Gero City Museum
Gero had a long history before the discovery of its hot springs. The Gero City Museum covers the history of the area from the Jomon period (10,000–300 BCE) to the present day. The museum is next to the Mineichigo site, where Jomon-period artifacts were excavated in 1966.
The two-floor museum is divided into four exhibits, each detailing a different historical period in Gero. The first features artifacts from the Paleolithic period that were found both next door to the museum and in other parts of the country. These have been maintained and displayed in their original form, with explanations of how they were used at the time. The second exhibit focuses on the Japanese middle ages, mainly the Muromachi period (1336–1573), and features temple and castle artifacts. The third and fourth exhibits describe the Edo period (1603–1868) and Gero’s modern history, respectively, with the fourth focusing on the Meiji era (1868–1912) and the Showa era (1926–1989). Artifacts such as war records and historical documents pertaining to important local figures are on display in this fourth exhibit. Reconstructions of Jomon and Yayoi (300 BCE–300 CE) period houses can be found outside the museum, on the Mineichigo site.
