Gero Onsen
下呂温泉35°49′ N 137°15′ EOnsen town¥470, about CAD 4.20 or USD 3 (October 2026 rates)
Gero Onsen suits anyone who wants a soft alkaline soak with an easy ride from Nagoya, with about 70 places to stay along the Hida River. The trade-off is that the open-air pool on the river bed at Funsenchi no longer allows bathing.
Photo 663highland · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Know before you bathe
Wash and rinse at the taps before you get in, keep your towel out of the water and tie up long hair.
Getting there
Gero Station on the JR Takayama Line, about 1 hour 30 minutes from Nagoya on the limited express Hida. The station takes no IC cards.
Gero's water is famous for its feel: an alkaline simple spring at about pH 9.1 that the town calls a beauty bath. The spring was first found near the summit of Mt. Yugamine, about 4 km away, and legend says a white heron showed people where it had reappeared in the Hida River bed after it dried up. The monk Banri Shukyu bathed here in 1489 and ranked Gero with Kusatsu and Arima.
Funsenchi is the open pool on the river bed, and bathing there has been banned since 1 December 2021, though it is free to look at. For a day bath use Shirasagi-no-Yu or Kur Garden Rotenburo, and use the Yumeguri Tegata pass to try the baths of three member inns. Seven free foot baths dot the streets.
Worth knowing
- Walk between the foot baths with a small towel to dry your feet.
- The Yumeguri Tegata pass covers three inn baths and makes a good souvenir.
Quick answers about Gero Onsenよくある質問
What kind of water does Gero Onsen have?
An alkaline simple spring at about pH 9.1. It feels slick on the skin, which is why the town calls it a beauty bath.
Is Funsenchi open for bathing?
No. Bathing at Funsenchi has been banned since 1 December 2021; you can still see it from the river bank for free.
How much does Gero Onsen cost?
Prices at Gero Onsen start at ¥470 per adult (2026), about CAD 4.20 or USD 3 (October 2026 rates).
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