Gunma Prefecture is located in the northwestern part of Japan's Kanto region, roughly 100 kilometers northwest of Tokyo,only an hour by bullet train"Shi‚Žkansen Superexpress.‡€ The prefecture is blessed with a rich variety of nature such as: mountains 2000 meters high, the marshlands of Oze, many lakes and hot springs, Agatsuma Canyon and the Tone River's clear waters. Being a part of the Kanto plain and very close to Tokyo, the southeastern region of Gunma is famous for its industrial and manufacturing sector. Gunma's approximately 2 million residents, including about 36,000 international residents from 100 different countries, live in an area of about 6,363 square kilometers.  Maebashi is the capital city of Gunma Prefecture and lies at the foothills of the southwestern slope of Mt. Akagi, and has a population of approximately 300,000. Maebashi, known as "the city of water, greenery and poetry,‡€ has been compared to the flower of the Kanto area, and flourished as a castle town between the 17th and the 19th centuries.  Kiryu is the city of high technology with the beauties of nature, located in the southeastern portion of Gunma Prefecture. Its population is approximately 110,000 and it continues to be a important silk textile center in Japan.

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