Gero Onsen

In the Edo Period (1603 - 1868), Gero Onsen (下呂温泉) was referred to as one of Japan's three best hot springs by the leading Confucian scholar Hayashi Razan. While the town may now be quite a bit more urbanized than back then, the waters have retained that special quality which has made them so famous.

Gero is located between Nagoya and Takayama, about an hour south of Takayama. This makes it a convenient stopover, or an attractive alternative to stay during the Takayama Festival, when lodging is difficult to find in Takayama.

Onsen are what make Gero famous. There are three public bath houses available in town in addition to the many baths located in the numerous ryokan, several of which are open to the public during certain times of the day for a fee.

A good way to sample some of these baths is to purchase a Yumeguri Tegata (spa pass), a wooden tablet that can be bought all around Gero including the tourist office, ryokan, souvenir shops and convenience stores. It gets you three visits to the baths of any of over a dozen participating ryokan, costs 1300 yen and is good for six months. It also makes a nice souvenir.

Also dotted around the town are many free footbaths where one can sit and relax after a hard day of sightseeing. Among the footbaths is the riverside Funsenike pool which used to be a pool for bathing but was converted into a footbath because its well exposed location caused a constant stream of complaints and troubles.

Onsenji Temple worships Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of healing, whose image is credited to restoring the flow of hot spring water to the town after it was stopped up by a large earthquake. Climb the stone staircase to the temple gate to get a view of the city and river.

Located just above town is the Gassho Village (Gero Onsen Gassho Mura), an open air museum of gasshozukuri farmhouses, traditional steep roofed houses from the Shirakawago region. Here you can view the houses, see performances or participate in traditional folk art. Also inside the Gassho Village complex is a komainu (shrine guard dog statue) museum.