Nagaragawa Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices

On the banks of the cormorant-fishing Nagara River, Nagaragawa Onsen is a hot spring within the city that looks out to Mount Kinka, crowned by Gifu Castle. Its source is clear and colorless, but on contact with the air the iron-rich water turns a reddish-brown, cloudy hue. Set in the city yet offering river and mountain views, it combines convenience with atmosphere.

Highlights

Many inns face the Nagara River, letting you view the river and Mount Kinka from your room or bath. On summer nights cormorant fishing takes place on the river, and the ancient craft glowing under torchlight is a sight to behold. You can ride a ropeway up Mount Kinka, and from Gifu Castle at the summit take in the whole Nobi Plain.

Enjoying the Seasons

Cormorant fishing runs from early summer into autumn, while spring brings cherry blossoms and autumn brings the foliage of Mount Kinka, so river and mountain color the seasons. On summer nights the cool breeze crossing the water and the scene of the fishing leave a strong impression.

Access and Basic Information

It is reachable by bus from JR Gifu Station and Meitetsu Gifu Station, with the area around the Ukaiya bus stop as its hub. Gifu Park and Mount Kinka are close by, and the location is easy to reach by train from Nagoya as well. Being in the city, the trip from the station to the hot spring quarter is short.

Practical Travel Notes

The Nagara River cormorant fishing is held each year from about mid-May to mid-October. There are also days off due to high water or the harvest moon, so when reserving a viewing boat it is reassuring to check whether it is running. Because the iron-rich water takes on a reddish tint on contact with air, color can linger on towels. Some inns accept day bathers, with prices from several hundred to around a thousand yen as a guide, though availability and hours differ by inn. To combine the fishing with the hot spring, a flow of strolling Mount Kinka or Gifu Park in the evening, watching the fishing at night, and soaking at the inn makes for a leisurely visit.

A Quick Tip

To combine the cormorant fishing spectacle with the hot spring, visiting during the season from early summer into autumn is recommended. Viewing boats are popular, so an early reservation is reassuring.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: A simple iron-rich cold mineral spring (neutral, hypotonic cold mineral spring). It contains iron and radon and turns a reddish brown on contact with the air
• Benefits: Neuralgia, joint pain, recovery from fatigue and more
• How the water is used: As a cold mineral spring with a low source temperature, it is heated before being used for bathing
• Day-use bathing (Gifu Grand Hotel): 6:00 to 10:00 / 13:30 to 17:00
• Day-use bathing (Juhachiro): 14:00 to 20:00, with a 90-minute time limit
• Day-use bathing (Hotel Park): 13:00 to 20:00, with a 1-hour time limit. The fee is 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for children (aged 3 to 12)
• Day-use bathing (Ujo no Ie Sugiyama): 11:30 to 14:30, with a 1-hour time limit
• Day-use bathing (Ishikin): 12:00 to 14:30, with a 1-hour time limit
• Points to note: All of these are the baths of lodging facilities opened to outside visitors, so day-use bathing may be suspended when the inn is fully booked or during busy periods. Call ahead before you go
• Access (by bus): From JR Gifu Station or Meitetsu Gifu Station take a Gifu Bus service on the N routes or the city loop line and get off at "Nagarabashi-kita / Ukaiya," about 15 minutes and 250 yen one way. If you are heading for the cormorant fishing boat pier, take a route via Nagarabashi such as the "Takatomi-bound" service or the "city loop line counterclockwise," about 20 minutes, and get off at "Nagarabashi-minami / Kawaramachi," about a 1-minute walk away
• Parking: Near the boat pier, the Gifu Park Teigai car park costs 310 yen per use and the Kagamiiwa Ryokuchi car park is free. Large buses use the Omiya car park (advance reservation required)
• Cormorant fishing season: May 11 to October 15. It is not held when the river is high or on the one "cormorant fishing holiday" each year
• How long to allow: 1 hour for day-use bathing alone, half a day if combined with a stroll around Gifu Castle and Kawaramachi, or half a day from late afternoon into the evening if you add the cormorant fishing
• To avoid the crowds: Weekends during the cormorant fishing season fill up quickly at both the inns and on the viewing boats, and the boats need to be booked early. For day-use bathing, weekday afternoons are calmer

📚 Sources

The spring quality (simple iron-rich cold mineral spring, neutral hypotonic cold mineral spring), its benefits, the way the water turns reddish brown, and the day-use bathing hours at each inn come from the Nagaragawa Onsen page of "Gifu City Kanko Navi" by the Gifu Convention and Visitors Bureau. The day-use bathing hours and fees at Hotel Park and the explanation that the water contains iron and radon were taken from that hotel's own page introducing Nagaragawa Onsen. The cormorant fishing season, the cormorant fishing holiday, the location of the boat pier and the reservation phone number, along with the bus and parking information for the pier, follow the guide and access pages of the official "Gifu Nagara River Cormorant Fishing" website. The journey time and fare to the "Nagarabashi-kita / Ukaiya" bus stop are based on the guidance pages of Gifu Bus. Prices and opening hours are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.