Rice Paddy with Kamuriki Mtn. in the background
戸倉上山田温泉の周辺の田んぼの稲は段々と伸びてきた。収穫が近付いているかな？さわやか信州はこの青々の色で更に気持ち良いです。
The rice in the paddies around Togura Kamiyamada Onsen is growing and growing. Harvest time must be just around the corner. Nagano is normally alive with nature, but with the rice paddies as lush as they are, Nagano seems even more so now.
Peaches for Sale!
遠い親戚の北山さんが川中島から桃を売りに来ました。裏の駐車場に臨時的な屋台を開きました。私の地元のワシントン州も桃の産地ですが、川中島の桃が負けない！今はちょうどピークです。Juicyで美味しいです。
Our distant relative Kitayama-san came by today with several crates of peaches from the Kawanakajima growing district. He set up a mini-shop in our back parking lot. My home state of Washington is also a major peach producer, but the peaches from Kawanakajima sure can't be beat for taste -- they're so nice and juicy! And right now they're in their peak!
亀清旅館のHPはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website
友達のTsuyoshiさんとお昼を食べました。亀清から車で１０分ぐらいの「ラフィーネ」でした。「満腹ランチ」をトライしました。次回は「大盛」をチャレンジしたいと思いました（笑）。
I went out for lunch today with my buddy Tsuyoshi. We had the 'Full Gut' Lunch at Italian restaurant Lafine (sp?). Next time I want to try the 'super-size' version. (Just kidding!)
戸倉にて、国道１８号沿い
Little Drummer Misaki
若若女将の美咲ちゃんの最近の好きな遊びが亀清のロビーに太鼓をたたく事。意外に上手です。将来は地元の冠着太鼓に入るかな？
Our daughter Misaki's favorite things to play with now are the taiko drums in our lobby. She's got surprisingly good rhythm. Maybe someday whe will join our town's Kamuriki Taiko group.
亀清旅館のHPはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website
姨捨駅までお客さんにお迎えに行きました。そのまま、姨捨の棚田（田毎の月で有名な棚田）を通りました。いつも、夜の姨捨夜景・伝説ツアーとして行っていますが、久しぶりのお昼の棚田でした。お米がだんだんと伸びていますのでその真緑の色がうんと綺麗でした。
I had to pick up some guests at Obasute Station today, and on the way back to Kamesei I took them for a drive through the Obasute 'Tagoto-no-tsuki' terraced rice paddies. I usually pass through them as part of our Obasute Night View tour, so it was nice to see them during the day for a change. And how beautiful they were, with their rich green color.
Chicago Jazz and Okagura Jam
Last night, the Davis's, a couple of jazz performers from Chicago, played a set for us and our guests in Kamesei's lobby. Tonight I invited them to my flute practice with the Kamiyamada Okagura troupe, the shi-shi lion dance group of which I'm a member. Not only did the Davis's do a jam with their sax and trumpet combined with our flutes and taiko drums, but then they tried the flutes, too. I was embarrased to find that they were better than I after 2 minutes, and I've been practicing for over 2 years!
Davisさん達は夕べ、亀清のロビーでジャズの演奏してくれて、今晩は私のお神楽の獅子笛の練習に連れて行きました。お神楽の笛と太鼓と一緒にサクソホーンとトランペットをやって頂いたし、今度は二人が獅子笛をやってみました。２分間ぐらい練習したら、２年間練習している私より上手になりました。恥ずかしかった！
First-Time Flutists
Sax and Trumpet performance at Kamesei
シカゴから来たDavisさん達を駅に迎えに行ったら、面白い形の荷物を持っていました。中身はサクソホーンとトランペットでした。頼んでみたら、亀清のロビーで演奏してくれました。お客様の皆が大喜び。（うちの子供達も；長男のAndyがピアノを弾いて、一緒にジャムした。）
When I picked up the Davis' at the station, I noticed they had some odd-shaped bags. Inside were a saxophone and a trumpet. I asked if they'd be interested in performing in our lobby, and they happily agreed to do so. And what a performance it was. All of our other guests gathered, and we got to enjoy some real Chicago Jazz. Our kids really liked it, especially our oldest son, Andy. He got to jam with them on the piano.
我が娘の美咲ちゃんを連れて、亀清の裏の中央公園のブランコで遊びました。そうすると、こんなに可愛い笑顔してくれました。
I took our daughter Misaki to the park behind Kamesei. We played on the swings, and judging by her big smile, she really enjoed it!
The moss has grown in well around the stepping stones
お客様に亀清旅館の露天風呂の庭を良く褒めていただきます。「とっても落ち着きます！」と言われます。雨の日はさらに落ち着かせる雰囲気になります。露天風呂に入りたくなりませんか？
Guests often comment on how relaxing the garden around our outdoor bath is. On rainy days, the garden takes on an even more relaxing ambience. Do you feel like taking a soak?
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website
Raindrops glisten on the leaves
2005年の秋に私が後継ぐ為に亀清に引越ししてきました。そのころにこのブログを始めました。それ以降、ブログのコモクの数は500個を越えました。今年の三月からは毎日のペースです。「今日は何を書こうかな？」と言うより、「今日の面白い事のどれを選ぼうか」と言う問題の方が多いです。この旅館若旦那の生活で毎日に楽しい事があります。このブログを読んで頂いている皆様はそれを感じて頂いているではないかと思っております。そして、読んで頂いている方は毎日平均で1200人以上いらっしゃいます。多い日は2000人も超えます。ブログを見てお越しになるお客様もいらっしゃるし、このブログを通じて沢山の良い知り合いがで来ました。ありがたい事です。亀清旅館、そして長野県の良さを多くの方々とＳｈａｒｅしたいと思っております。この青い目の若旦那のおもてなしの1つです。そのおもてなしは見事に良い形になってきています。部屋を提供しているサイト、じゃらんネット、のクチコミの数は100件に近付いていますし、「サービス」の点数は何と4.7です（5点満天）。せっかく努力しておりますからこの良い結果が出せれるのは嬉しい事です。
これからのブログは戸倉上山田温泉と信州の良さをどんどんＰＲしていきたいと思っております。そのうち、この青い目の若旦那の見方も見えてきたら有難いです。これからも宜しくお願い致します。
I moved here to Kamesei to start helping out in the Fall of 2005. About that time, I started this blog, and since then have recorded over 500 entries. Since March of this year, it's been on a daily basis. Rather than trying to find something to write about every day, more often than not I have the problem of deciding which topic to write about. Through running this inn, I have fun and interesting experiences every day. I think that shows in my blog entries, and maybe that is what attracts people's attention. It's surprising how many readers there are -- an average of over 1,200 per day, with some days reaching over 2,000. I am humbly grateful. Often times, guests show up and mention they read my blog, and I have made a number of acquaintances thanks to the blog. I am hoping to share Kamesei's and Nagano's greatness with the world through this blog. That's part of my 'omotenashi' service. And thankfully, that service is starting to take shape. Our main source for reservations is a Japanese site called Jalan. We are getting close to the 100 comment milestone on the site, and our 'Service' score is 4.7 out of a possible 5.0. It is encouraging to see people responding favorably to my service.
From here on out, I hope to make the blog even more useful for introducing our onsen, Togura Kamiyamada, and Nagano Prefecture to the world. Thank you everyone for reading!
