♨️ Gifu · 2 days
Hida River & Gero Highlands Drive: Mino Shirakawa to Mt. Kuraiyama, Gifu's Quiet Road to Takayama
A 2-day Gifu drive up the Hida River valley, from Mino Shirakawa through Gero's hill villages to Mt. Kuraiyama, with 6 michi-no-eki and 2 onsen.
This route follows the south-to-north spine of Gifu's Hida region, the valley between the plains around Mino and the mountains of Takayama. Most visitors take the train to Gero Onsen, one of the three famous hot springs in Japan, and never see the hill villages behind it. These six michi-no-eki sit in that quiet middle: a river town, a spa station, a village high above the Maze River, a valley under Mt. Ontake and a pass below Mt. Kuraiyama.
The drive starts at Mino Shirakawa, where the station has an onsen, a restaurant and a cafe, 90 car bays and 13 large bays, and open hours of 9:00–21:00. About 8 km further on, Hida Kanayama Nuku Mori no Sato Onsen is the biggest stop of the route with 235 car bays, an onsen and rooms on site. From there the road climbs to Maze Bi Teru no Sato, a small station with an observation deck and hands-on experiences, then to Minami Hida Kosaka below Mt. Ontake, and on to Hida Kaido Nagisa in the Kuguno district of Takayama. The finish is Mondeusu Hida Kuraiyama at the foot of Mt. Kuraiyama, 8.5 km beyond Nagisa, with a restaurant, cafe and 10 large bays.
The stops, in driving order
- 1 Michi-no-Eki Mino Shirakawa 道の駅 美濃白川 · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Mino Shirakawa (道の駅 美濃白川) is a government-designated roadside station in 加茂郡白川町, Gifu, Japan, registered in 1993 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a hot-spring (onsen) bath, a restaurant, a cafe, a local-products shop and free Wi-Fi. There is free parking for about 90 cars and 13 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–21:00〔施設により異なる〕. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Seiryuu Shirakawa Kuoore No Sato, Hida Kanayama Nuku Mori No Sato Onsen and Rokku・Gaaden Hichisou.
Nearby: 🏛兼山歴史民俗資料館 (17.9 km)
- 2 Michi-no-Eki Hida Kanayama Nuku Mori No Sato Onsen 道の駅 飛騨金山ぬく森の里温泉 · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Hida Kanayama Nuku Mori No Sato Onsen (道の駅 飛騨金山ぬく森の里温泉) is a government-designated roadside station in 下呂市, Gifu, Japan, registered in 1997 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a hot-spring (onsen) bath, a restaurant, a cafe, a local-products shop and lodging. There is free parking for about 235 cars and 4 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 8:00–21:00. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Mino Shirakawa, Seiryuu Shirakawa Kuoore No Sato and Kazuyoshi.
Nearby: 📸美山鍾乳洞 (14.3 km) · 📸縄文鍾乳洞 (17.4 km)
- 3 Michi-no-Eki Maze Bi Teru No Sato 道の駅 馬瀬 美輝の里 · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Maze Bi Teru No Sato (道の駅 馬瀬 美輝の里) is a government-designated roadside station in 下呂市, Gifu, Japan, registered in 1999 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a cafe, a local-products shop, hands-on experiences, an observation deck and a park. There is free parking for about 49 cars. Typical opening hours are 9:00–16:00. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Kazuyoshi, Meihou and Minami Hida Kosaka.
Nearby: 🏛下呂市禅昌寺歴史民俗資料館 (4.7 km) · 🏛下呂発温泉博物館 (5 km)
- 4 Michi-no-Eki Minami Hida Kosaka 道の駅 南飛騨小坂 · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Minami Hida Kosaka (道の駅 南飛騨小坂) is a government-designated roadside station in 下呂市, Gifu, Japan, registered in 1997 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a local-products shop, an observation deck, a park and a baby room. There is free parking for about 34 cars and 2 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 売店8:00–16:00(夏期) –15:30(夏期以外)＊施設・季節により異なります ＊気象等により予告なく変更する事があります. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Hida Kaidou Nagisa, Mondeusu Hida Kuraiyama and Maze Bi Teru No Sato.
Nearby: 🏛下呂小坂郷土館 (2.2 km) · 🏛下呂市禅昌寺歴史民俗資料館 (11.3 km)
- 5 Michi-no-Eki Hida Kaidou Nagisa 道の駅 飛騨街道 なぎさ · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Hida Kaidou Nagisa (道の駅 飛騨街道 なぎさ) is a government-designated roadside station in 高山市, Gifu, Japan, registered in 2000 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a cafe, a local-products shop, a tourist-information desk and a baby room. There is free parking for about 41 cars and 8 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 8:30–17:00. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Minami Hida Kosaka, Mondeusu Hida Kuraiyama and Hida Asahi Mura.
Nearby: 🏛久々野歴史民俗資料館 (5.4 km) · 🏛飛騨位山文化交流館 (9.7 km)
- 6 Michi-no-Eki Mondeusu Hida Kuraiyama 道の駅 モンデウス飛騨位山 · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Mondeusu Hida Kuraiyama (道の駅 モンデウス飛騨位山) is a government-designated roadside station in 高山市, Gifu, Japan, registered in 1997 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a cafe, a local-products shop, a park and a baby room. There is free parking for about 28 cars and 10 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–17:00（12月から3月は8:30〜16:30）. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Hida Kaidou Nagisa, Nanamori Kiyomi and Hida Asahi Mura.
Nearby: 🏛飛騨位山文化交流館 (2.6 km) · 🏛久々野歴史民俗資料館 (4.9 km)
Make this route yours — load all 6 stops into the planner, reorder or remove stops, then open the finished trip in Google Maps.
Customize this route →Onsen baths and beds along this route (Gifu · 9 with onsen / 3 with rooms)
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Hida Kanayama Nuku Mori No Sato Onsen 道の駅 飛騨金山ぬく森の里温泉 · Gero, Gifu · on the route -
Mino Shirakawa 道の駅 美濃白川 · Shirakawa, Gifu · on the route -
Seiryuu Shirakawa Kuoore No Sato 道の駅 清流白川 クオーレの里 · Shirakawa, Gifu · ~4 km off the route -
Heisei 道の駅 平成 · Seki, Gifu · ~17 km off the route -
Sakura No Sato Shoukawa 道の駅 桜の郷 荘川 · Takayama, Gifu · ~24 km off the route -
Kagai Michi Tsukechi 道の駅 花街道付知 · Nakatsugawa, Gifu · ~25 km off the route -
Kokon Denju No Sato Yamato 道の駅 古今伝授の里やまと · Gujō-shi, Gifu · ~26 km off the route -
Hida Hakusan 道の駅 飛騨白山 · Shirakawa, Gifu · ~32 km off the route -
Ikeda Onsen 道の駅 池田温泉 · Ikeda, Gifu · ~59 km off the route -
Hoshi Nofuru Sato Fujihashi 道の駅 星のふる里 ふじはし · Ibigawa, Gifu · ~63 km off the route
♨ All 143 michi-no-eki with an onsen bath🛏 All 81 michi-no-eki with rooms on site♨🛏 All 46 michi-no-eki with both onsen and rooms📍 Every michi-no-eki in Gifu
Route tips
- Rent the car in Nakatsugawa, Mino-Kamo or Gifu, or take the Takayama Line to Gero and rent there. Mino Shirakawa is the south end and Mondeusu Hida Kuraiyama the north, so a one-way rental that ends in Takayama saves the long drive back south.
- Two of the six stations have an onsen: Mino Shirakawa and Hida Kanayama Nuku Mori no Sato Onsen (8:00–21:00, with rooms on site). Kanayama is the only one with lodging, so book the night there or in Gero town, and use Mino Shirakawa as the lunch and bath stop on day one.
- Hours are short in the hills. Maze Bi Teru no Sato is 9:00–16:00, Minami Hida Kosaka shops 8:00–16:00 in summer and 15:30 the rest of the year, Hida Kaido Nagisa 8:30–17:00, and Mondeusu Hida Kuraiyama 9:00–17:00 (8:30–16:30 from December to March). Reach Maze and Kosaka by early afternoon.
- Large-vehicle room is best at Mino Shirakawa (13 large bays) and Mondeusu Hida Kuraiyama (10). Maze has no large bays, Minami Hida Kosaka has 2 and Kanayama 4. None of the six has EV charging; free Wi-Fi is at Mino Shirakawa and Kanayama. This is snow country: put studless tyres on from December to March.
Before you drive
- Can you drive in Japan? License rules by country
- Renting a car in Japan: the complete guide
- Can you sleep overnight at a michi-no-eki?
FAQ — Hida River & Gero
How many days do you need for the Hida River & Gero route?
2 days is a comfortable pace: roughly 70 km of driving with 6 michi-no-eki stops along the way. You can compress it, but the stops are the point.
Where does the route start and end?
It starts at Mino Shirakawa, Gifu (Chuo Expressway Nakatsugawa IC) and ends at Takayama, Gifu (Hida-Kuguno / Takayama via Route 41). Load all 6 stops into the free MichiStops route planner to reorder, add or remove stops, then open the finished trip in Google Maps.
When is the best season to drive this route?
Year-round; the hills above Gero are snow country from December to March, so studless tyres are essential.
Do I need to rent a car?
Yes — michi-no-eki are roadside stations, realistically reachable only by rental car or campervan. Most visitors can drive in Japan with a 1949-convention International Driving Permit; check the license rules for your country before booking. License rules by country →
Can I sleep overnight at the michi-no-eki on this route?
Resting overnight in your vehicle is tolerated at most michi-no-eki, but tents, awnings and open-air cooking are not allowed. Read the overnight-stay guide for the etiquette. Overnight-stay guide →