この間、クチコミでお風呂の椅子が古いと言うクレームがありました。従って、新しいのに取り返っておきました。なお、桶も新しくしました。お客さんからクチコミを頂いて、非常に嬉しいです。こうやって改善していきたいと思っております。
We recently had some customer feedback to the effect that the chairs in our mineral baths were too old. So we went ahead and replaced them, along with the buckets, too. Please keep the feedback coming -- we are trying our best to improve Kamesei.
晴れている日に朝風呂を入ると、横から流れてくる太陽が湯気をイルミネートする。幻想な雰囲気です。
When you take a morning bath and the sun is out, the sun rays enter at a low angle, back-lighting the steam coming off the mineral bath. It creates an ethereal effect.
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website
My proposal for the Kara-Koro Project
昨日のからころ勉強会のついで、今日は具体的に何をするかと言う話し合いでした。案の段階だけですけど、目的が戸倉上山田温泉の歴史を大事にしながら、周辺の川辺と山々を行かせること。私は特に千曲川の事を考えています。現在はこの町が川を背中にしている。この素晴らしい川とのふれあいを増やしたい。従って、この案を出しました。
Following yesterday's study session, today we had another meeting for the Kara-Koro Project, the purpose of which was to make some concrete proposals for how to proceed with livening up the town. We're still at the proposal stage, but the goal is to build on the onsen's history while making better use of the surrounding mountains and river. I especially think we need to better utilize the Chikuma River. Right now, the town is putting the river to its back. We need more interaction with this spectacular river, hence this proposal.
滝沢先生（右）の説明 Prof. Takizawa's talk at the Onsen History Museum
戸倉上山田温泉は長野県から協力金を頂きまして、「からころ」という町興し行事が行っています。もちろん、この青い目の若旦那も参加している。今日は温泉資料館で勉強会を。滝沢先生に言われて、一番感動したのは「この資料館は物を見せる為ではなく、その物の向こうの事を感じさせる為だ」との事。
Togura Kamiyamada Onsen is receiving some support money from Nagano Prefecture, hence our current 'Kara-Koro' Project to improve our town. ('Kara-Koro' is the sound wooden 'geta' sandals make, with the idea to get people out and about to liven up the town.) The thing that most impressed me by Prof. Takizawa's talk was 'The purpose of this History Museum isn't to display objects -- it's to get people to think of the world behind those objects.'
亀清旅館のHPはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan's website.
亀清旅館のロビーにクリスマスツリーを飾っておきました。私達家族が10＋年間を掛けて集まったオーナメントを掛けました。欧米からのクリスマススピリットです。
Back in the States, it's an annual ordeal to try to keep in mind the 'reason for the season' as Christmas tends to get bogged down in over-commercialization. In Japan, all the stores play Christmas music and decorate (complete with Christmas trees that always say 'Merry Christmas' on them -- otherwise I guess you wouldn't know it's a Christmas tree?). But here it's a hollow 'season without a reason'.
Here at Kamesei Ryokan, we're trying to keep it real for our kids, as well as share a little Christmas spirit with our guests. So once again, we managed to get a fir tree for our lobby and decorate it with ornaments that our family has collected over the years.
亀清旅館のHPはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website.
飲線所もライトアップ
戸倉上山田温泉の真ん中の公園で灯篭と和風イルミネーションの祭が今日から、バレンタインズディーまで行います。私達旅館青年部が飾り付け作業を致しましたので是非、このウインターマジックをご覧になってください。
The park in the middle of our onsen town, from now until St. Valentine's Day, is lit up at night with illumination featuring Japanese 'toro'. The other junior innkeepers and I put them up over the last couple of days. Come enjoy Togura Kamiyamada Onsen's winter magic!
亀清旅館のHPはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan's website.
亀清旅館の玄関にあるどうだんツツジは今年、こんな綺麗に変色しました。秋が代表できるような色ですね。
The 'doudan' azalea (?) at the corner of our front entrance turned this beautiful shade of red.
亀清旅館のHPはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan's website.
焼鳥屋。食べる為だけじゃな。地元の人達と楽しい会話の為にも。戸倉上山田温泉の「ゆみ」と言う焼き鳥屋さんでカウンターの向こう側の方が芸子さんの世界を卒業したYumiさんです。卒業したかもしれないけど、会話のエンタテインメントとしてはやはりプロ。我が宿に泊まる外国からのお客さんをよく連れてきます。１人は６時半に行ったのに、１０時半になっても帰ってこない。大丈夫かどうかチェックしに行ったら、彼がカウンターに座って、ビールの空グラス５本ぐらいがあって、周りのお客さん達とに盛り上がっていました。さっすがYumiさん！
Yakitori restaurants (grilled chicken on skewers) are abundant throughout Japan. They are a great way to meet the locals. The one closest to Kamesei is Yumi's, run by an ex-geisha. Yumi-san is a master at entertaining conversations. I often take guests from overseas there for dinner, dropping them off and depositing them into the skillful hands of Yumi-san. One Brit I dropped off at 6:30pm hadn't come back yet as of 10:30, so I went over to check on him. There he was, at the counter, with about 5 empty beer glasses in front of him and shit-eating grin on his face, embroiled in lively conversation with Yumi-san and the other guests. That's Yumi's for you!
自転車と千曲川
今日は天気が良かったし、なんとなく外に行くように引っ張られました。子供達を連れて、千曲川沿いのサイクリングロードを自転車で通りました。信州の自然は良いですね！
Today the weather was nice and I was somehow drawn to going outside. So I took the kids for a bike ride along the Chikuma River Cycling Road. I'm so glad Nagano has such beautiful nature!
注：レンタル自転車もございます。
Note: Rental Bicycles are available!
亀清旅館のHPはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan's website
