Gifu Mino Onsen

Mino, in the central Gifu Prefecture on the Nagara River, is one of Japan's most celebrated washi handmade paper producing cities, its Mino washi — a strong, translucent paper prized by Japanese artists, conservators, and traditional bookbinders for its exceptional durability and delicate texture — having been produced from the pure water of the Nagara River tributary streams since the Nara period when it was designated a tribute product for the Imperial court. Gifu Mino Onsen draws on sodium and bicarbonate thermal waters from the geological resources of the Nagara River valley, providing restorative baths in Japan's most distinguished washi paper city whose extraordinary craft heritage, the Mino Washi Museum, and the well-preserved Udatsu merchant townscape create an outstandingly refined and aesthetically distinguished spa destination. The Mino Washi Museum and craft workshops, the beautifully preserved Udatsu merchant townscape with its distinctive firewall gables, and the traditional Nagara River cormorant fishing (ukai) culture visible from evening boat platforms downstream create an exceptionally refined cultural and craft-centred spa destination in the Nagara River valley of central Gifu Prefecture.