Stuff in Gero
Gero is a very cool town with a lot to see! On Saturday the 27th we encourage you to join us in exploring it and hanging out around its shopping area. There are many restaurants to try, as well as snack and souvenir shops to check out.
Gassho Village
Gero has a recreation of a traditional folk village with an open museum within walking distance of Yunoshimakan. Entry is ¥800 per person.
Starting at 8am, there is also a handcraft market at the village entrance.
Gero Museum
Gero has a town museum that covers the history of the town as well as the science of hotsprings. Entry is ¥400 per person.
Bath Day Pass
If you want to try out other hot springs in Gero without having to book rooms at other Ryokan, it's possible to purchase a day pass that allows entry to up to 3 participating onsen in Gero. Please ask reception at Yunoshimakan for more information.
Stuff Nearby
Gifu City
Gifu is the city Between Nagoya and Gero, and the capital of Gifu Prefecture. As with other medium-sized cities in Japan, it has a variety of things to do and see, but most notably is Gifu Castle, which unlike most major castles in Japan sits on top of a mountain and is accessable via gondola. It has a spectacular view of the area and was at one time the seat of power of Oda Nobunaga, the warlard who first united Japan.
Seki
Between Gero and Gifu City is Seki, which is world-famous for being Japan's capital for kitchen cutlery. Nearly all of the major Japanese manufacturers operate out of Seki, so I highly recommend visiting and shopping for knives at the source if you have time.
Inuyama Castle
On the northern border of Aichi, just a quick trip from either Gifu City or Nagoya is the oldest of the twelve remaining original non-recreated Japanese Castles (the vast majority of castles in Japan were rebuilt post-war). Inuyama is small in comparison to other major castles, but it's worth visiting to see the original craftmanship dating back to the 1500's.
Ghibli Park
Aichi Prefecture is home to the newly built Ghibli Park, which is somewhere between an open air museum and visual experience. It has several explorable areas representing different films from Ghibli's past.
Fun fact: the train station you get off at to get the bus to Ghibli Park is in Ikumi's hometown.