Hot Springs Hotels in Gifu Prefecture, Japan

Visited one of Japan's top three hot spring towns and booked a traditional Japanese-style room at a century-old hotel, which included two meals. The hotel offers a shuttle service from the train station, which was incredibly convenient. Check-in was a breeze thanks to the friendly staff at the front desk who spoke Chinese. The room was exceptionally spacious with stunning views from the window – perfect for two people. The hot springs themselves, both indoor and outdoor, were wonderful. Gero Onsen truly lived up to its reputation; my skin felt incredibly smooth after a soak. Free cold drinks were available post-soak, and the milk from the vending machine was particularly delicious! The meals provided by the hotel were also plentiful and tasty. The entire hotel had a very authentic Japanese ambiance. Although we only stayed for one night, we're already looking forward to a longer visit in the future! Highly recommended to everyone.

A lovely location to enjoy an onsen and cute little town. 2-3 nights is the perfect amount of time for this hotel. The town is very small and you can walk through the temple just Infront of the hotel to reach it. Although the hill is very steep, the stairs make it manageable but it's alot of stairs. On arrival the shuttle bus is waiting for you and they take your luggage to the room. A staff member guides you to your room and explains when the shuttle leaves, where to go to explore the hotel, breakfast and public bath times. The public bath is open between 3pm and 1am, closes for cleaning than opens again from 5am to 10am and closes for cleaning again. During each cleaning they switch the male and female public bathing zones so everyone has a chance to experience each bath. I chose a room with a private bath and a mountain view. The private bath is small but big enough for 2 people if you're both sitting, it also has a window that opens up. The view is stunning. Breakfast starts around 7am and last service is at 8:30am. If you stay 2 nights they will give 2 different breakfasts. Green tea, coffee, juice and milk are the only drinks at breakfast. Soft drink is available at reception during the afternoon. The Hilda beef steak meal provided by the hotel racks up the price with it being $70 AUD per person and for comparison, in town, a similar meal was around $40 AUD per person. If you really want a dinner at the hotel than try out the paid dinner but there's a few good spots to eat in town. There's this one restaurant called Senda that is a good price and just left of the big hotel direction sign at the bottom of the mountain. If you are unsure of where to go than pick up the local food map at the town info office. Anyway, good hotel for a city getaway as well as an opportunity to take the Shinkansen and local train from Tokyo (4 hours from Tokyo but great views and easy transfer)

One of our best stays during my time in Japan! The staff were very friendly. She shared with us where we should go for onsen, dinner and places to visit. Breakfast was simple but very hearty. We are touched that they considered our food restrictions and adjusted accordingly. Very thoughtful! We could also use the yucata and jacket to walk around town. Love this experience very much! The onsen is also lovely. We highly recommend this place and will definitely come back again. P.s they don't have yamato service if you need to deliver your baggage.

Impression: Ogawaya was one of the three day-trip options I considered for my Gero trip last summer, and it left a great impression then. So, when planning this winter trip, I really wanted to stay here for a night. Since I booked late, I was lucky to even snag a room. Service: The front desk had a Chinese-speaking staff member who was, hands down, the loveliest Chinese-speaking person I encountered on any of my trips. Unlike some uncomfortable experiences I had at Dormy Inn Kumamoto and with the Nohi bus today, this young lady was genuinely warm and friendly. Facilities: During my day trip last summer, I only got to use the women's bath that was open in the afternoon. It was very clean and had a silk bath. This time, I tried the other bath in the morning, but I still feel that Sagi-no-yu has a more unique charm. Also, on the first floor of the scenic view building where I stayed, there's a 'Can Onsen' (sparkling onsen) which is open to women from afternoon to evening. It features a highly concentrated carbonated hot spring. Although it's artificial, it's definitely worth trying. The lobby has a self-service drink bar, and after a hot spring bath, enjoying a cold orange juice while watching the river flow by outside the window is incredibly relaxing. Drawbacks: The only downside was the noise from my next-door neighbors. I don't know who they were, but this is the only Japanese hotel I've stayed in where I've experienced such loud noise. Despite having two layers of doors, I was disturbed both in the evening and in the morning. Highlights: A great bonus is that the hotel's refrigerator has a freezer compartment – a freezer compartment! Perfect for storing ice cream!

We made a last-minute dinner reservation, but they handled it courteously. I was also pleased that they quickly addressed the mistake I made when I made my reservation. From the hotel's bath floor, I could see the Nagara River right in front of me, and I was amazed by the beautiful view. The bathroom in our room was also lovely. Dinner was good, but breakfast was also excellent, and it got me excited from the morning. Thank you for a fun time.

One of the most unforgettable stays we’ve ever had. From the moment my family stepped through the door, we were wrapped in a warm, cosy ambience that instantly made us feel at ease. The room was impeccably clean and wonderfully comfortable, offering the perfect space to relax and unwind. Both dinner and breakfast were nothing short of exceptional—each meal thoughtfully prepared and absolutely delightful. The onsen, overlooking a serene river view, was the true highlight, creating a tranquil and almost dreamlike experience. Every moment spent there felt precious and completely worthwhile.

To be honest considering this has a 4 star rating I'm a bit disappointed. Generally speaking it is a nice place but there are small things that are lacking compared to other similar Onsen Hotels at the same price. For example they don't provide a basket to go to the onsen but only a cheap plastic bag. The Hotel itself is very old but well maintained and at least the general spaces use nice materials and decoration. Once you reach the room it becomes worse. The materials used in the room are very cheap (Vinyl Floor, Cheap Wallpaper that was put on very poorly). Some aspects of the room have been refurnished, like the sink but most of it seems to be original from the 60s-80s. The bathtub and Toilet are retro models. The Onsen baths are a mixed bag - the one on the third floor with Wood ceiling seems to be the newest and is the best of the three. The other two (panorama and first floor) are in dire need of refurbishing. They seem in very bad condition and extremly old. The worst part (for me) was the Breakfast. 90% of the selection was japanese Style (and even that seemed poor). Western Options were only Pancakes, French Toast (which was good at least) and a few sad pieces of low quality bread with condiments. They didn't even have a coffee machine!!! Only pre-brewed coffee that tasted like water.

Very lovely and warm homestay. Will give a 5 star if the stairs can be substituted with lift. Am very thankful to the host helping to carry my large luggage up 3 flights of stairs. Room is super cosy and bed is comfy.

Great location! Hotel is 200m away from Station, surrounded by many good restaurants and tourist attractions within 10 minutes walk. Breakfast buffet offers wide variety of options including western & Japanese food. Rooms are small ( Japanese hotel standards) but clean and comfortable. Hotel provides wide selection of amenities! Don’t need to bring any toiletries! Free coffee at lobby. Front office staff are friendly and helpful! Outstanding staff like Mr Taga-San and Ms Marueka-San are exceptional professional and helpful!

Japanese-style Ryokan. As indicated by hotel, no private bathroom or sink is provided and has ”curfew” at 11pm. Public bath is quite small (3pax for male, 2pax for female) but very large for pax count with an indoor and outdoor bath area. Area is not near public transport but is on the same side and near Miyagawa Morning Market and Sake Breweries (~10min).