Gero Onsen

Background

Gero Onsen lies along the Hida River in Gero City, Gifu Prefecture, in the very middle of Honshu. Its hot springs are mentioned as early as the Shoku Nihongi, a chronicle from the Nara period. In the Edo period the Gero area was tenryo, land directly controlled by the shogunate, and in 2004 it merged with neighbouring towns and a village to form Gero City. More than 90 per cent of the city is mountain and forest, and Mount Ontake lies within its boundaries. Beyond the onsen district, Gassho Village is an open-air museum with 10 gassho-style farmhouses; gassho means "praying hands", referring to roofs shaped like hands pressed together. The Onsen Museum explains the history and science of bathing, and Jomon-period artefacts excavated at the Mineichigo site are displayed at the Gero City Museum.

Local customs

• Stay at an onsen ryokan to bathe and enjoy the local cuisine, and make a round of the free foot baths in the streets
• at Gassho Village see the gassho-style farmhouses, eat charcoal-grilled ayu skewers and try washi papermaking and pottery
• see the hands-on exhibits at the Onsen Museum
• with more time, drive about 30 minutes to the Osaka Falls, a group of 216 waterfalls.

Travel tips

• The onsen town is easy to explore on foot
• some ryokan offer day-use bathing, with fees and hours as each facility announces. Gero is about 2 hours by train from Nagoya Station, so a day trip is possible.
• Take the JR Takayama Main Line to Gero Station
• the onsen town is right near the station. You can visit all year: snowy winter baths, spring cherry blossoms and autumn foliage each have their charm
• summers are hot, so take your stroll along the Hida River in the evening.