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Gifu · City

Gero

下呂市げろしGero-shi

One of Japan's three famous hot springs, on the Hida River

Gero is a mountain city in southern Hida, Gifu Prefecture, whose hot-spring town on the Hida River, Gero Onsen, was counted by the Edo-period scholar Hayashi Razan among Japan's three finest springs, alongside Arima and Kusatsu; its smooth alkaline water is known as a 'spring of beauty'.

Overview

Gero lies in the valley of the Hida River in the south of the former province of Hida, between Takayama and the Mino plain. The city was formed in 2004 by merging five municipalities – the towns of Gero, Hagiwara, Kanayama and Osaka and the village of Mase – and covers a large, mostly forested area reaching to the slopes of Mount Ontake in the east.

Its fame rests on Gero Onsen, a compact spa town of ryokan and hotels on both banks of the river. The water is an alkaline simple spring that emerges at high temperature and feels smooth on the skin, earning the name bijin no yu, 'spring of beauty'. The Confucian scholar Hayashi Razan, adviser to the first Tokugawa shoguns, praised Gero with Arima and Kusatsu as Japan's three famous springs, a ranking the town has used ever since.

Around the spa, the Gero Onsen Gassho-mura assembles thatched farmhouses from the Shirakawa area, and footbaths line the streets. Beyond the town, the Hida River cuts through the gorge of Nakayama Shichiri, and in the Osaka district more than two hundred waterfalls cascade over the lava plateaus of Mount Ontake.

Landmarks

  • Onsen-ji

    温泉寺Onsen-ji

    Temple of 1671 reached by a long stone stairway, dedicated to the Yakushi Buddha of the heron legend, with views over the spa.

  • Gero Onsen Gassho-mura

    下呂温泉合掌村Gero Onsen Gasshō-mura

    Open-air museum of steep-roofed gasshō-zukuri farmhouses moved from the Shirakawa area.

  • Funsen-ike

    噴泉池Funsen-ike

    Hot-spring pool in the riverbed beside the Gero bridge, long a symbol of the town; it is now used as a footbath and viewing spot.

  • Nakayama Shichiri

    中山七里Nakayama Shichiri

    Gorge of the Hida River south of the spa, lined with oddly shaped rocks and maples.

  • Hida-Osaka waterfalls

    飛騨小坂の滝Hida Osaka no Taki

    Over two hundred waterfalls on the lava flows of Mount Ontake in the Osaka district, many reached by forest trails.

  • Onsen Museum

    下呂発温泉博物館Gero-hatsu Onsen Hakubutsukan

    Museum on the science, history and culture of hot springs in Japan.

Districts

  • Gero Onsen

    下呂温泉Gero Onsen

    The spa town on both banks of the Hida River, with ryokan, footbaths and shops.

  • Hagiwara

    萩原Hagiwara

    Former post town on the Hida road north of the spa.

  • Kanayama

    金山Kanayama

    Old riverside town at the southern end of the city, with narrow lanes along the Hida and Mase rivers.

  • Osaka (Hida-Osaka)

    小坂Osaka

    Forest district below Mount Ontake, known for waterfalls and mineral springs.

  • Mase

    馬瀬Mase

    Rural valley on the Mase River, known for its sweetfish and clear water.

History

According to tradition, a hot spring was found in the tenth century on Yugamine, a peak above the present town. When it stopped flowing in 1265, a white heron is said to have shown the villagers a new spring in the riverbed of the Hida – the origin of Gero Onsen. The temple Onsen-ji, founded in 1671, stands on the spot where the heron reportedly turned into a statue of Yakushi, the Buddha of healing.

In the fifteenth century the Zen monk Banri Shūkyū wrote of Gero with Arima and Kusatsu as the three leading springs, and in the seventeenth century Hayashi Razan repeated the judgement in verse. The Takayama Main Line reached Gero in 1930, and the town grew into one of central Japan's principal resorts. The five municipalities of the Mashita district merged to form the city of Gero in 2004.

  1. 10th century

    According to tradition, a hot spring is discovered on Yugamine.

  2. 1265

    Legend of the white heron revealing a new spring in the Hida riverbed.

  3. 15th century

    The monk Banri Shūkyū names Gero among the three leading springs.

  4. 17th century

    Hayashi Razan praises Gero, Arima and Kusatsu as Japan's three famous springs.

  5. 1671

    Onsen-ji is founded above the spa.

  6. 1930

    The railway reaches Gero.

  7. 2004

    Gero, Hagiwara, Kanayama, Osaka and Mase merge to form Gero City.

Culture

Gero is first of all a place to bathe: guests stay in ryokan, walk between the footbaths in yukata and buy a pass to visit several hotels' baths. The spa's identity draws on its legends – the white heron and the healing Buddha – and on its standing among Japan's three famous springs. In the farming villages of the city, old Shinto rites survive, most notably the Ta-no-Kami Matsuri with its dancers in flower hats.

Festivals

  • Ta-no-Kami Matsuri

    田の神祭Ta-no-Kami Matsuri

    On 14 February, dancers in brightly coloured flower hats perform at Morimizunashi Hachiman Shrine to pray for a good rice harvest; an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.

  • Gero Onsen Matsuri

    下呂温泉まつりGero Onsen Matsuri

    The spa's summer festival in early August, with dances and fireworks over the Hida River.

Food

  • Hida beef

    飛騨牛Hida-gyū

    Richly marbled wagyu from Gifu, served as steak, sukiyaki or grilled on a magnolia leaf.

  • Keichan

    けいちゃんkeichan

    Chicken stir-fried with cabbage in a miso or soy-based sauce, a home dish of the Gero and Gujō areas.

  • Hoba miso

    朴葉味噌hōba miso

    Miso with leeks and mushrooms grilled on a dried magnolia leaf, a Hida classic at ryokan breakfasts.

  • Ayu from the Mase River

    鮎ayu

    Sweetfish from the clear rivers of the city, grilled with salt in summer.

  • Gero tomatoes

    下呂トマトGero tomato

    Summer tomatoes grown on the cool valley slopes.

Getting around

  • Gero Station is on the JR Takayama Main Line; limited expresses from Nagoya take under two hours and continue to Takayama in about three-quarters of an hour.
  • Highway buses connect Gero with Nagoya.
  • The spa town is compact and walkable; the outlying districts and waterfalls are best reached by car or local bus.

Day trips

  • Takayama

    The old merchant town of Hida, about three-quarters of an hour north by train.

  • Shirakawa-gō

    The World Heritage village of gasshō-zukuri farmhouses, via Takayama.

  • Mount Ontake

    The sacred volcano on the eastern edge of the city.

  • Gifu

    Cormorant fishing on the Nagara River and Gifu Castle, down the Hida valley.

Other cities in the prefecture

CapitalGifuGifu-shiNobunaga's city between Mount Kinka and the NagaraCityNakatsugawaNakatsugawa-shiMagome, Tōson's post town, and the chestnut sweets of the NakasendōVillageShirakawaShirakawa-muraSteep thatched roofs in the snowy valley of the Shō RiverCityTakayamaTakayama-shiLittle Kyoto of the Hida mountains

Frequently asked questions

What are Japan's three famous hot springs?

Arima in Hyōgo, Kusatsu in Gunma and Gero in Gifu, a grouping made famous by the Edo-period scholar Hayashi Razan.

What kind of water does Gero Onsen have?

An alkaline simple spring, emerging at high temperature and noted for leaving the skin smooth, which is why it is called a 'spring of beauty'.

Can visitors bathe without staying overnight?

Yes. Public bathhouses and many hotels accept day visitors, and a pass lets visitors try the baths of several ryokan; free footbaths are found around the town.

Is Gero a good stop between Nagoya and Takayama?

Yes. It lies on the Takayama Main Line roughly halfway, and many travellers spend a night there on the way to Takayama and Shirakawa-gō.

Related

Sources

  1. 1.下呂市 (opens in a new tab) — 下呂市 (Gero City)
  2. 2.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — 総務省統計局 (Statistics Bureau of Japan)
  3. 3.下呂温泉観光協会 (opens in a new tab) — 下呂温泉観光協会
  4. 4.Japan National Tourism Organization (opens in a new tab) — JNTO

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