Gifu Prefecture Onsen: The Editorial Team's Top 10 Picks

Editors' comment

Water combining four renowned sources from Hirayu Onsen, the oldest hot spring in Okuhida, flows continuously from the source into four distinct bathhouses. The large open-air bath opens onto expansive mountain views, a rock bath is surrounded by garden plantings, and a roofed semi-open-air pavilion lets you enjoy the outside air without getting wet on rainy or snowy days. The gassho-style indoor bath, beneath thick beams and a high ceiling, offers both hot and lukewarm water side by side to suit how you're feeling that day. Since the baths alternate between men's and women's use, staying overnight lets you experience all four. Even with the same source water, the scenery looks entirely different from each bath.

Editors' comment

The large communal bath is filled with a continuous flow of source water from multiple springs of Hirayu Onsen. The open-air bath faces the Northern Alps head-on, including Mt. Kasagatake, offering views of green trees and snow-capped ridgelines as you soak. The indoor bath draws from a different spring than the open-air bath, with a reclining bath and a deep bath set side by side amid the scent of cypress. The character of the water changes as you move between baths, since the property draws on two separate hot spring sources. There are four private baths, available free of charge throughout your stay with no reservation required. Close the door, and only the sound of wind and trees remains. A self-löyly sauna is also available.

Editors' comment

Chloride spring water welling up from deep underground retains heat exceptionally well, keeping the body warm long after stepping out of the bath. This property's strength lies in experiencing that hot spring at "Itadaki no Yu," an observation bath with the panoramic view of Enakyo Gorge spread out below. Both the semi-open-air and indoor baths offer views of the valley, its expression shifting with the weather and time of day. On alternating days for men and women, the other bath, "Minamoto no Yu," centers on a quiet indoor bath with dimmed lighting. The same hot spring water can be enjoyed twice over, through two opposite designs, one open to scenery, the other enclosed and intimate. Rooms with private open-air baths are also available, along with a sauna.

Editors' comment

Set in a mountain village close to the thatched-roof village of Shirakawa-go, this property offers two distinctly styled private open-air baths, one of cypress and one of ceramic, both available without reservation. A lamp at the entrance indicates availability, letting you close the door and have the natural hot spring to yourself whenever the mood strikes. With no time restrictions day or night, you can gaze through the rising steam at the stillness of deep night or the sky just beginning to lighten at dawn. The sodium chloride spring water is gentle on the skin, and the warmth lingers deep in the body long after you step out. The gender-separated large communal bath features jar-shaped baths, a reclining bath, and a waterfall bath, along with a sauna.

Editors' comment

There are nine private baths here. The seven in the annex are semi-open-air, opening directly onto the mountains of Hida and the clear flowing river. The two in the main building are designed in contrasting black and white. All are filled with a continuous flow of source hot spring water, letting you spend your time undisturbed, listening only to the sound of falling water. There are five large communal baths, and the hot spring spa "Sen" features a space built around large natural stones, drawing both natural hot spring water and artificial carbonated spring water. A dry sauna and mist sauna are also available. This is a property where you can experience the hot springs of Gero in the privacy of a bath all your own.

Editors' comment

The water filling the baths here doesn't come from local springs. It's natural hot spring water shipped directly from Ikeda Yuge Onsen in Ibi District, Gifu Prefecture, rich in bicarbonate and long known as a "beauty bath" for the smooth skin it leaves behind. What defines this property is that this water is carried all the way up to the hotel's top floor. Outside the window, the Nagara River flows, with Mt. Kinka rising beyond it. From the elevated vantage point overlooking the city, river, and mountain, guests can soak in the silky texture of this water. A sauna scented with tea leaves is also available.

Editors' comment

A 20-minute walk uphill from an unstaffed train station brings you to a ryokan-like property with a meticulously maintained garden. The indoor bath is lined with cypress, and the gentle water of the alkaline simple spring envelops the body along with the scent of cypress wood. The open-air bath features a rock bath with a continuous flow of source water, and soaking here quickly warms you to the core. Beyond the large windows, cherry blossoms and autumn foliage give way to forest in the distance. On the day of our research visit, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, filling the view both from the bath and from the outdoor rest chairs. A private open-air bath using a large ceramic jar as its tub is also available.

Read our first-hand visit from April 2026 →

Editors' comment

At the center of the open-air bath is a single tub where natural radium spring water flows in directly, without circulation. On the day of our research visit, several guests were seen soaking here in complete relaxation, gazing at a garden arranged with Sanbaseki stone, a designated natural monument. In the indoor bath, the same radium spring water is passed through medical equipment to create a high-concentration carbonated bath of over 1,200 ppm. After soaking for a while, stroking your arm causes the ultra-fine bubbles coating your skin to rise all at once to the surface. Electric baths offering push, knead, and tap settings, as well as jet baths, are also available, along with a löyly sauna.

Read our first-hand visit from November 2025 →

Editors' comment

The open-air rock bath is filled with water from the Ikeda Yuge Onsen source. As a sodium bicarbonate spring, it leaves a slightly silky feel on the skin, and you can actually feel your skin becoming smoother as you soak. The backrest of the rock bath isn't set at a right angle but angled specifically so you can lean back and gaze up at the night sky. This attention to detail makes it a bath you'll want to linger in. The same source water is used in the indoor bath as well. A sauna is also available. The property is within walking distance of the station, with parking for 180 vehicles.

Read our first-hand visit from April 2026 →

Editors' comment

Built on elevated ground, the baths here look out over the mountains of southern Hida and the Gero Onsen townscape. There are two large communal baths. Soun no Yu features a long indoor bath extending into a semi-open-air section, with mountain views spreading out beyond the glass. Shinso no Yu offers both open-air and semi-open-air baths, where the sounds of mountains, rivers, and the hot spring town drift through the rising steam. Since the baths alternate between men's and women's use, an overnight stay lets you experience the different views from both. Gero's hot spring, ranked among Japan's three great onsen, is known for its silky-smooth texture. Rooms with private open-air baths are also available, and post-bath drinks and ice cream are served all-inclusive.