#gero onsen

[omotteru]

gero onsen, japan (november 2024)

[maigeiko]

Gero Onsen, 12. February 2025: Debut of a new Geiko (Hanano 華乃) and Maiko (Ichika 一慶). There are now three Geiko and one Maiko working in Gero onsen. Source of the picture: Geisha Japan FB

[tenjin-no-shinja]

The Unique Shrines of Gero Onsen

I went on a vacation with my brother and mom when they came to visit me in Japan, and we headed out to the mountains of Gifu to Gero Onsen. One of my favorite things about small traditional towns like this is the casual Shinto items you find all around. Like this pudding shop had a shimenawa in it. They were selling hot pudding heated by hot spring water which is super cool.

One of the first shrines I came across was dedicated to various Shichifukujin like Daikokuten-sama, Jurōjin-sama, and Ebisu-sama, as well as the kami of hot springs. They were decorated with these faceless colorful dolls, which a store keeper explained were a tradition craft of the area. They're called Sarubobo, and were sewn by grandmothers for their grandkids as a way to pray for good marriages among other things.

I also spotted this kumade in a soba shop we ate lunch at on a later day.

[redsamuraiii]

Yunoshimakan, Gifu Prefecture by kyoko1903

[chibiutsubo]

#おでかけ #下呂

幸い足湯に店休日は関係ないので(一箇所だけは閉まっていましたが)、気を取り直して足湯巡りです。

下呂の温泉街に点々とあるこの足湯巡り、場所ごとに湯の温度が全然違っていて、このカエルがいる足湯(雅の足湯)は適温だったのですが、他の場所の足湯数箇所は熱すぎて足が浸けられないほどでした。多分もうちょっと寒くなれば、こちらが温すぎ、そして他のところが適温ぐらいになるんでしょうか……？

とりあえず今回は、ここの足湯がもうほんとにドンピシャの気持ち良い温度で、暫し浸かった後、一周して最後にもう一度戻ってきたほどでした。

いくつかある足湯の中でも最高にシュールな絵面の足湯、ビーナスの足湯。

足湯とヴィーナスのこのミスマッチ感よ。

ちなみにここの湯温はかなり高めで(多分巡った中でも一番熱かった)、数秒も浸けていられないほどでした。目の前に湯があるのに浸けられず、台の上で三角座りしてヴィーナスを眺める……シュール。

あと微妙な気分が味わえる場所といえば、下呂市役所の片隅にある足湯も、側を車がガンガン走り抜けるさまや、普通に日常生活を送る人々を眺めながらボケーッと足湯に浸かることができるので珍スポット的なものが好きな方にはオススメです。(珍スポットではないけれど、純粋に観光気分にもならない)

まあ普通に足湯を楽しむならば、鷺の足湯か、雅の足湯が一番落ち着けると思います。(ゆあみ屋前はちょっと暗め、さるぼぼ黄金足湯は湯温低すぎ、あとは施設への入場料が要る足湯が2箇所)

下呂に立ち寄る機会があれば、足を拭くタオルと、裾がまくり上げやすいパンツなど、足湯巡りしやすいスタイルで来るとちょっと楽しめる？かもです。

[lets-go-kyoto]

Hotel Review (Or: My Experience With the Japanese Shining)

If you follow me on my other socials, you may recall I stayed at a ryokan last week in Gero Onsen that bore far too many similarities to Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. I thought I’d write out a play-by-play for posterity. Let’s jump into it.

Similarity number one: Getting to this hotel required a long, winding ride through the mountains past many scenic gorges. Luckily, this was done by train. Please see the sample scenery image below:

Without a doubt, this was stunning. The entrance to the hotel was quite scenic, too:

But, let me tell you. Just like the Overlook Hotel, this thing absolutely SPRAWLED up and down the mountainside. Originally built in the 1930′s, this complex has a main building (which was already ungainly to begin with). But THEN, there are two additions--some sort of weird euro-style pavilion, and an annex built in the 1980′s that has not been updated since. A map (SANS-ANNEX! Look how crazy this is even without the annex!) is below:

You can also see the architecture mismatch here--original building on the right, european...thing... on the left. Footbath in the center, that was pretty neat.

So we check in. Immediately, my boyfriend, who has never been to Japan, is thrown when the front desk staff abscond with our shoes and provide slippers to wear throughout the facility, which has plush red carpet in many of the common areas, including this c.1988 coffee room just past the lobby:

Please also note that this room is in A TRADITIONAL JAPANESE building, literally the same building as is visible in this photo.

So, the staff show us to our room. It’s in the annex, which requires us to go down one sprawling hallway, take an elevator to the fourth floor, walk down ANOTHER sprawling hallway, take A DIFFERENT ELEVATOR to the ninth floor, and find our room from there. The room itself hasn’t been updated since the annex was built. It includes strange brown carpeting and furniture in the engawa, plus an open-air bath that feels very...80′s. Despite this, the view was breathtaking.

Here’s where it starts to get a little...Shining-like. The staff give us a very complicated map showing us the location of the public baths, the restaurant, the bar(?) (I had no idea the property contained dining and drinking establishments), the breakfast pavilion, the footbath, etc. Things are only open at very specific hours. At eight o’clock, I suggest to my boyfriend we go to the bar, as it’s finally open. 

On the way there, we don’t pass a single soul. In fact, we’ve seen very few people since we arrived. And when we get to the bar, located in the euro-style addition to the complex, we find nobody but the bartender. The bar itself is a very grand, elaborate room. Smooth jazz plays in the background. And it reminds us of something...

This shot does not include the stage with the grand piano and the karaoke stand, behind a barrier of plexiglass due to covid.

The bartender (dressed formally) is a kind Japanese lady who speaks no English. However, she provides us with an English menu, which had some truly unique selections. Please see:

Call me crazy, but I almost wanted to see the private karaoke room. The bartender made sure to remind me we could sing one song for just 300 yen. 

So, we have a drink. The bar remains empty. The music continues to play. It’s Friday night. At some point, the bartender DOES manage to loop an unsuspecting Chinese couple inside. They’re some of the few people we’ve seen here. They don’t stay long.

After that, we start getting the sense that this place really...Shines. If you know what I mean. And, once we leave the bar, we can’t help but notice the similarities. I mean, just LOOK at the decor of this place. There are even creepy black and white photos of Emperor Hirohito’s visit here in the lobby:

And then, the crown jewel: We get back to the fourth floor elevator bank.

Seem familiar?

Anyway, this was an unforgettable experience. Can’t say we’ll stay again, but if you’d like to see it for yourself, the property is called Yunoshimakan, located in Gero Onsen, Japan.

Bonus pic: this absolutely unhinged sign on the door to the 9th floor patio:

[omotteru]

gero onsen, japan (november 2024)

[noo-moon]

2025.12.01-12.03

下呂温泉♨🐸

2ヶ月過ごした平湯温泉の温泉とは全然違うくて、なめらかな感じ🛀🏻

小さな街で、観光しやすい

夕朝食＆貸切露天風呂付きの旅館でゆっくり過ごせてとても良い旅行🧳🧳🧳