長野県商工会呼ばれまして、先週の水曜日＠松本そして今日＠長野市で講師で頼まれました。指導員研修会に指導する皆様に「欧米人が求めるおもてなし」という講演を致しました。
私はこういう講演するのは二つな理由で大好きです。
一つ目はそのインバウンドの認識度アップ、
二つ目は講演先の現地が見え、色んな人と出会えるし、つまり良い勉強になります。
今回の研修会のもう一人の講師が上田市の服部　年明様でした。長野市のルネサンスの建築家と呼ばれているそうです。本人が長野市のタウンマネージャーだった間、大手デパートの跡を市が回収し、市民の中心的な場所を作った；またもう一つのでかいデパートの跡はToigoってテレビ局の本社や人が集まる施設ができた；善光寺の手前にいくつかな空き店舗があって、「パティオ大門」って蔵のテーマの商業施設ができた。とにかく、ものすごく効果を出している人。会ってみたいと思いました。そしたら、今日の公演は昼食の為に少し早く来る様に言われて、隣に座っていたのは、なんと服部さん本人でした！ちょうど良い機会で私が興味津々でしたから色々と聞きました。服部さんはすごい人です。会社のマネージャーなら、商品の組み合わせを管理して、どれが効果を出しているか、何が抜けているか、全部を管理する。町もそうしないと進まないと説明してくれた。亀清旅館は独自で動いてもダメ。温泉街があるから亀清がある。川と山があるから温泉街がある。つまり、全体を合わせて動かないと駄目。
実は、私が最近に「民衆」や「行政」の事に色々と不安を持つようになりました。アメリカで国レベルにも私の生まれ育ちのワシントン州も、私が応援している民衆党が与党になった。色々と期待していたが、あまり改善なし。「民衆」が世界一進んでいる（はず）米国がリーマンショックを起こしたという事は、民衆が最適じゃないんだと最近に思ってきた。もう一つな例はこの千曲市です。２００３年に２町１市が合併し、千曲市となりました。合併によって、行政の効率が良くなり、ダブっている部分を削れて、人数が少なくなるはず。実際は合併後、行政の人数が増えた。会社のM&Aの場合はそういう現象は許されない。
服部さんのお話を聞き、シンガポールのようなタウン・国のマネージャーのやり方の方がいいのか？今の「民衆」・「行政」がいい効果を出せばいいけど…
Nagano Prefecture's Chamber of Commerce invited me to give talks in Matsumoto last week and Nagano City today at their annual Instructors' Seminar. The idea was for me to give the instructors some new concepts to use when advising various companies in the prefecture.
I really like giving these types of talks, for two reasons. One is it gives me a chance to raise awareness for the "Inbound" cause. The other is I get to see and meet new places / people. Today's talk was no exception. One of the other speakers was Toshiaki Hattori. During his time as Nagano City's "Town Manager", one defunct department store's building was bought by the city and several essential city functions were centralized there making it a major people draw. Another defunct store was replaced by a TV station's HQ, another people draw. And several empty stores near Zenkoji were remade into "Patio Daimon", a snazzy warehouse-themed shopping plaza. This Hattori-san managed to produce some fantastic results for Nagano City. It was fascinating to talk with him. He explained that, for example, our inn, Kamesei Ryokan, doesn't exist by itself. It's because of the Togura Kamiyamada Onsen town that it exists. The town itself exists because of its proximity to Zenkoji. The entirety has to be taken into account and managed as one.
Talking with Hattori-san raised some anxieties that I have with government and democracy. Back in my home state as well as at the national level in America, the Democratic Party took control, but all of the promised improvements have become bogged down in politics. America was supposed to be the pinnacle of democracy, but that same 'pinnacle' caused this world-wide recession with the sub-prime crash. Perhaps democracy isn't "progress" after all. Another example is here in Chikuma City, which was made by the merger of 2 towns and 1 city in 2003. Usually these mergers result in efficiencies allowing for a reduced total number of city workers. However, the number has actually grown! No corporate M&A would allow that to happen. There isn't enough accountability!
Listening to Hattori-san makes me wonder if a Singapore-like city / country manager system wouldn't be more effective...

旅館の経営者は本当に休みが少ない。２４時間働いちゃう。これは確かに健康に良くない。しかし、長野県の旅館青年部が新潟、群馬、栃木と茨城の県青年部をホストして、キックベース大会をやるって聞いた時に、旅館の方で直す所が沢山あるし、仕事がたまっていて、誰が遊ぶ暇があるか？！とブブ文句を言いながら、今日は青木村へ行って、大会に参加しました。
そしたら、良く分かりました。時々は布団引き以外な運動も必要だと。今のこの北関東ブロック長（akaブロック王、さらにaka「オッ」）がカリスマの人で、彼の強い意志で私みたいな頭の固い若旦那の皆を引っ張って、こうやって大会を行います。有難い事で。

Running a ryokan can become a 24-7 job. It's easy to become lost in the work -- which can't be good for one's health. But when the Nagano Junior Ryokan Association announced they would be hosting a kickball tournament, I thought, "Who has the time to goof off like that? There are so many things that need fixing here at the inn, and so much work that has piled up!" So, grudgingly I went to Aoki Village to play in the tournament.
It was a good thing I went. I realized that it's important to occasionally get some exercise other than futon flipping! The Northern Kanto Block leader (or "king" as he likes to be called) is the very charismatic guy that willed this event to take place. I am very thankful!

Today was quite a day. Not all of my days here at Kamesei Ryokan are this busy, but on the other hand, it wasn't all that unusual either.
The day started at 5am, with taking Pauline and her classmate from Keio U. to zazen meditation. Then we came back to the inn, and I cooked pancakes for the kids' breakfast. After that I flipped futons and sent off our guests from the previous night, including a family from Singapore. We stopped at a cherry orchard on the way to the station -- more on that in a later post. Then the director of the city's Economic Development office came to discuss the English walking map / restaurant guide I am making. Next I drove up to Obasute Station, parked the K-Truck and hopped on a train to Matsumoto. There I gave a talk to the Prefectural Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting. (That was a bit daunting to be lecturing to the lectors...) I had a bit of time to kill before the next train back, so I hooked up with my buddy Tom working at a think-tank in 'Moto for a late lunch bowl of ramen. Then it was back to Obasute Station and to Kamesei, where one of our new regular guests was waiting. Itogawa-sensei had been intrigued by one of the statues on display in our inn, and had researched all about it for me. After flipping futons for tonight's guests, it was off to Okagura practice at the town's main park. Somewhere in there was a phone call from NHK, the national broadcaster requesting to do feature TV show on Kamesei.
5am zazen, okagura practice, speeches ... nothing new. But all in one day -- that was a first. Also, at the zazen room, the monk was away so I had to lead the meditation. That was also a first. And at the okagura practice, I put my flute down for one dance and tried my hand at being the rear person in the lion -- another new experience.
All in all, a very full day!
今日は長い一日でした。朝五時から始まった。フランスからの留学生のポリーンさんとの友達を連れて、座禅に行きました。戻ったら、我が子供たちにパンケーキを焼いて、お客さんの布団を上げて見送りして（内、シンガポールのご家族を駅までの送迎の途中で、サクランボ農園にも寄って）、市役所の商工労政係長が作成中の英語マップの打ち合わせで来てくれて、それから電車乗って松本へ行きました。県商工会指導員研修会で講演を頼まれました。指導者の前で立つのは非常につらかったけど、なんとかできました。帰りの電車まで時間があったので松本のシンクタンクで働いているTomさんのラーメンを食った。亀清の戻ったら、常連のお客さんが気になっていた床の間の飾り物を調べてくれて、その結果を説明してくれた。お客さんの布団を引いてから、今度はお神楽の練習。その間のどこかでNHK教育から取材の問い合わせの電話もありました。
とにかく、特ににぎやかな一日でした！