Nagaragawa in Gifu City is famous for cormorant fishing. That’s not all that is there though. It is also home to an onsen that is famous for being ranked in the top 100 onsens of Japan.
Nagaragawa onsen is a place where you can bathe in a naturally brown tint hot spring onsen and is very close to Gifu Station. It makes for easy day trips from Nagoya.
Nagaragawa Kanko Hotel Ishikin is on the banks of Nagaragawa and is a pure traditionally Japanese inn, with tons of charm that you can relieve any stress or fatigue of day to day life.
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An inn that is built to induce curiosity
Nagaragawa Kanko Hotel Ishikin is on the banks of Nagaragawa and is a pure traditionally Japanese inn.
The entrance at the top of the stone steps opens up to a front desk where you receive the key that is shaped like a hand made from wood. A short walk from there is the annex building where the onsen is.
The design of this inn is truly unique and curious, with having to walk under shop curtains, or opening doors with the strangely shaped key.
The annex onsen is recently built and is designed to cater to women.
A spacious indoor bath
Once inside the bath house there is a clear water indoor bath with an outdoor bath outside the sliding glass door. The indoor bath feels spacious with its windows and glass doors.
The onsen water is not too hot nor too cold. It is a hot spring bath where you can instantly relax.
Bathing in the rusty colored hot spring water that is unique to Nagaragawa!
The outdoor bath is filled with water that is unique to Nagaragawa Onsen, with a slightly brownish rusty color. It almost is like someone took orange juice and made it brown and cloudy.
The water is a simple thermal mineral spring and contains iron and radon but doesn’t smell like steel or iron, and feels like it has some saline properties the way it kind of sticks to you. It slowly and surely warms you to the core.
Water type: Simple thermal mineral spring Men’s bath: Kichihoushi (young Nobunaga’s name) Women’s bath: Kicho (Nouhime’s other name)
A free foot bath shaped like a cormorant ship
There is a foot bath that can only be found here.
The “Cormorant Ship Foot Bath” is a rare foot bath that looks just like how it’s named.
This is uses the same rusty colored water as the outdoor bath Simple thermal mineral spring.
It is located next to the building in an alley called Yuragi no Komichi.
This is free to use by everyone.
The delight of an Ice Monaka after a bath
After a long warming bath treat yourself to an Ice Monaka from the long established shop Matsunoya.
They pack the ice creams like vanilla, matcha, red bean, and strawberry in the wafer after you order it so the outside is crispy. The ice cream is like a mix between ice cream and sherbet making them very refreshing. Just perfect for an after bath snack!
Near Matsunoya is the cormorant fishing museum, that is a great place to stop by for your sightseeing.
Shop info Name: Matsunoya Address: 93-2 Nagara, Gifu, Gifu Prefecture 502-0071, Japan Phone: 058-231-9337
In closing
Nagaragawa Onsen is easy to get to from Nagoya! There is also Mt. Kinkazan and Gifu Castle nearby for your sightseeing needs.
Not only the hotel we just introduced but all the other ones have cormorant fishing packages when it is that time of year for you to watch this age old tradition.
With so many places to check out and such great hot springs how can you resist.
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