Ogawaya Onsen Hotel

Ogawaya is a hot-spring hotel sitting in the middle of Gero Onsen, one of Japan's three famous thermal spring towns, right along the Hida River. Besides overnight stays, the hotel opens its baths to day visitors, which is really the draw if you're just passing through town.

The signature feature is a large indoor bath built on a 100-tatami-mat footprint, floored in tatami matting, paired with an open-air rotenburo looking out over the river and hills. For more privacy, there are nine separate kashikiri-buro (private baths), each with its own design, bookable in 45-minute blocks — a useful option for couples or families who don't want to share a communal bath. A free foot bath sits near the entrance for anyone who just wants a quick soak. The hotel has also added a newer thermal spa space called "San."

Beyond bathing, there's a relaxation and esthetic menu covering massage, reflexology, head massage, oil treatments, facials and hair removal, plus a food stall called Kanare serving Hida beef skewers, light lunch dishes, beer and local sake — handy for stretching a day visit into a half-day outing. A mochi-kneading activity is also offered on site.

One practical catch for day-trippers: the hotel's 80 free parking spaces are reserved for overnight guests only, so anyone coming just for the baths needs to use paid parking elsewhere in town. Gero itself is about an hour and a half from Nagoya by train, making Ogawaya a reasonable stop for a soak without staying the night.