Gero - A Hidden Gem Close to Home

The weekend before I left for Calgary, a Japanese teacher friend suggested that we go to Gero for the day.  She said that they have wonderful, natural onsens.  (An onsen is a natural hot-spring that the Japanese people use to relax.)  Apparently Gero was very close to Tarui and Gero was supposed to have some of the best onsens in all of Japan.  (My friend said that it was supposed to be the number three onsen in all of Japan.)  I decided to take her up on her offer!

So Sunday morning, my friend met me at Ogaki station.  She picked me up in her car and we drove to Gero.  Gero was about 1 hour and 45 minutes away.  The drive up was spectacular!  I think I saw some of the best views Japan had to offer.  There were rolling rivers, lush mountains, and fun, windy roads.  I really enjoyed the drive up to Gero.  The only problem was that my camera was in my bag, which was in the back of the car.  So I didn’t have a chance to take any pictures, so I can’t show you any pictures.  I guess I will have to return to this beautiful place one day so that I can take some pictures and post them in another blog.

Gero is a very cute, remote place.  There are not a lot of people who live there.  There’s a river that runs through the town and huge mountains surround the town.  When we first arrived at Gero, we decided to eat lunch.  I had unagi!  (I’m sure if you know me, you are not surprised.)  In fact I like unagi so much that I forgot to take a picture of the food before I ate it.  But I did manage to get an after shot!

Next, we started to walk around Gero.  There were many cute shops, but we didn’t go in any of them.  We went to a temple that apparently was the first official onsen that was used for relaxation puposes in all of Japan.  To get to it, we had to climb many, many stairs.

But climbing uphill means that you usually will have a great view at the top, and this temple was no exception.

If you are wondering what the temple’s name is, it’s called “Onsenji,” which literally translates as “Hot-Spring Temple.”

We continued walking around Gero and took a few photos.  Not long, my friend found an onsen that we went to.  Obviously I couldn’t take pictures, but it was interesting because when you were in the onsen, you had a great view of the surrounding mountains.  It was very relaxing. 

Next, my friend and I rested in one of the meeting rooms.  As we rested, the weather suddenly changed on us.  It suddenly started snowing on us.

Because of the weather, we decided to play it safe and leave Gero and go home early.  It took about two hours to get home.  Gero is definitely a place I want to go to again.  I had a lovely day with my friend and I was relaxed for the Calgary Home Stay Trip!