昨日は時間が少し取れましたので、良いお天気を生かして、家族でドライブしてきました。最近は「一本桜」にはまっているので、今回は北信の高山村へお出かけしました。以前にお客さんに紹介してくれた「水中のしだれ桜」を探したら、場所はマイカー規制となっていて途中の学校で車を止めて、シャットルバスで行くようになっていました。

一本の木の為に態々シャットルバス？思ったより、こういう「一本桜」は人気あるんだと始めて分かりました。

水中のしだれ桜は250年前に、お城の入り口に植えたようです。お城がなくなったけど、桜の木が残っていて、でかくて立派な木です。私達が行った日はまだ2,3部しか咲いていなかった。今年はゴールデンウィークでちょうど満開になりそうです。花があまり咲いていなくても、青空に遠く見えた妙高や黒姫の山と言うドラマチックな場面で、感動しました。

今日の信濃毎日新聞にも高山村の一本桜が載っています。機会があれば、是非行ってみて下さい。

高山村は亀清旅館・戸倉上山田温泉から高速で約40分。又は長野駅経由で長野電鉄須坂駅からバス（山田温泉行）で30分。詳しくは村のＨＰへ。

日曜日は長野マラソンが長野市のオリンピック施設を回りながら行われました。その関係で何人かの選手が亀清に泊まってくれた。シンガポール、米国、フランス、イギリスなど、様々な国から走りに来ました。
そして、日本人のカップルさんも日曜日にお着きになって、偉い運動してきたように見えた。聞いたら、山梨県の清里の辺から、佐久の方まで、８０ｋｍ歩いたそうだ。午後9時出発で夜を通じて歩いたって。すごい！
来月はこの戸倉上山田温泉から善光寺までの「牛に引かれて善光寺」のウォーキングイベントが行う。その３０ｋｍが長いように感じたけど、佐久までのイベントの距離の半分以下だし、尚且つ夜じゃなくて朝からお昼まで。
中村さん達、ご苦労様でした！

Last Sunday, the Nagano Marathon was held in Nagano City, with a course that snakes around the various Olympic venues. We had several guests stay at Kamesei that competed in the event. They were quite an international bunch: from Singapore, France, the States, and the UK.
Then a Japanese couple arrived in the evening. They looked like they had ran a marathon, too. But they said it had been a walk -- an 80+ km walk from near Kiyosato in neighboring Yamanashi Prefecture to Saku City. And they walked it during the night! Wow!
Next month, on May 5th, our town will hold its annual 30km walk from Togura Kamiyamada Onsen to Zenkoji temple in honor of the "Pulled by an ox to Zenkoji" legend. It had always felt like a long walk, but it's only 30km, and is held during the daytime.
Nakamura-san, good job!

昨日は会議で松本に行きまして、お昼はお城に近い豚カツ屋さん。お店の玄関に入って、「あっ、いい雰囲気やな」と思いました。木造の建物で濃い色の木の扱いは昔からの味が出て、「格好いい！」って感じでした。そして、テーブルに座って椅子を動かしてみると、

椅子が重い事！

噂の松本民芸家具だ！雑誌とかでよく見ましたが、自分の目で見て、自分の手で触るのは始めてでした。無空のしっかりした造りが特徴です。長野県の中で有名です。

東信では軽井沢彫りというもう1つな民芸家具もあります。桜などの可愛い手彫りのデザインと、簡単に分解が出来るのは特徴です。昔は宣教師が軽井沢に多かったので、皆が国に帰る時に持って帰れるように、分解が出来るようになっているわけ。

松本家具と軽井沢彫り、両方は匠の腕の上手さが感じて、味のある家具。松本家具はがっちり感があって、どちらかというと男らしい。軽井沢彫りは可愛い桜の手彫りがあって、女性らしい。自分は両方が大好き！

I had to go to Matsumoto yesterday for a meeting and ended up going to a tonkatsu restaurant near the castle for lunch. As soon as I walked in the door, I knew this restaurant was special. The dark wood construction and exquisite woodwork showed some magnificent craftsmanship. Then I went to sit at a table and scoot the chair over.

What a heavy chair!

Ah! This must be the famous "Matsumoto Kagu" furniture. I had read about it in magazines. The solid wood construction makes for hefty pieces of furniture. Then I realized that all of the tables and chairs in the shop were this Matsumoto furniture. How cool!

Nagano has another furniture tradition, "Karuizawa Bori". "Bori" means carved, and refers to the delicate cherry blossoms and other designs hand carved into the furniture. Karuizawa-bori has another unique characteristic. It is made to come apart easily. Originally, Karuizawa was a popular summer resort for the missionaries in Tokyo. They needed furniture that could be easily dismantled for transporting back to their home countries when their missions were up.

Matsumoto Kagu, with its solid wood construction, has a more masculine feel. Karuizawa Bori with its fine detailed carving is more feminine. I absolutely adore both!

私は日本の古い町並みが好きです。妻籠宿や上田市の柳町とか、一昔の日本の街の雰囲気、その木造建物の木のぬくもりや、瓦の屋根、細かい作り、とにかく、格好良いです。
この千曲市の中で、稲荷山と言う土壁の蔵がまだ沢山残っている町があります。悲しいのは、その昔の建物はちょっとず津、消えています。どんどん壊せれている。写真の建物は売り出されているので、買う方がいなかったら、この１２０年前に作られていた家も、危ないです。誰か、買う人がいませんか？問合せは私へどうぞ。オーナーを紹介しますので。

I love Japan's old, historic street scenes. There's something about the earthen walls, clay roof tiles, hefty wooden beams, detailed construction and so on that is so cool. Places like Tsumago-juku post town in southern Nagano, and Ueda City's Yanagi-machi.
Here in Chikuma City, we have a district with lots of earthen walled storehouses, Inariyama. One by one, though, the old buildings are being torn down. This one in the picture has been put up for sale, and if no one comes forward to buy it, it is in danger of being torn down, too. How about? Is anyone interested in saving a 120-year old earthen walled house? Let me know -- I can put you in touch with the owner!

うちの妻から写真の「御柱」手ぬぐいを頂きました。「手ぬぐいじゃなくて、本だよ！」と思われるかもしれませんが、まずは本として読んで、そして開けば手ぬぐいになると言うニュータイプです。（私はこういうのが大好き！）
まあ、私の手ぬぐいフェチは別として、信州諏訪地区の御柱際は近付いてきました。私の諏訪のコネとインバウンドの仲間、伊藤さんにお任せします：

長野県諏訪市の「めぐハウスZuKu」の伊藤と申します。
７年に１度の大きな祭りがありますので情報を送らせていただきます。
通称「御柱祭」とよばれる諏訪大社の祭りです。御柱祭情報センターのURL送りますので見てみてください。
http://onbashira.jp/

日にちは　４月２・３・４・９・１０・１１日
　　　　　　 ５月２・３・４・８・９・１０日
　　　　　　
御柱祭のボランティアガイドさんがいます。
中国語・韓国語・フランス語・ポルトガル語・スペイン語を母国語とする市民ボランティアガイドが数名おられます。
この方々は諏訪地域のガイドもボランティアでされます。
問い合わせは上記の情報センターでもいいですし、めぐハウスZuKuでもOKです。
事前予約が必要です。

祭はすわ地域の六市町村民が全員氏子でなんらかの形で祭りに参加しますので、非常に混雑します。
祭り期間は交通規制がかかるので、現地まで日によってかなり歩かないといけないません。
原村のペンションビレッジでは宿泊と祭がセットになった宿泊プランもあるようです。

JR中央東線の茅野・上諏訪・下諏訪がもとよりの駅になります。新宿から２時間位です。
中央道の高速バスも新宿からでています。３時間くらいです。京王バスの高速新宿ー諏訪・岡谷線になります。
http://www2.keio-bus.com/index.html

春の諏訪大社の御柱は１番大きな祭りですが、秋には小宮祭といって諏訪地域の全神社の御柱祭が各地区であります。
こちらは地域によっては参加も可能のようです。

また４月２９日は諏訪湖開きで諏訪湖周で多くのイベントが開催されます。
全日本足こぎボートレース・シルクフェアーなど

My wife bought me this cool tenugui (a kind of Japanese bandana) for my tenugui collection. You're probably saying, "Hey, that's a book, not a bandana." It actually starts out as a book, about Suwa's upcoming once-every-seven years Onbashira festival. But then it opens up into a tenugui. Pretty cool! But enough about my tenugui fetish. I wanted to pass on some info about Onbashira.

One of my Nagano Inbound Summit cohorts, Itoh-san from B&B Megu House Zuku in Suwa, sent the following information:

Suwa Grand Shrine's festival is commonly called "Onbashira Festival". Detailed information is available at the official website,
http://onbashira.jp/

The dates of the festival are April 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11, as well as May 2, 3, 4, 8, 9 and 10th.

There are volunteer guides for the festival, including native speakers of Chinese, Korean, French, Portuguese and Spanish. These guides also volunteer for tours of the Suwa area. Advanced reservations are required, through the Info Center at the above website or through Megu House Zuku.

Everyone from the elderly down to the children from all 6 towns and cities that make up the Suwa area participate in Onbashira in one way or another. That means event days will be very congested. There will be traffic restrictions in place, so you may end up walking quite a distance to festival sites. Several of the "pension" lodging in Hara Village offer festival and lodging packages.

Access by train is via JR Chuo Line, with Chino, Kami Suwa and Shimo Suwa being the main stations (approx 2 hours from Shinjuku). You can also take a highway bus on the Chuo Expressway from Tokyo. Keio Bus offers access in approx. 3 hours on their Suwa / Okaya line,
http://www2.keio-bus.com/index.html

Suwa Grand Shrine's biggest event is the spring Onbashira Festival, but all of the Suwa shrines in the area will also hold "komiyasai", smaller festivals in the fall. Many of these will offer chances for the public to participate, too.

And on April 29th, Suwa Lake will officially "open". Numerous events will take place, including peddle boat races and a silk fair.

善光寺はこの週の土曜日、２月６日から１４日（日・バレンタインズディー）まで毎日夜６時から９時まで、ライトアップされます。五輪記念の灯明祭りです。今回は７回目です。私達はなるべく、毎年に行っています。いつも感動的な善光寺が更に感動的になります。機会があれば、是非！そして、夜は亀清旅館へどうぞ。車で約１時間です。朝食付きのプランもございます。

そして、同じ善光寺で、この春に特別な方が見えます：何とチベットからのダライ・ラマです。６月２０日（日）にビッグハットで講演が行われるそうです。ダライ・ラマのお話を聞きたい方、チケット販売は３月１日からだそうです。

まず、今週末からの善光寺ライトアップを見て、そして、６月にダライ・ラマのお話をお聞きにおいでやす。

Starting this Saturday 06-Feb and running through Valentine's Day, Sunday 14-Feb, the huge Zenkoji Temple in Nagano City will be lit up in Olympic colors. It's all part of the Zenkoji Lantern Festival, with the illumination scheduled to take place each night from 6 to 9pm. This is the 7th year of the festival. Our family tries to go every year. Zenkoji is impressive with its size and spirituality on a normal day -- the illumination makes it even more special.

Then in spring, Zenkoji will host a very special guest: the Dalai Lama from Tibet. He is scheduled to give a talk on 20-June (Sun) at the Big Hat Olympic site. Tickets will apparently go on sale on 01-March.

So come the coming week to see Zenkoji lit up, and come again in June to hear the Dalai Lama talk!

灯明祭りの詳しくはこちらClick here for info on the Lantern Festival

ダライ・ラマ法王１４世 来日特別記念講演の詳しくはこちらClick here for info on the Dalai Lama's visit.

今日は山の内町の渋・湯田中温泉に呼ばれまして、アポの前に湯田中美湯ホテルのＳｈａｗさんにツアーして頂きました。地獄谷野猿公苑へのトレールを見せて頂いて（今はスタートが階段作りの工事中の為に臨時的に少し離れた所に移られている）、そして渋湯田中のＳｈａｗさん曰くのスピリチュアルの道を通りました。スピリチュアルと言うのは、作り酒屋があるからだそうです。実は、その酒屋、玉村さんは地ビールも作っています。亀清旅館でも扱っている志賀高原ビールです。今日は社長に会えて、嬉しかったです。あっ、この方がその美味しいビールを作ってくれているのだと。本に会えて、良かった！社長も元気で、明日からまた作るということで、工場を案内してくれました。今度はベルギー風のビールも作るらしいです。楽しみにしていま～す！

One of my fellow innkeepers requested I come to his inn in Shibu-Yudanaka Onsen to instruct his staff on dealing with foreigners. Hmm. I had thought I was finished with teaching English. But this particular innkeeper is the highest on the Nagano ryokan totem pole, so I couldn't say no.
Anyways, I arrived a bit early, and my buddy Craig from Yudanaka Biyu Hotel gave me a quick tour. We checked out the construction on the Jigokudani Wild Monkey Park trailhead at Kambayashi. A nifty stairway is being built there which will be a huge improvement on the previous slippery approach. Then Craig drove me down what he calls the "spiritual" street, so named because of the sake brewery there. Ahh yes, those spirits! We stopped in at the Tamamura Brewery where they also make Shiga Kogen Beer, the microbrews that we offer our guests here at Kamesei Ryokan. I got to meet the owner, the man behind these delectable beverages. He was happy to meet one of his supporters, and took us over to see the brewing equipment. He wanted me to come back tomorrow to see the next batch get made -- apparently he's going to attempt a Belgian style beer this time. I can't wait to taste the results!

玉村本店のＨＰはこちらClick here for the website of Shiga Kogen Beer.

湯田中美湯ホテル（Ｓｈａｗさんの所）のＨＰはこちらClick here for the website of Yudanaka Biyu Hotel (Craig's place)

長野県旅館組合青年部
新年会
若旦那40人。
つまり、「和」のプロ40人。
40人ともは松本のＨｉｋａｒｉｙａの和に感心しました。
和のプロを和で驚かせる秘密は？

写真を良く見て下さい。

ただの屏風。屏風の奥から三味線の音楽が流れてくる。「あっ、ＣＤでＢＧＭを流している」と思った。しかし、よく見たら、右側の影が動いている。着物と三味線の棒の動き。「生演奏だ！」と気付きました。

多分、私達だったら、態々人を呼んで、態々三味線を弾いてもらったら、せっかくだから舞台か何かの上で、皆が見れるようなところでやってもらう。

屏風の奥で隠すなんって、私達が感心しました。渋い！

長野県で業界で最も憧れている明神館の斉藤さん達が松本城の近くに去年にオープンしたＨｉｋａｒｉｙａ。東館が日本食、西館がフレンチ。古き名門商家が生まれ変わって、こんなにお洒落なお店になりました。

長野県の宝物の1つ。

我々旅館若旦那の皆が納得しました。

What does it take to impress 40 ryokan proprietors? Myself and the other members of Nagano's ryokan junior association found out during our annual New Year dinner today. We are arguably professionals when it comes to "traditional Japan". However, every one of us was mesmerized by the restaurant where we gathered, Matsumoto's Hikariya.

When we walked in to the banquet room, we noticed a traditional folding screen in one corner, with the melodious sounds of shamisen coming from behind it. We initially assumed there was a CD player behind it playing background music. But upon closer inspection, on the right side we could make out a shadow moving on the wall, the shadow from a kimono sleeve and the end of a shamisen. It was a live performance, hidden behind the screen!

Man, if I were to go to the trouble of arranging for a musician to come and play shamisen live, you could bet your bottom dollar I'd have her on a stage for everyone to see. So we were so impressed by Hikariya's subtle style.

The restaurant is in a renovated merchant's house, with the east wing being Japanese cuisine, and the west French.

Hikariya is one of Nagano's treasures! Us ryokan proprietors can certainly attest!

Click here for the website of HikariyaのＨＰはこちら

以前は信州の冬の楽しみ方、タイラーのトップ１０を日本語で提供いたしました。今日は英語で（写真付き！）。

Here in Nagano, it gets so cold in the winter that you don't want to go out. So what do Nagano-ites do for fun in the winter? Well, here's Tyler's Top 10 Things to Do in Nagano in the Winter:

1. Ski
Embrace the cold, and get out and enjoy Nagano's spectacular nature. One of the best ways to do that is to go skiing in the mountains. With so many world class, Olympic level ski resorts in the prefecture, it would be a shame not to take advantage and hit the slopes. Of all the ski areas in Nagano, I personally like Shiga Kogen to the east of Nagano City, for its remote mountainous beauty. I took our sons there after New Years. We skied around for half a day, and barely scratched the surface of what Shiga has to offer.
Shiga Kogen ski info here

２．Snowshoeing
If you prefer to enjoy the snowy scenery at a slower pace than skiing, then snowshoeing is the way to go. You can go cross country skiing or snowshoeing at various places throughout Nagano, but I personally suggest Togakushi. Mirror Pond, the Forest Reserve, and the mystical path to the Inner Shrine, Okusha, which is lined by massive cedar trees. The rich hues of the cedar bark contrasts so beautifully with the snow.
Togakushi's winter info is here。 Also, don't miss Togakushi's white season English pamphlet.

３．Ice Skating
For people who want to do some winter sports activities but the weather isn't cooperating or it's too much trouble to go to the mountains, how about ice skating? During New Years, our family went skating at M-Wave in Nagano City. It was a lot of fun, and they even had skates to fit me -- 30cm!
M-Wave's website is here

４．Onsen
If Nagano's cold winter is getting to you, how about going for a soak in an onsen hot spring mineral bath? Nagano is blessed with scores of onsens throughout the prefecture. Many have outdoor baths that let you enjoy views of the mountains as you soak in the onsen. Norikura's milky white onsen, Azumaya Kogen Hotel near Mount Asama, and Maguse Onsen who's outdoor bath features views of the northern Alps are just a few. Last month, our family went to the Takayama Onsen area and enjoyed the views from one of the baths at Shichimi Onsen.
Shichimi Onsen's Koyokan website is here

5. Snow Monkeys
"Walk a half an hour through the snow to some some monkey soaking in an onsen?" Well, it wouldn't be a snow monkey if there weren't any snow! This is the best time of the year to see the monkeys of Jigokudani Wild Monkey Park in their natural environment, escaping the snow and cold by bathing in the onsen. And I promise: the blissful look of the monkeys' faces as they soak in the onsen will be worth the trip.
Jigokudani's Snow Monkey website is here

6. Strawberry Picking
I know what you're thinking -- "Strawberry picking in the winter? Isn't that done in July out at a strawberry field?" Well, here in Japan, the berries are grown in greenhouses, making winter prime picking time. It's also a way we Nagano-ites escape the cold, by going inside a heated greenhouse. And you get to eat yummy berries to boot! Note: Strawberry picking in Japan involves paying to enter the greenhouse, where they give you a bowl of sweet condensed milk for berry dipping, and you get to pick and eat to your heart's (and tummy's) content. Berries for taking home are sold separately. One such greenhouse is Agri-Park, near Yashiro Station on the Shinano Railway line.Click here for Agri-Park's website.

7. Art & History Museums
Winter also presents an opportunity to visit those museums you had always wanted to check out. You get to tweak your artistic and/or historical interests, plus its warm inside the museums! Right across the street from Agri-Park (the strawberry place mentioned in #6 above), is the Nagano Prefectural History Museum, as well as the Mori Shogunzuka Keyhole tomb. Check out more about these two underrated historical centers here.

8. "Taiken" Experiences
As in #7 above, if you want to get in from the cold and do some cultural-related activity, winter is a great time to do so. Here in Nagano, there's everything from soba noodle making to ninja lessons. Two "experiences" that I suggest are traditional silk weaving for adults (Koiwai Tsumugi in Ueda) and prehistoric Jomon era craft making for kids (Sarashina Ancient Experiences Park in Chikuma City)

9. Hot Pot Cuisine
Hot Pot meals, or "o-nabe" as they are known in Japanese, are popular throughout Asia. But hot pots are a perfect match for Nagano's cold winters, especially if the ingredients include some local favorites, such as deer meat or wild boar meat. Such only-in-Nagano o-nabe are available at Gotoku-tei restaurant near Nagano Station. Click here for Gotoku-tei's website

10. Azumino Wasabi Fields
The Daio Wasabi Farm in Azumino is pretty special. Wasabi only grows in the cleanest, clearest water. Azumino has that, in rivers fed by run-off from the Japanese Alps. On top of the pristine water, you have Azumino's quiet, natural setting. Amidst all of this, and with the backdrop of the Alps, you have the wasabi fields laid out in rows with streams running through them. The farm is rewarding to see any time of the year, but in winter, when the leaves are off the trees, the bare branches give an even stronger contrast to the green of the wasabi plants and the steel grey of the riverlets. (If you go, make sure to try the wasabi soft serve ice cream, too!). Daio's website is here.

There you have it. If you try all 10 of these winter activities and are left wanting more, let me know and I'll be glad to provide a list of runners-up! Come and experience what Nagano has to offer this winter.

上田市の奥の隅に室賀温泉があります。そこの「ささらの湯」の日帰り施設で、室賀の話題の美肌のお湯の体験が出来ます。上山田温泉を含めて、あちらこちらの温泉は「美人の湯」とか言います。しかし、この室賀温泉のお湯で、肌は本当にすべすべになります。不思議ぐらいに肌にいい感じします。
今日は女将社長が留守番してくれて、家族で行ってきました。戸倉上山田から意外に近いです。隣の坂城町から上がって、室賀峠を越えて、降りて、左側に有ります。ささらの湯はお風呂以外、地元で採れた作物のの産物直売所も、手打ちそばのレストラン、地元の作家の作品展示ギャラリーもあります。
しかし、ささらの湯の一番の魅力はやはり、室賀温泉のお湯である。月毎交換になる男女別々の内湯の外は岩か樽の露天風呂。私は亀清旅館の露天風呂を作った時に、その岩風呂を参考にしました。お風呂は１００％かけ流しだそうです。温泉の量はたっぷりあるようで、温泉スタンドもあります。今回にささらの湯に入った時に、一緒に入っていた人は群馬県から来たと仰いました。室賀温泉のお湯はやはり、県外から来る価値がある。「上山田のお湯とどう違うか」と聞かれました。温度は似ていますが、室賀温泉は肌に本当につるつるする。その代わり、上山田の方は硫黄の香りはします。（個人的に、その方が好きです。）
では、戸倉上山田温泉の行きか帰りの途中でもう一つな温泉に立ち寄りたいなら、室賀温泉は良いです！

Hidden away in the back of one of Ueda City's nooks and crannies is Muroga Onsen. Their theme is "Mihada no yu", or "mineral water for beautiful skin". Lots of onsens (including ours, Kamiyamada) advertise the beautifying effects of their mineral waters, but I have to say that Muroga's onsen water does leave your skin feeling slippery smooth.
Our boss offered to watch over Kamesei Ryokan for the afternoon, so our family went for a drive today to Sasara no yu, the daytrip bathing facility at Muroga. We drove over Muroga Pass, saving us the drive around. Sasara no yu, besides the baths, has a farmers market, soba restaurant, and art gallery. So guests can purchase local produce, eat hand-made soba, and enjoy the works of local artists. But the main draw is the mineral water. There are separate baths for men and women with a rock bath outside one, and a wood barrel bath outside the other. (The sides are changed once a month.) The baths are constantly flowing -- no recirculating. Muroga's onsen apparently has a healthy volume of water -- they even have an onsen stand (kind of like a gas stand but you pump onsen water instead of gas).
Today, some of our fellow bathers had come from neighboring Gunma Prefecture. Muroga's mineral water's smooth skin effects are such that it makes it worth it to come from afar. The Gunma guys asked us how Kamiyamada's mineral water differs. Both are clear (uncolored), and the temperatures are pretty much the same, but Muroga's definitely gives your skin a softer, more slippery feel. However, Kamiyamada's has a more prominent sulfur smell making it the more onsen-like in my opinion.
So if you are looking for a different onsen to try on the way to or from Togura Kamiyamada, I suggest checking out Muroga!

室賀は上田駅から車かバスで３０分。（バスは平日に６便、休日に２便。）Muroga is 30 minutes by car or bus from Ueda Station. The bus runs 6 times on weekdays, 2 on holidays.
ささらの湯のＨＰはこちら。Click here for Sasara no Yu's website.