Experience the best of Gero

Gero Onsen has drawn bathers for centuries along the Hida River, which runs clear through a narrow valley in the mountains of Gifu. The Edo-period scholar Hayashi Razan named it, with Arima and Kusatsu, as one of Japan's three great hot springs. The water is alkaline and soft and is known for leaving the skin smooth, and inns and public baths stand along the river.

On a hill above the town, Gassho-mura is an open-air village of steep thatched farmhouses moved from the Shirakawa-go area, and the temple of Onsen-ji looks over the valley. Foot baths dot the streets. Takayama and its old merchant quarter lie to the north, and the mountains of the Hida region, with their forests and gorges, close in on every side.

The surrounding district is known for Hida beef, grilled over charcoal or cooked with miso on a magnolia leaf, and for ayu, sweetfish from the river, salted and grilled whole. A soak in the open air is at its best in winter, while spring and autumn bring cherry blossom and red leaves to the valley.