- Source temperature
- 84°C
- Bathing temperature
- 42°C
- Bathing
- Indoor / Outdoor
- Accommodation
- Hotel on site
Gero Onsen rises on the slopes above the Hida river in Gifu prefecture, its alkaline simple springs emerging at around 84 °C. The town's ryokan baths, public bathhouses and free riverside tub have made it one of the most celebrated onsen in central Japan.
Balnevia view
Why visit
Gero is prized for water that leaves the skin notably smooth, and for a compact hillside town where guests move between bathhouses in yukata and geta.
Recommendations
Hotels nearby
Explore places to stay near Gero Onsen.
The water
Thermal water
- Source
- Gero Onsen
- Mineralisation
- Alkaline simple spring (pH about 8.9)
- Character
- Very hot alkaline water, cooled before bathing; known for a notably smooth feel on the skin.
History
The spring was known by the 10th century and, according to local tradition, was rediscovered in the 13th century when a white heron revealed its position; the Edo-period scholar Hayashi Razan ranked it among Japan's three finest hot springs.
Practical information
A "yumeguri" pass allows bathing at several ryokan baths in turn. Tattoo policies vary by bathhouse; the open-air Funsenchi tub on the riverbank is free.
Getting there
Gero station is on the JR Takayama line, about 90 minutes from Nagoya by limited express and 45 minutes from Takayama.
Location
Related places
More thermal baths in Japan
Hakone/Japan
Hakone Yumoto Onsen
The oldest onsen district in Hakone, where ryokan baths look onto the Sukumo river valley.
Bathing temperature 41°C
Beppu/Japan
Takegawara Onsen
Beppu's 1879 bathhouse, known for its hot sand baths.
Bathing temperature 43°C
Matsuyama/Japan
Dōgo Onsen Honkan
One of Japan's oldest hot springs, in a wooden bathhouse of 1894.
Bathing temperature 42°C