がんばっぺ福島、その2: 会津若松 For Fukushima, 2nd Day: Aizu Wakamatsu

2012.03.31: 青い目のおもてなし This American’s Omotenashi

With the samurai of Aizu Wakamatsu Castle

今回の東北旅で福島の観光名所、歴史的な会津若松へ行きました。お城と武家屋敷はもちろんけど、お城での侍の格好している案内人と、武家屋敷での赤べこ塗体験が一番の思い出になりました。

どれだけ会津若松が観光上手か、感心しました。良い風にですよ。うちのままとパパ、私ども夫婦、そして子供3人で行きましたが、皆が素晴らしい思い出になりました。

今回は市内しか見れませんでした。次回は磐梯山、大内宿、そしてできたら尾瀬に行きた~いな!

"For Fukushima" was the theme for our family trip to Tohoku. We spent the 1st night in the Hawaiians Resort in Iwaki City along the coast. For the 2nd day, we drove inland to the opposite side of Fukushima to the historical castle town of Aizu Wakamatsu.

We saw the famous castle as well as toured the Aizu Bukeyashiki samurai residence complex. While they were both impressive, we had the best memories from the guide wearing a samurai outfit outside the castle, as well as the "Aka-beko" painting workshop at the samurai museum. It's experiences like those that make for the best family bonding.

For this visit to Aizu, we only got to see the town. Next trip, I want to go explore Mt. Bandai, see the Ouchi Edo-era post town, and get lost in the wilderness of Oze. Aizu, I'll be back!



Aka-beko painting


The famous Aizu Wakamatsu Castle (don't mind the concrete)


The castle grounds


Onthe grounds of the samurai house


Samurai house complex


Kenny at the Castle


Kenny in the Castle


いわき 津波の跡 Iwaki After the Tsunami

2012.03.30: 青い目のおもてなし This American’s Omotenashi

Shore-side village in Iwaki, Fukushima reduced to foundations by the tsunami. Is the flower for the previous inhabitants, or for us visitors?

「見に来てほしい」

東北の知り合いに言われました。3.11の地震と津波、その後の原発問題。いくらテレビで画像を見ても、現地を自分の目で見た方が重要だと。100年(1000年?)に一度の自然の現象で自分及び子供達の目で見た方が良いと。

人の苦しみを見て良いかどうかの不安を置いておいて、今回の東北旅で「津波の跡見学」を目的の一つにしました。

ハワイアンズにお世話になってから小名浜、いわき市の港へ行ってみました。

まずは魚市場ラ・ラ・ミュウに入りました。何もなかったと思われるぐらいに回りが片づけられたが、地震から15分後に2mの波が市場を被されましたそうです。1回の売り場のダルビッシュにそっくりのお兄さんとの仲間の笑顔は忘れられません。原発から100km距離の漁業禁止ゾーンだが、他所からの魚を下ろして、負けないで元気で販売していました。「応援で何か買いたい」と言ったら「すぐに家に帰れば良いけど、そうじゃないでしょう?無理にしないで」と、優しい心。

ラ・ラ・ミュウの2階に避難所の資料展示があった。辛い思い出だ。観覧船は4月下旬から復活の様で、取り敢えずは案内の人の指導で車で移動して、塩屋崎灯台の北側にあった町へ行きました。写真の様に、建物の基礎しか残っていません。

基礎しか…

「見に来てほしい」とは、こういう所。テレビじゃ…

その後、行き会った人の紹介でお寿司屋さん「ともえ」でお昼を食べた。どこかの食事会の為に立派な船盛りを作っている最中だったマスターとの奥さんは親切に美味しいお料理を下さりました。「100km禁止ゾーンのせいで寿司屋は苦しいけど、頑張っています」と。

「見に来てほしい」とは、これだね。

"We want you to come and see."

That's what one of my ryokan association colleagues from Tohoku (northeastern Japan) told me about the aftermath of the March 11th and following triple disaster. It's one thing to see images of the destruction on TV, but it's important to see it personally with your own eyes. The earthquake and tsunami were once-in-a-100 (1000?) years demonstration of the power of nature.

So putting aside my concerns about possibly being inconsiderate to the people there who suffered so much, on this trip to Fukushima I made it one of my goals to see the tsunami area and show it to our kids.

After leaving the Hawaiians Resort, we drove down to Onahama, Iwaki City's main port. The seafood market Ra Ra Myu had been restored to the point that you wouldn't think anything had taken place here. But 15 minutes after the earthquake, the market was inundated with a 2-meter wave. I will never forget the smiles of the the Darvish-look-alike fishmonger and his coworkers. "Our port's fishing ships can't work these waters due to the 100-km exclusion zone around the nuclear plant. But we get in fish from all over the world," they said as they carried on business as usual. When I mentioned I wanted to buy something to help support them, they said, "If you're headed straight back home, that would be great. But your travelling, so don't worry about it." I was touched by their generosity.

Ra-Ra's 2nd floor had a display depicting living conditions in the evacuation centers. That was tough to take in. The center's pleasure boat rides wouldn't start operating until late April, so on the advice of the info center we drove up the coast to the village that had been below the Shioyazaki Lighthouse.

As you can see in the picture, the village has been reduced to just the foundations of the buildings that had been there before the tsunami struck.

"We want you to come and see." This is what she had been talking about.

Later, we drove to a sushi shop, Tomoe, that a passerby had introduced us to. The sushi master was just finishing up a massive "funa-mori" sushi platter for some banquet nearby, but he and his wife kindly served us delictable sushi. "It's hard as a sushi chef to have to acquire fish from outside the 100-km zone." But by the looks of it, his business is still thriving.

"We want you to come and see." This is it, too.







がんばっぺ福島 恩返し For Fukushima -- Returning a Favor

2012.03.29: 青い目のおもてなし This American’s Omotenashi

がんばっぺハワイアンズ

2011.3.11は世界を変わった日でした。地震、津波、そして原発問題。「福島」は新たな意味になりました。

原発などのせいで亀清旅館までキャンセルの津波が激しかった。3月中旬・下旬及び4月上旬は我が宿が本当に静かでした。

逆に、津波などのお蔭で夏は記録的でした。皆さんの遊びは海から山へシフト;節電でなお蒸し暑い東京から割りと涼しい長野へシフト。

亀清旅館の8月売り上げは最高でした。

しかし、福島は静かのままだったようです。

恩返しを込めて、この春は家族の春休みで福島へお出かけしました。シアトルから来ているママとパパも連れて、親孝行を兼ねて。

一泊目はHawaiiansでした。キャンセル待ちで予約はぎりぎり取れたぐらい賑やかでした。伝説のフラガールは直接見れて、感動しました。

「元気」をお伝えしたいと思ったら、逆に「がんばっぺ福島」から「元気」を頂いてしまいました。

2011.3.11 is a day that changed the world. The earthquake, tsunami and nuclear radiation problem made "Fukushima" a household name everywhere.

Due to "Fukushima", even here at Kamesei Ryokan we had a tsunami of cancelations. Mid and late March as well as early April were extremely quiet here at our inn.

On the other hand, thanks to "Fukushima", we had a record August. Travellers in Japan avoided the ocean and came up to Nagano and its mountains instead.

Fukushima meanwhile continued to be quiet.

I felt indebted to Fukushima, so for this spring, our family decided to spend the holiday in Fukushima. Since my parents are here visiting from the States, we took them, too.

For our first night, we stayed at the famed Hawaiians Resort in Iwakuni. It was only due to a cancelation that we were able to get a booking -- it turns out the resort is back to being in full swing. And seeing the famed Hula Girls live was amazing.

We had intended to give Fukushima a boost of energy by visiting, but ended up on the receiving end instead.

スパリゾートハワイアンズ Spa Resort Hawaiians



Still a few cracks here and cranes/scaffolding there, but for the most part Hawaiians is back in full operation


亀清旅館x長野パイン材 ロビーに本棚 Kamesei Ryokan and Nagano Pine Furniture -- New Bookshelves for our lobby

2012.03.28: 亀清旅館 Kamesei Ryokan

New Pine Additions for Kamesei's Lobby

亀清旅館のロビーに新しい本棚とベンチが来ました。長野県のパイン材で出来ています。県の子育て関係の補助金のお蔭。

パイン材のおもちゃも購入したので本棚に子供の本も入れて、ちょっとしたキッズスペースになりました。家族向けのパンフも沢山揃いましたし、キッズが喜ばれる長野を紹介しています。

Kamesei Ryokan's lobby has a few new additions: 2 bookshelves and a bench. All are made from pine wood from Nagano Prefecture. All thanks to a grant from the prefecture for child-raising support.

We got some new childrens toys, too, also made of pine wood. Along with a collection of childrens books. And a selection of brochures and pamphlets for family-friendly spots throughout the prefecture. A little corner of our lobby dedicated to showing how fun Nagano can be for kids.





真田幸村名所巡り 新バスツアー Sanada Samurai Bus Tours

2012.03.27: 長野に来る理由 Reasons to Come to Nagano

亀清旅館のお客様にいつも「どこか寄って来ましたか?」と聞きます。もちろん、善光寺や戸隠、小布施、安曇野などの名所が多いです。でも、中には上田城が意外に多いです。真田幸村ファンがとにかく多いです。

真田三代の歴史がかなり奥深い(=複雑)だし、それにちなんでいる場所は分かりつらい。

齋藤駕籠屋の日帰りバスツアーは
運転がお任せ、
案内は詳しい
お勧めです。

真田三代名所巡り (毎週土曜日; 真田町と松代町)
上田駅集合10:00 ~16:30解散
3200円

真田幸村ショートツアー (毎週日曜日;真田町と上田城)
上田駅集合10:00 ~14:30解散
2980円 (おやき付き)

詳しくは齋藤駕籠屋 Tel(0628)44-2241



戸隠奥社の杉並び木: パワースポット親孝行 Togakushi's Spritual Cedar Trees with Mom and Dad

2012.03.26: その他 Miscellaneous

With Mom and Dad at Togakushi

善光寺さんの上の戸隠はこの頃ブームになっています。奥社の杉並び木が「パワースポット」として知られてきて、日本国内では大人気です。

その自然の力は海外からお越しになる方にも通じます。

今は私の親だ長野に遊びに来てくれています。先日は戸隠に連れて行きました。その日は大雪でした;びしょびしょになって、大分冷えたが、それでも見る価値はありました。

日本の皆様に羨ましい。雪の日じゃなくても、飛行機に乗らなくても、親を連れていつでも戸隠へ行く事は出来ます。

戸隠で親孝行。

忘れられません。

Above Zenkoji Temple is mountain area called Togakushi. It is in the midst of a popularity boom right now with everyone in Japan for its spirituality. The way to the Inner Shrine is lined by massive cedar trees, trees that give off a strong sense of the power of nature. I like to tell people in Japan that foreigners have no problem feeling that power, too.

My parents are here visiting Nagano, so I took them up to Togakushi for the walk to see (and feel) the cedar trees. Somehow we timed it for a snow storm. But despite the snow and wind, coldness and dampness, we made it to the trees and were able to experience their awesome power.

I am so jealous of everyone here in Japan. They can go take their parents to Togakushi any time, without running into a snow storm, without even having to take an airplane.

Filial Piety, Togakushi style.

I will never forget it.

戸隠高原Togakushi





姨捨正宗蔵開き ママとパパと Obasute Masamune's Open Brewery Day, with Mom and Dad

2012.03.25: 温泉タウン戸倉上山田 Onsen Town Togura-Kamiyamada

With Mom and Dad in front of Obasute Masamune's historical sake brewery.

千曲市・戸倉上山田温泉の造り酒屋「姨捨正宗」の年に一度の蔵開きは3月23日行われました。亀清旅館では誇りを持って、姨捨正宗の日本酒を扱っております。従って、「蔵開きを行うので、来てください」と言われて、飛んで行きました。私のままとパパはアメリカから遊びに来ているので、ついでに連れて行きました。

酒粕積み放題、試飲、甘酒などのコーナーは楽しめたが一番良かったのは見学ツアーでした。スタッフ一人は30分をかけて、歴史的な建物の蔵を細かくて案内し、お酒の造りかたを丁寧に説明してくれた。実際に利用なされている近辺の湧水の試飲から、梯子を上って仕込みタンクの中を見て、香りをかむまで、非常に勉強になりました。

一か所は2時間後と調べる必要があった。案内して頂いた方はその当番でした。年明けから約2か月半、ずっと2時間ごとに起きて作業しました。

誇り。

うちの親まで感心しました。思い出の為に何本か買って帰りました。

Our onsen town Togura-Kamiyamada is fortunate to have a sake brewery nearby: Obasute Masamune in Chikuma City's Kuwabara district. We here at Kamesei Ryokan proudly serve Obasute Masamune's sake. So when we were invited to their annual "Open Brewery", I jumped at the opportunity. And as my folks are here visiting from the States, I took them along.

For the special event, there were free samples, free amazake (sweet sake), free sake lees to take home. But more than the freebies, what made the biggest impression was the half hour tour of the brewery and its historical buildings. From tasting the actual spring water they use from the nearby natural spring, to climbing up and taking a whiff of the the mixture fermenting in one of their huge vats, it was a fascinating tour.

The most amazing part was hearing how one section had to be checked on every 2 hours around the clock. And our guide was the one that did that for 2-1/2 solid months.

Pride.

Even my parents were impressed by the process, and bought sake to take home as momentos.

酒蔵の姨捨正宗Obasute Masamune Sake Brewery



The tour


Modern facitilities with touches from the past


The vats


The lab


The new cedar sprig ball


Free amazake (sweet sake) and soup


Sake sampling


Free sake lees


Storehouse walls made of earth and straw


牛に引かれて2012年予報 ひかれてから亀清の新しい貸切露天風呂へ! "Pulled by an Ox to Zenkoji" Walk 2012

2012.03.24: 温泉タウン戸倉上山田 Onsen Town Togura-Kamiyamada

After getting pulled by the ox, come and enjoy Kamesei's new Family Bath

2012年の「牛に引かれて善光寺」ウォーキングは5月6日(日)に行う予定です。私ども戸倉上山田旅館青年部が毎年に開催している人気イベントです。温泉から善光寺まで30kmのコースです。

毎年、信州毎日新聞に戸倉上山田温泉全体が広告を出します。亀清旅館の分の写真を改めて撮りました。新しく出来た貸切露天風呂「しなの風呂」と「牛に引かれて善光寺」のウォーキングでかぶる笠の写真です。歩いてから、新しいお風呂へどうぞ、とのテーマ。

今年こそ、ご一緒に歩きませんか?

Every year, the Togura Kamiyamada Ryokan Junior Association puts on a walking event from our onsen town to Zenkoji Temple, in honor of the "Pulled by an Ox to Zenkoji" legend. For 2012, the event will be held on Sunday 06-May.

As part of the event, all of the inns here place an ad in our local Shinmai newspaper. We took a new photograph for Kamesei's portion for this year. Pictured is our new "Shinano-buro" family bath, as well as the straw 'kasa' hat all the event participants wear.

Won't you come join us for this year's walk?

詳しくは千曲市観光協会にてDetails at the Chikuma City Tourism Assoc. site





貸切露天風呂「しなの風呂」の庭に節分草の初咲 Kamesei's New Family Bath: Setsubunsou Flowering in the Garden for the 1st Time

2012.03.23: その他 Miscellaneous

Shibateranthis pinnatifida (Maxim.) Satake et Okuyama

亀清旅館の新しい貸切露天風呂「しなの風呂」の庭に節分草が咲いてきました。庭師の岡田さんが去年にこの庭を作った時に球根を植えくれたので、楽しみにしていました。

節分草の小さな白い花びらに黄色と紫の中心が可愛いらしい。

戸倉上山田温泉のキッティパーク(戸倉駅の上の天狗公園)の節分草のファンが多いなので見る価値はもちろんあります。そのついでに、亀清のしなの風呂にゆっくり浴びながら節分草を楽しめる事も出来ます。

Kamesei Ryokan's new "Shinano-buro" family bath features a garden designed by Okada-san, our gardener. When he built it last year, he planted some bulbs for a rare flower called "Setsubunsou" in Japanese. They have just started blooming, something I have been looking forward to seeing.

Setsubunsou flowers are cute little things, with white petals and purple and yellow centers.

Here in our onsen town Togura-Kamiyamada, the nearby Kitty Park (above Togura Station, nicknamed "Tengu-Kouen") has a cluster of setsubunsou growing wild. They attract photographers from far and wide. And justly so. Now perhaps the photographers can come for and enjoy a bath here at Kamesei Ryokan, and get to view more setsubunsou flowers as they soak in the onsen!






亀清の亀さんは冬眠から起きてきました。 Kamesei's namesake Turtle Awoke from Hibernation

2012.03.22: 季節 Seasons

Kamesei's Turtle Saying 'Hi' for the first time this year

亀清旅館の看板動物、うちの中庭の亀さんが冬眠から起きてきました。池の側の庭に上って、甲羅干ししている姿を今年、初めて見ました。

亀さん、久しぶりです。

温かくなってきて、春はそろそろ来るとの事でしょうか?

Kamesei Ryokan's name roughly translates to "Holy Turtle". Hence, we consider the turtle living in the koi pond in our naka-niwa central garden our namesake animal. Today, I spotted him sunning himself on a rock next to the pond. This is the first time this year -- he's been in hibernation all winter.

Nice to see you again, Mr. Turtle.

With the temperatures starting to warm up, and now our turtle starting to make an appearance, it must mean that spring is just around the corner.