The route guides you past the exquisite Rinkokaku, a designated Important Cultural Property, and the sacred Maebashi Toshogu Shrine before visiting the historic Ryukaiin Temple. After passing under the towering Gunma Prefectural Government Office, the trail loops into the creative heart of the city. Here, you will discover the poetic Hirosegawa Museum, the contemporary art space Arts Maebashi, and the bustling community center Maebashi Plaza Genki 21.
The Ptarmigan is a sacred alpine bird and an Ice Age relic that thrives on Japan’s highest snowy peaks. Drawing this mountain icon across the river-fed plains of Maebashi adds a playful, artistic contrast to your trek. The 9km loop is flat and highly accessible. By the time the digital bird appears on your screen, you will have woven together Maebashi’s samurai past and its inspiring modern art scene.
RESTAURANTS
DETAIL (EXTERNAL LINK)
A PIONEER IN GPS ART.
1st work was authorized by Guinness World Records as “the Largest GPS Drawing”.
He is the only Japanese person to be featured in a Google documentary as an innovator. He is fascinated by the idea of drawing with GPS and has published more than 2,500 works.
