Gero Onsen is a small town located in the Gifu Prefecture. It is nestled among mountains and famous for its hot spring waters. We visited for a one-night stay between Kyoto and Tokyo. Our group was 4 adults, a four-year-old and a nine-month-old baby. As we were showing my parents around on their first Japan trip I wanted to add a small Japanese town and a traditional ryokan stay.
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Getting to Gero Onsen from Kyoto
From Kyoto Station, we took the Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya Station for 34 minutes. We rode the Limited Express (wide view) Hida from Nagoya Station to Gero Station. This part took one hour and forty minutes. The train is called wide view as it has larger windows to offer a better view of the scenic journey. Along the way, you pass by country homes, farms, rivers and stunning mountain views.
Where to stay in Gero
The main reason for choosing to stay in Gero was so my parents could experience a small Japanese town and a ryokan stay. Bosenkan was established in 1817. It had more modern touches than our Takayama Ryokan with elevators, a souvenir store and Western beds available in some rooms. Our Japanese-style rooms had a traditional feel and we had a wonderful experience.
The Baths
Bosenkan has a variety of hot spring baths. A recent renovation included adding children’s sections to both the large men’s and women’s open-air baths. There is a private open-air bath that you can reserve for 45 minutes for ¥2,200 per room. They also have rooms available with open-air ceramic baths.
We all enjoyed the foot bath at the end of the day which was great for tired feet. The foot bath is located in the middle of the garden and has fantastic views.
The room
We had two separate standard Japanese-style rooms, each with 3 futon beds and private bathrooms. The main rea was Tatami flooring. There was a low table and chairs with complimentary snacks and a water dispenser for making tea.
A separate seating area with two chairs and a small table was next to the large window. From the window, we could see the Japanese garden and koi pond below. We also had a view of the mountain, river and rail bridge. Later while we were having dinner in the dining room, our futon bedding was set up. I like having the kids on futons on the floor as I don’t have to worry about them falling out.
The food
Dinner was a traditional kaiseki course and served in a private dining room. We were ushered to our room, taking our shoes off at the entrance and knelt at the Japanese table. We were served a variety of dishes including seafood, tofu and vegetables. There was a delicious soup with beef and mushrooms that were cooked over a little burner.
Our 4-year-old was served an amazing children’s meal. Breakfast was also served in the dining room and included egg, rice and fish. I didn’t manage to take any photos of our food as I was controlling the nine-month-old who wanted to grab everything.
The garden
At the back of Bosenkan is a large garden area. In the middle sits the foot bath and off to the side is a koi pond. There is a large lawn area that provides spectacular views of the Hida River, the rail bridge and the surrounding mountains. This was a great space to let the kids have some free time and they loved watching the koi fish in the pond. We also had a view of the pond from our room.
Gero Onsen Gassho-mura
Gero Onsen Gassho-mura is a small village-style museum with ten thatched-roof houses. From Bosenkan, it was a 1.5km walk. A lot of it was uphill but we enjoyed every minute of it, as the surroundings were beautiful.
We arrived just after 4pm so, had one hour until closing time. Following the path, we viewed the gassho houses, some of which can be entered. The uphill walk is worth it once you see the backdrop view from the village. There are lots of green plants and colourful flowers throughout.
Although it is only small, this place felt special. Our four-year-old loved it. There are frogs hidden everywhere (gero gero is the noise they make in Japanese) and his favourite was the ponds of koi fish. You can feed them with food that can be purchased nearby.
Gero Onsen town
Gero Onsen town is small but very picturesque. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to experience as much of it as we would have liked. We arrived in the afternoon and the next day we only had the morning. It was raining and a lot of stores weren’t open yet. We did, however, enjoy walking through town on our way to the museum and back.
When we visited in early Summer, everywhere was green. The grass was growing along the Hida River and forested mountains surrounded the town. Walking to the museum, we followed a tree-lined path along the stream. I liked seeing the traditional Japanese houses along the way.
We passed by a Lawson convenience store which stood out as a modern building in an old town. It was very quiet with only a few people around. Perhaps because it was summer and Gero Onsen is more of a winter destination due to the hot springs.
Onsen
Along with Arima and Kusatsu, Gero is known as one of the top three onsens in Japan. The therapeutic waters are what makes the town famous. The first hot spring you will see is the open-air bath, located alongside the river, just down from the bridge. The town has three public bathhouses and Ryokans open their baths to the public at certain times. A spa pass is available to purchase which allows entry to three of the ryokan baths. Walking around town, you will find free foot baths, we also found a hand spa.
Our thoughts on Gero
It may have been a very short visit but the little time we did have in Gero was wonderful. Our four-year-old enjoyed spotting frog-themed things around town and he loved the koi ponds at the museum and Bosenkan. Gero Onsen is a peaceful and beautifully picturesque town. It made for a great rest stop in between two busy cities and showed a different side of Japan which is exactly what we wanted.
