Kawakamiya Kasuitei is a 14-room inn in Gero Onsen, Gifu, reached through a bamboo grove, with sukiya-style Japanese rooms and a monthly kaiseki dinner built around Hida beef. Before you book, three things matter: dinner is served in private dining rooms, not in your room; the private open-air bath is booked at check-in; and the official site is in Japanese only, with no English page.
Kawakamiya Kasuitei at a glance
| Item | Official information |
|---|---|
| Address | 30 Yunoshima, Gero, Gifu |
| Rooms | 14, in two wings (up to 68 guests) |
| Check-in / out | 14:00 / 11:00 |
| Hot spring | Alkaline simple spring, pH 9.1 |
| Baths | Indoor and open-air baths (24 hours), one private open-air bath |
| Meals | Dinner and breakfast in private dining rooms |
| Prices | From 33,000 yen per person (two per room, weekday, two meals) |
| Extra charges | Bathing tax 150 yen + accommodation tax 200 yen per person per night |
| Smoking | Non-smoking throughout |
| Pets | Not allowed |
From the official site, read October 13, 2026.
The inn is a member of Nihon no Yado o Mamoru Kai, a group of inns that set out to keep the Japanese inn alive, and it describes its hospitality as run by three okami (hostesses). The sliding doors are painted with ink works by Daisaku Yamada; guests can view them for free from 10:30 on the morning after their stay, though children of elementary-school age or younger are asked not to join. The inn closes on some days for maintenance and posts them on its blog.
Rooms and prices at Kawakamiya Kasuitei
What kinds of rooms are there?
The rooms sit in two wings: Hekizan-so on the Hida River side and Toka-so facing the courtyard. Most are Japanese rooms of 8 to 10 tatami mats, some with a sunken kotatsu table. In 2024 the inn renovated its rooms and added its first Western-style rooms. Every room has a toilet with a bidet seat and a washbasin. Only two rooms have their own open-air bath: the Premium room and the Suite with Open-air Bath.
| Room (two per room) | Layout | Weekday | Before a holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium (1 room) | 100 m², living room and bedroom, cypress and granite open-air bath | 88,000 | 99,000 |
| Deluxe (2 rooms) | 70 m², Western style, shower booth | 66,000 | 71,500 |
| Suite with Open-air Bath (1 room) | 8 + 4.5 mats, cypress bath and granite open-air bath | 42,900 | 46,200 |
| Semi-suite | 10 mats and dressing room | 33,000 | 36,300 |
Yen per person per night with dinner and breakfast, tax and service included. Selected room types; see the official rates page for all of them.
How much does a stay cost?
Per person per night with two meals, prices run from 33,000 yen (Semi-suite, weekday) to 110,000 yen (Premium, special days). Special days are May 3–5, August 13–15 and December 31–January 3. Four guests sharing a Semi-suite on a weekday pay 27,500 yen each, the lowest rate on the table. We could not read the live rates on the booking system.
What extra taxes will I pay?
On top of the room price, Gero charges a bathing tax of 150 yen and, since October 2025, an accommodation tax of 200 yen per person per night at this price level. Young children are exempt, but the inn and the city word the age limit differently, so ask the inn if you travel with children. Our onsen bathing tax guide explains how these work.
The baths at Kawakamiya Kasuitei
What is the water like?
Gero’s water is an alkaline simple hot spring at pH 9.1, and the inn presents it as one of Japan’s three famous springs. The granite indoor bath is free-flowing, with no water added, no heating and no recirculation, at 41 to 42°C. The stone open-air bath, Kawara no Yu, partly recirculates and filters its water. There are separate baths for men and women, and both the indoor and open-air baths are open 24 hours.
How does the private bath work?
The private open-air bath is made of hinoki cypress and has a small roofed arbor. It is open 14:30 to 21:00 in 40-minute slots, and you book it at check-in. It is free, though some plans charge for it.
Can I bathe with a tattoo?
The official pages do not mention tattoos. Ask the inn before you book. Our tattoo and onsen guide explains what to ask.
Meals at Kawakamiya Kasuitei
What is dinner like?
Dinner is a kaiseki of 11 to 13 dishes that changes every month, built on Hida beef and seasonal ingredients from the Hida region. You choose one Hida beef dish: diced steak or seasoned shabu-shabu. Meals are served in private dining rooms with chairs or a sunken table; the FAQ says in-room dining is not offered. After dinner, rice balls are brought to your room as a late-night snack, made with Gin no Mikazuki, a rice grown in Hida. Extra dishes of Hida beef, river fish and seasonal food can be ordered.
What is breakfast like?
Breakfast comes with rice or rice porridge, and tomato or apple juice. The official pages do not say where breakfast is served.
Can I ask for different dishes?
The inn says that if you tell it by the day before which dishes you dislike or cannot eat, it will change them to other dishes, and on the day it will do what it can. The official pages say nothing about allergies, vegetarian or halal meals, so ask the inn directly.
Cancellation, children and payment
What is the cancellation policy?
The rates page lists 30 percent of the room price from 3 to 2 days before, 50 percent the day before, and 100 percent on the day or for a no-show. See our hotel cancellation guide.
What do children cost?
The official pages do not give child rates or bed-sharing rules. The rates table allows up to four guests in some rooms, and the Twin room takes two at most. Ask the inn about children before you book.
Which cards can I use?
The inn lists Visa, JCB, UC, DC and American Express. Those are the only cards it names.
Getting to Kawakamiya Kasuitei in Gero Onsen
The nearest station is JR Gero Station, about 15 minutes on foot or 5 minutes by taxi. The access page says the shuttle bus ended in March 2022 and the inn now offers a free taxi from Gero Station between 14:00 and 18:30; tell a waiting taxi you are staying at the inn. Our free hotel shuttle guide covers how these pickups work. Direct buses run from Nagoya Station in about 2 hours 30 minutes, and from Shinjuku via Nakatsugawa in about 5 hours 40 minutes. Parking for 20 cars is beside the entrance; the fee is not stated. Snow comes around New Year, about 10 cm, and the inn asks drivers to bring winter tires or chains.
What foreign guests should know before staying at Kawakamiya Kasuitei
- The official site is Japanese only; use a browser translation tool to read the rates and rules.
- Book the private bath at check-in, since slots are 40 minutes.
- Dinner is in a private dining room, so plan to leave your room for it.
- Tell the inn by the day before about dishes you cannot eat.
- Keep 350 yen per adult per night for the local taxes, and note that pets are not allowed.
To ask questions, the inn accepts phone calls (+81-576-25-5500) and email through its contact page.
Frequently asked questions
What time is check-in at Kawakamiya Kasuitei?
Does Kawakamiya Kasuitei serve dinner in the room?
Is the private bath at Kawakamiya Kasuitei free?
What is the cancellation policy at Kawakamiya Kasuitei?
How do I get to Kawakamiya Kasuitei from Gero Station?
Bottom line (2026): Kawakamiya Kasuitei is a 14-room inn in Gero Onsen with free-flowing indoor baths, a private cypress bath booked at check-in, and a Hida beef kaiseki served in private dining rooms. The site is Japanese only, so ask the inn directly about tattoos, children and diets.
Sources
Every fact on this page is from Kawakamiya Kasuitei’s official pages: home (Japanese), rooms, rates, baths, cuisine, facilities, about the inn, access and FAQ, and Gero City’s accommodation tax page. All were read on October 13, 2026. Prices and rules change; check the official site before you book.
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