Kusatsu International Summer Music Academy & Festival

The Kusatsu International Summer Music Academy & Festival is a classical music festival held each summer at Kusatsu Onsen, a renowned hot spring in Gunma Prefecture. Beginning in 1980, it is known as one of Japan's foremost authentic music festivals, inviting first-rate musicians from Japan and abroad over several weeks of summer to hold concerts and an academy (master classes) for nurturing young talent simultaneously.

A major feature of this festival is its rich "academy," in which world-renowned performers and music educators are invited as "professors" who not only perform in concerts but also directly instruct the next generation of young musicians. Amid the cool, clear air—even in summer—of Kusatsu Onsen, which springs forth on a highland at an altitude of 1,200 meters, students train under world-class musicians. Concerts are held daily throughout the period, and tourists visiting the hot spring resort can easily encounter top-tier performances.

Fusing the natural setting of Kusatsu, famed as a summer retreat, with authentic classical music, this festival is a pioneering presence that took root in Japan from the tradition of European music festivals. The several weeks of summer when beautiful music resounds through the highland resort, with the steam of hot springs rising, bring new cultural value to Kusatsu Onsen and draw many music lovers from across the country.