Until 2021 you could bathe in it: today only the footbath remains, free and open 24 hours.
On the bank of the Hida River, right below the Gero-Ōhashi Bridge in the heart of the spa town, the hot spring gushes out in the open air among the stones of the riverbed: for decades the most photographed free pool in Gero, which is one of the three great hot springs of Japan (日本三名泉) along with Arima and Kusatsu. Repeated breaches of the swimwear rules led the municipality to ban bathing from 1 December 2021: today a free footbath remains, always open, with the river's current in the background.
Free public hot spring on the bank of the Hida River, one of the historic symbols of Gero, one of the three great hot springs of Japan.
ℹ️ Bathing has been banned since 1 December 2021: today it is a free footbath, accessible 24 hours a day (measured on 05/09/2026 from 2024–2025 sources).
🚉 Gero · 6 min walk
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