Gero Onsen Town & Yumeguri
下呂温泉街・湯めぐり手形
One of Japan’s three great hot springs. Its simple alkaline waters feel silky, earning it the name “beauty bath.” The spa town has many free foot baths, and the Yumeguri pass lets you soak in top inns.
Gero Onsen has been in use for about a thousand years. The Edo-period Confucian scholar Hayashi Razan ranked it alongside Arima and Kusatsu as one of the “Three Famous Springs under Heaven.” The spring water is simple alkaline water with a silky feel.
The spa street stretches along the Hida River and has about ten free foot baths, including the Onsen-gai Ashiyu and the Yakushi Ashiyu. The public bath Hakuro-no-Yu (about 430 yen) is famous for its Taisho-romantic architecture. The Yumeguri Tegata pass (about 1,500 yen) lets you bathe at any three participating inns, and it is valid for six months.
Next to Hakuro-no-Yu is Kagaseru Shrine, which has a frog theme. The Japanese word for frog sounds like “return,” so visitors come here to make wishes and prayers. In winter, hot-spring fireworks are held every Saturday evening.
Opening hours
Foot baths approx. 08:00–22:00 (varies by location)
Nearby sights
- Gero Funsen-ike & Hida River
- Kaeru Shrine
- Gero Museum of Hot Springs
- Onsen-ji Temple
- Gero Onsen Gassho Village
- Nakayama Shichiri Gorge
- Zenshoji Temple
- Iwaya Iwakage Site