Which facilities have a sauna?

All 4 featured facilities have a sauna.

Editors' Selection — Gifu

4 Best Onsen in Gifu Prefecture, Handpicked by Our Editors

Photo: Gero Onsen Ogawaya

If you want to soak in a truly great onsen in Gifu Prefecture, this page has the answer. Our editorial team, which researches onsen and saunas across Japan and visits facilities in person, has narrowed down the wide range of options in Gifu to just 4 establishments. From a relaxing overnight stay at a ryokan to a casual day-trip onsen, every option here is a winner. All that's left for you to do is decide which one to visit.

Gifu Tajimi City

Tenko no Yu

A Tub of Pure Natural Radium Spring Water Overlooking a Sanbaseki Stone Garden

Type: Super sento
Baths: Gender Separated
Tattoos: No Tattoos
Hours: 08:00〜23:00

Hot spring01 Tenko no Yu

Open-air source-fed hot spring

An open-air source-fed hot spring bath located in the outdoor area for both men and women. The bath is filled directly with the natural radon spring without circulation so you can fully enjoy the spring’s freshness and components. Along with the breathing bath effect of the radon spring, the fresh sensation unique to direct-flow spring water envelops the body. Overlooking a garden of Sanba-ishi rock, you can enjoy a luxuriously indulgent moment that far exceeds a typical day-trip onsen.

Electric bath

A massage-type electric bath that relieves stiffness with three types of electrical stimulation: pressing, kneading, and tapping. It offers a wider variety of sensations than typical electric baths and can target pinpoint stiffness in the shoulders, lower back, and legs. Installed in the indoor bathing area on both the men’s and women’s sides, using it in combination with hot spring bathing can further enhance fatigue recovery effects.

Editors' comment

At the center of Onyado Yui no Sho's open-air bath is a tub filled directly with natural radium spring water, without circulation. On the day of our research visit, several guests were seen completely relaxed while soaking here, taking in the view of a garden arranged with natural monument-designated Sanbaseki stones. In the indoor bath, the same radium spring water is passed through a medical device to create a high-concentration carbonated spring of over 1,200 ppm. After soaking for a while, stroking your arm causes the ultra-fine bubbles covering your skin to rise all at once to the surface. There are also electric baths offering push, knead, and tap settings, along with jet baths and a löyly sauna.

Read our first-hand visit from November 2025 →

See more about this place

If you found yourself wanting to go

JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA

The Finest Onsen & Sauna in Japan

57 SELECTIONS

Besides this one, there are 56 more.

No more sifting through endless search results for the real thing. Inside are only the finest places, each confirmed in person by our editor. Not chosen by star ratings, but by whether they would go back.

Open the magazine, free

This place's pages are free to read

Gifu Kani City

Natural Hot Spring Mitsumine

Gazing at Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom from a Source-Fed Rock Bath

Type: Super sento
Baths: Gender Separated
Tattoos: No Tattoos
Hours: 10:00〜22:30

Hot spring02 Natural Hot Spring Mitsumine

Tateyama no Yu

At Mitsumine you can enjoy an alkaline simple hot spring noted for its soft touch. The water feels smooth on the skin and is known as a 'beauty bath' that leaves skin supple after bathing. The source is drawn into both outdoor and indoor baths, allowing you to soak while viewing the garden and enjoy an open, liberating feeling. It is expected to promote circulation and aid recovery from fatigue, providing a healing time wrapped in natural warmth.

Ontake no Yu

An indoor cypress-lined hot spring bathtub. The smooth alkaline simple spring envelops the body along with the scent of hinoki cypress. On the 25th and 26th of each month, special bath events are held.

Editors' comment

A 20-minute walk uphill from an unstaffed train station brings you to Yudokoro Minori, with the appearance of a traditional ryokan and a meticulously maintained garden. The indoor bath features a hinoki cypress tub, where the gentle waters of an alkaline simple spring envelop the body along with the scent of cypress wood. The open-air bath has a source-fed rock bath that warms you deeply the longer you soak. Beyond the large windows, cherry blossoms and autumn leaves come into view, with a forest stretching beyond. On the day of our research visit, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, filling the view from both the bath and the outdoor relaxation chairs. There's also a private open-air bath featuring a large ceramic pot as the tub.

Read our first-hand visit from April 2026 →

See more about this place

If you found yourself wanting to go

JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA

The Finest Onsen & Sauna in Japan

57 SELECTIONS

Besides this one, there are 56 more.

Open the magazine, free

This place's pages are free to read

Gifu Gero City

Gero Onsen Ogawaya

Nine Private Baths for Exclusive Access to Source-Fed Hot Spring Water

Type: Hotel & Ryokan
Baths: Gender Separated
Tattoos: No Tattoos

Hot spring03 Gero Onsen Ogawaya

Yakushi no Yu / Kajika no Yu

Yakushi no Yu is a large bath where fresh morning sunlight pours in through the latticework, and at night atmospheric lighting creates a dreamlike ambiance. In the adjoining open-air bath, Kajika no Yu, you can let yourself be carried away by the pleasant breeze from the Hida River, the sound of kajika frogs, and the changing seasons. In this open space wrapped in the sounds and wind of nature, you can enjoy deep relaxation away from the noise of everyday life.

Shirasagi no Yu / Shira Tame no Yu

Shirasagi no Yu, which fuses tatami, a symbol of Japanese culture, with hot springs, is a 100-mat tatami bath with a soft feel and a safe, comfortable floor. At Shira Tame no Yu, located down the stairs, you can enjoy a rock open-air bath that lets you feel the fresh air of the Hida River and a White Ion Bath that removes dirt from pores with fine bubbles. You can fully savor the beautifying waters of Gero Onsen in spaces with different atmospheres.

Hot Spring Spa Sen

A hot spring spa with a modern, orderly space that seems to embody the Hida River, featuring dramatic arrangements of natural stone. In addition to natural hot spring water, it also offers an artificial carbonated spring that is expected to promote blood circulation and benefit the skin. The flow of the space becomes brighter and more open the farther you go, creating a pleasant path that lets you experience exceptional healing in an artistic environment separated from everyday life.

Private Bath

There are 9 private baths in total: 7 baths in the annex Yuragi, including semi-open-air baths overlooking the Hida mountains and clear stream, plus 2 baths in the main building, with a striking contrast of black and white. You can enjoy the famous source-fed hot spring in a completely private space, undisturbed by anyone.

Editors' comment

Hida Hanasato no Yu Takayama Ouan offers nine private baths. The seven in the annex are semi-open-air, facing the Hida mountain range and a clear flowing river. The two in the main building are designed with a striking black-and-white contrast. All are filled with source-fed hot spring water, letting guests unwind without a care, listening only to the sound of water falling. There are also five large communal baths, and the onsen spa Sen features natural stone arranged on a grand scale, drawing both natural hot spring water and artificial carbonated spring water. Dry sauna and mist sauna are also available. This is a place to experience Gero Onsen in the privacy of your own bath.

Stay here

Availability and rates are shown on each booking site.

Agoda

This page contains affiliate links. Booking through them costs you nothing extra.

See more about this place

Gifu Ginan Town, Hashima District

Yudokoro Minori

A Silky Rock Bath from the Source, Down to the Angle of the Backrest

Type: Super sento
Baths: Gender Separated
Tattoos: No Tattoos
Hours: 06:00〜00:00

Hot spring04 Yudokoro Minori

Ikeda Yuge Onsen

At Yudokoro Minori you can enjoy a natural hot spring sourced from Ikeda Yuge Onsen. The spring quality is a sodium bicarbonate spring, known as a 'beauty hot spring' that gently exfoliates the skin. It features a smooth, silky feel on the skin and may help promote circulation, relieve fatigue, and improve sensitivity to cold. Both indoor and outdoor baths use this spring, allowing guests to fully enjoy the benefits of the natural hot spring.

Editors' comment

Gero Onsen Ogawaya's open-air rock bath is filled with water from the Ikedayuge hot spring source. As a sodium bicarbonate spring, it leaves a smooth, silky feel on the skin that becomes noticeably softer the longer you soak. The backrest of the rock bath isn't set at a right angle, but angled so you can lean back and gaze up at the night sky. Every detail of this rock bath is thoughtfully designed, making it easy to linger. The same hot spring source is used in the indoor bath as well. A sauna is also available. The facility is within walking distance of the station, with parking for 180 cars.

Read our first-hand visit from April 2026 →

See more about this place

If you found yourself wanting to go

JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA

The Finest Onsen & Sauna in Japan

57 SELECTIONS

Besides this one, there are 56 more.

Open the magazine, free

This place's pages are free to read

Frequently asked questions

Which facilities have a sauna?: All 4 featured facilities have a sauna.

Chosen by our editors from facilities that have granted us publication permission. We do not rank them.

JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA

The Finest Onsen & Sauna in Japan

57 SELECTIONS

Only the 57 places worth returning to.

Most of what we surveyed never even made it onto this site. This book is a further cut from what did. Our editor bathed in every onsen and sauna in it, and wrote only what they confirmed on the ground.

See inside, free