Suimeikan” brings healing to Gero
Gero Onsen, located in central Gifu Prefecture, was founded in the Heian period (794-1185) and was introduced by Hayashi Razan, a well-known Confucian scholar who served four shoguns, starting with Tokugawa Ieyasu, as one of the three best springs in Japan along with Arima and Kusatsu. The famous hot spring, which was visited by warlords such as Nobunaga Oda to heal battle wounds, became well known when it was introduced in Hayashi Razan’s book, and by the Edo period (1603-1867), it was visited by 30,000 hot-spring cures a year. With the opening of Gero Station on the JR Takayama Line in 1930, it became accessible from various directions by Shinkansen bullet trains to Nagoya or Toyama, and from there by limited express or local trains. The transportation infrastructure, including a direct bus service from Nagoya, has been improved, and the area has further developed as a hot spring resort. The slightly high alkaline simple hot spring is said to be colorless, clear, thick, and smooth on the skin, making it suitable for beauty and health promotion.
Suimeikan, which opened in Gero City, Gifu Prefecture, in 1932, is the representative ryokan of Gero Onsen. On its vast grounds of 10,000 square meters, the ryokan has three pavilions (Sansuikaku, Tobisenkaku, and Rinkawakaku), an indoor hot spring pool, and a gymnasium, and a total of 264 guest rooms. Each pavilion has three large baths : an open-air bath surrounded by greenery and huge rocks, a 24-hour bath overlooking the city, and a cypress-scented bath called “Shimodome-no-yu,” allowing guests to enjoy a variety of bathing experiences. Of course, private baths are also available for guests to relax and enjoy the famous hot spring water. The museum also has a large collection of works of high artistic value, including tile murals by living national treasure potter Takuo Kato and paintings by master artist Taikan Yokoyama, which are also highlights of the museum. A Noh stage supervised by the late Shoroku Sekine, a Noh performer of the Kanze school, one of the schools of Noh theater, is also located in the hotel, and visitors will be able to rediscover the charm of Japanese beauty through the elegance of this 90-year old ryokan.
Enjoy Japanese cuisine and architecture
Traditional Japanese cuisine based on the five tastes, five colors, and five directions can be enjoyed at the ryokan. The cuisine is based on the five tastes, five colors, and five ways of cooking. Chef Shingo Ikeda, who studied at Kyoto Cuisine Hanakagami, brings out the best of local seasonal ingredients such as fresh vegetables from farmers in partnership with the restaurant. Sommelier Takao Kani, who is also the head of the Gifu branch of the Japan Sommelier Association, selects wines to match the cuisine of the day, which will further enhance the flavors of both the food and the sake.
Seiranso,” a five-room detached house in the sukiya style, offers a peaceful and tranquil setting in which guests can look out over the well-kept Japanese garden and experience the changing of the seasons. The rooms are decorated with summer tatami mats and yoshizu, snow tatami mats and yukimi-shoji screens to match the changing of the seasons. The rooms on the first floor, Aoi no Ma and Yugao no Ma, are equipped with an open-air bath with natural hot spring water that allows you to enjoy the night sky all to yourself. In addition, the chef at “Seiranso” prepares special menus using ingredients carefully selected on the day. Here, too, the ultimate luxury awaits you, and this will be the moment when you will feel the greatest satisfaction in having chosen this inn.
The scale of the inn is said to be the largest in the Tokai region, and the hospitality that goes into every detail will surely add a page of satisfaction to your travel album.
