There are many attractive tourist destinations near Nagoya. Thanks to the shinkansen (English: bullet train) and other express trains (e.g., Kintetsu line), we can easily make a one-day trip from Nagoya.
Shinkansen and other express trains are a convenient means of travel to reach Mt. Fuji and hot spring resorts in Shizuoka Prefecture (to the east of Nagoya). You can even go to Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka (to the west) within one day. When you use the express trains of the Kintetsu line, you can enjoy Ise-Shima National Park and Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture(to the south). If you want to go north in Gifu (see the map below) to enjoy hot spring resorts and old traditional Japanese houses (e.g., the houses whose roofs are covered with a pile of rice grass) surrounded by rice fields, you will find JR express trains very useful.A recent one-day trip to Gero onsen (English: hot spring) in Gifu Prefecture, which is one of the most popular hot spring resorts in Japan, took only one and a half hours on the Hida Express JR line. Takayama is located a little to the north. Takayama is a place where you can enjoy a traditional festival called Takayama Matsuri along with the atmosphere of old, nostalgic Japan. Gero Station (shown in the picture below) is the closest station to Gero onsen. Lunch was served at the ryokan (English: inn).
The followings are pictures to show what Gero Station looks like.
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| This statue at Gero Station welcomes you! |
The above picture is the tourist information center next to the Gero JR station. The letters on the monument are "Welcome to Gero onsen.
The ryokan called Suyimeikan, where we had onsen, is one of the best inns in Gero. The Japanese emperor stood on the red carpet when he visited this ryokan (see the picture below).
The ashiyu (English: public foot bath) is a place where you can sit on the stone bench and soak your feet in the onsen tub (the area surrounded by stone under the wooden roof in the picture below). Only putting your feet in the tub will warm up your whole body. This is public and free of charge.
The next picture shows a gift shop on the street leading to the onsen area where lots of famous onsen inns are located. A cat figure called manekineko at its entrance welcomes you.
Best Gifts from Gero/Takayama area:
1) Home-made miso (English: fermented soybean paste) is one of the popular gift items. Miso cooked on houba, a kind of leaf, is a specialty item in Gifu Prefecture.
2) Akakabu no tsukemono (English: pickled radish) is another popular gift item (as shown in the picture below):
3) Sarubobo (the red stuff in the following picture) is the most popular gift item. Sarubobo is a lucky charm. "Saru" means monkey and also pronounced "en" in Japanese. "En" means relationship. Therefore, the Sarubobo lucky charm is the one which brings you a good relationship. When you get a Sarubobo from someone, he or she wants to make good friends with you. You can get Hello Kitty Sarubobo for your special friends, especially young friends.
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