Gero Kanko Hotel

Gero Kanko Hotel (Main Building) is a quiet ryokan located halfway up a mountainside, overlooking the hot spring town. All guest rooms—whether Hida folk-craft style, rooms combining tatami with hinoki wood flooring, or rooms with private open-air baths—offer views of the Hida mountain range and the onsen town’s night scenery. You can enjoy one of Japan’s three famous hot springs via separate men’s and women’s large baths, a morning open-air “noten” bath carved out of a single piece of Mikage stone, and nine private open-air baths built from hinoki and Shigaraki ware, while feeling nature through the seasons. The inn’s Japanese dining hall, modeled after a kabuki theater, is known for its kaiseki cuisine made with carefully selected local ingredients, enjoyed by grilling over a dedicated irori table. You can savor local dishes such as log-grown shiitake mushrooms and Hida beef hōba-yaki at a relaxed pace. Breakfast is a Shokado style centered on side dishes and simmered items using local ingredients. A service that lets women choose their favorite pattern from a wide selection of colored yukata is also offered. The inn also has relaxing spaces such as a reading salon and a pottery class where you can make items like yunomi cups or mugs in about two hours—great for creating travel memories.