Gero Onsen

 town, resort, hot spring, onsen, interesting place

www.gero-spa.or.jp/english/index.html

Gero, situated on the banks of the crystal clear Hida River, in a pleasant mountainous valley in Gifu Precture, is within easy reach of Nagoya via Nakatsugawa on the Chuo Expressway and then route 257, direct from Nagoya on route 41 or by JR train on the Takayama Honsen north from Nagoya Station and Gifu or south from Takayama and Toyama.
Gero has been known as a noted hot-spring center since the 10th century and is one of Japan's "Three Famous Springs" (Nihon Sanmeisen) along with Arima Onsen in Hyogo Prefecture near Kobe and Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma Prefecture.

The main hot spring hotels and ryokan lie nestled in the hills to the north of Gero's JR Station across the Hida River.

There are free rotemburo (open air spas) on the rocky river banks of the river and some interesting public baths (sento) where the visitor can take a hot dip for a nominal fee, such as the Shirasagi-no-Yu, which opened in 1926 and has good views of the river below from its aromatic cypress bath.

Scattered throughout Gero are numerous footbaths (ashi-no-yu) - shallow hot pools where visitors can sit on wooden benches and soak their aching feet.

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Gero Tourist Office
Koda, Gero, Gifu, 509-2206
Tel: 0576 25 4711
Hours: 9am-5pm

It is possible to stay in a variety of ryokan or minshuku in Gero and details can be obtained from either the Gero tourist office near the station or in Nagoya.
The "Yu-meijin Yu-meguri Tegata" pass (1200 yen) available at the tourist office, souvenir shops and convenience stores, allows visitors to enjoy three hot springs other than the one they are staying at from a choice of 29 places, and the wooden plaque makes for a nice souvenir.

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