Mutsumikan

There are many onsen hotels in Gero, some far more famous than this one. My choice was partly due to the price, but mainly because I wanted to experience a traditional Japanese onsen hotel. This hotel was the most satisfying of the four hotels I stayed at during my self-guided trip to Japan. 1. **Excellent Location**: The hotel is very conveniently located. From JR Gero Station, turn right and walk along the path, then go through an underpass, and you're there. However, navigating the underpass with large luggage was a bit tiring. 2. **Traditional Japanese Onsen Ryokan**: It's a comfortable and welcoming traditional Japanese onsen ryokan. The staff were all very warm and attentive. The lobby on the first floor has a reception, a coffee/tea bar (Photo 2) offering complimentary drinks during specific hours, and a small shop. I arrived at the hotel around 10 AM, before check-in time, so I left my luggage. When I returned around 4 PM to check in, my luggage had already been sent to my room. 3. **Dining**: You can choose your breakfast and dinner times. After confirming, you go to the second-floor restaurant at the designated time. If you don't show up on time, they will call you. Dinner (Photo 6) was very substantial, with fresh ingredients and a wide variety of dishes; I was so full I even skipped dessert. Breakfast was also excellent. I asked the server to introduce each dish according to the menu, otherwise, I wouldn't have known what I was eating. The young, lovely server was very patient, explained everything, and even helped me take photos. 4. **Japanese-style Room**: The Japanese-style room was very spacious and spotlessly clean. It came with a small snack, a hot water kettle, and tea set, so you could make your own tea. 5. **Onsen (Hot Spring Bath)**: There are specific hours for bathing, and you need to bring the towels from your room. The public onsen is on the first floor. The women's bath has one indoor and one outdoor pool. The open-air bath (Photo 9), though without a view, was uncrowded and had excellent water quality. I bathed alone at night and in the morning; it was very quiet. 6. **Hotel Shop & Local Tips**: The small shop in the hotel lobby offers a 10% discount. I bought two Hida Faceless Monkey patterned towels (I bought one for myself when I visited Shirakawa-go in 2020) as souvenirs, and they were cheaper than outside. The proprietress was also very enthusiastic and recommended I take the bus (100 yen) to Gassho Village because it's an uphill walk, and I could easily walk back downhill. The hotel also sells Gassho Village tickets for 700 yen, which is 100 yen cheaper than buying them on site. 7. **Minor Drawback**: The only minor issue I found was that the bathhouse doesn't provide towels. After using the towels from your room, you have to bring them back and hang them to dry on the rack in your room (provided by the hotel). The next morning, you either have to reuse them or pay for a new set.

The hotel is quite old, and the facilities are also outdated. However, the location is very convenient, being the first one on the hot spring street and closest to JR. Both breakfast and dinner offer a good variety and the taste is decent. Free coffee is available in the lobby.

The service was excellent, however, the hotel breakfast was quite mediocre. The price is reasonable for Gero, and it's conveniently located very close to the JR station. Overall, it's an excellent value-for-money option, and the open-air bath was also very pleasant.

The location was great, very close to the station and within easy reach of several public hot springs. The only drawback was the poor insulation in the room; even with the air conditioner and heater running full blast, it still felt a bit chilly.

The hot spring baths here are excellent, particularly the furo. It wasn't crowded, and it's conveniently located. My only reservation is that the food wasn't as varied or plentiful as it has been on prior visits. Overall, it's still a very good choice.

Excellent location, conveniently close to both the station and tourist attractions. The hot springs were very comfortable.

A charming and comfortable traditional Japanese ryokan. The location is excellent, directly opposite the JR station; you can easily reach it by following the pedestrian signs across the railway tracks. The staff were incredibly warm and attentive. They kindly allowed us to store our luggage before check-in, which was great for exploring the onsen town without any burden. Both breakfast and dinner were delicious and ample Japanese meals (washoku), for which you could confirm a preferred seating time. Complimentary coffee was also available in the first-floor lobby lounge. The onsen facilities were excellent, including a lovely open-air bath (rotenburo). Overall, we were extremely satisfied and would highly recommend this ryokan.