with its hot spring resorts, with very little industry and almost no agriculture. Education Kusatsu has a public elementary school, Kusatsu Elementary School (草津町立草津小学校), and one public middle school, Kusatsu Junior High School (草津町立草津中学校), operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school. Gunma Prefectural Board of Education operates prefectural high schools elsewhere. Transportation Railway In 1964, rail services to the town ceased after the closure of the nearby sulfur pit and the ensuing loss of freight traffic, which made operation of the line uneconomic. Highway Sister city relations Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan, since March 29, 1969 Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan, since September 8, 1997 Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany since October 11, 1962. The town in which Kusatsu's benefactor Erwin Bälz was born. The contacts with this sister town are the most intensive. There is an annual student exchange. Neustift, Austria since March 21, 1986. Winter sports resort town. Contact established through the Austrian national ski team. Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad, Carlsbad), Czech Republic since May 20, 1992. Spa resort town, was compared with Kusatsu by Erwin Bälz. Snowy River, Australia since July 10, 1991. This town is located on the same latitude as Kusatsu, but in the southern hemisphere. Local attractions Kusatsu Onsen There are about 100 hot springs in Kusatsu with a total amount of about 34,000 liters water per minute pouring out of the ground. The water is sulfurous and acidic. The hot springs are said to help cure: arthralgia, stiff shoulders, paralysis, hardenings, bruises, sprains, chronic indigestion, hemorrhoids, chills, arteriosclerosis, burns, chronic gynecological disorders. The water from the natural hot springs is used not only for bathing but also for heating of the city's primary and secondary schools, the municipal welfare center, the streets during winter and many households, as well as for the municipal swimming pool. The Yubatake, one of the biggest hot springs and the main attraction of the town, is located in the center of Kusatsu. The spring water pours out of the rock and is then conducted through several rows of wooden boxes. In these wooden boxes one of Kusatsu's specialties is cultivated. The word Yubatake accordingly means "hot water field". Around the Yubatake there are 100 name plates of famous persons that visited Kusatsu. Internationally well-known are: Erwin Bälz (German internist), Julius Scriba (German surgeon), Bruno Taut (German architect), Ernest Satow (British researcher of Japan and diplomat), Kakuei Tanaka (Japanese prime minister