講演をする為に山の内町に呼んで頂きましたが、実は裏の目的もあった：渋湯田中温泉を亀清旅館のお客さんに案内できるように勉強したかったというのもありました。

最初は北信州のバウンドのＰｉｏｎｅｅｒの宮坂様の魚敏旅館でした。その弓道の道場を見せて頂いた。入り方は床の間などを認識しながら入る事を聞いて、欧米では自分の事ばかり考えて、周りを認識しないくせがあると思い付いた。宮坂先生に３０歳を超えてからじゃないとその事の関心が出来ないと言われました。すごい！やはり日本の文化・物の見方が深い！

そして、湯田中の温泉街を始めて歩いて、朝市の家やギャラリー等があって、驚きました。戸倉上山田温泉のまねすべきなことばかり！次の日は平和公園に行って、遠くまで響く鐘を鳴らした。

渋湯田中が信州の宝物だとすごく思いました。

I managed to get myself invited to Yamanouchi Town to give a talk, but actually I had somewhat of an ulterior motive: to learn more about Shibu-Yudanaka to be able to give travel advice to our guests at Kamesei Ryokan.

I first stopped at the inn of Miyasaka-san, the pioneer of 'inbound' tourism in this corner of Nagano. He showed me his archery 'dojo' at Uotoshi Ryokan, and explained how even the way to enter it is dictated by the position of the toko-no-ma, etc. It made me realize how us Westerners tend to be so self-centered and out of touch with our surroundings. Japanese traditional culture is so attuned with nature and what's going on around us -- very impressive!

I also got to walk around Yudanaka Onsen for the first time, and was encouraged to see a permanent stand for their morning farmers markets and an open gallery. These are things that Togura Kamiyamada Onsen should try to accomplish, too! The next day I got to go to the World Peace Memorial and rang the bell -- it reverbrated up and down the entire valley!

Shibu-Yudanaka is a true gem of Nagano.

Uotoshi Ryokan: www.avis.ne.jp/~miyasaka/index-e.html
Seifuso Gallery: www1.ocn.ne.jp/~seifuso
Kamesei Ryokan: www.kamesei.jp

亀清旅館から車で１５分で大手なお野菜屋さんがありまして、今日は私が始めていってみました。「ヤマサン」という名前で信州の新鮮な野菜や果実はたっぷり。詳しくはここ。

About 15 minutes by car from Kamesei Ryokan is a large produce stand called 'Yamasan'. I stopped there for the first time yesterday, and was impressed by their selection of fresh local fruits and vegetables. Back where we lived in Seattle we had a stand nearby like this -- it's comforting to find one here, too!

信州で環境にやさしく考えている沢山の人の中でオーストリア人の知り合いのＵｄｏさんが特別です。今回は使い終わった油（天ぷら等）を加工して、Ｂｉｏ－ｄｉｅｓｅｌを作って、この軽トラを動かしている。フライドポテトの匂いするけど、ＣＯ２は出ないそうです。Ｕｄｏさん、えらい！
There are many environmentally-aware people here in Nagano, but my Austrian buddy Udo is in a league by himself. His pick-up truck is running on biodiesel. It smells a little like french fries, but puts out no CO2. Way to go, Udo!

戸隠のy山口やそばの山口さんが亀清に戸隠の新しいパンフを持ってきてくれました。今年からは英語のパンフも。戸隠に住んでいるフランス人のＳｙｌｖｉｅさん達が欧米人の目で見た戸隠のパンフを作成した。
県外から亀清旅館に起こしになるお客さんで戸隠を回って来はる方が多いです。戸隠のスピリチュアルの自然が感動的です。特に奥社へ行く途中の杉の並び。自然の力が感じれます。忍法センターは子供も親も楽しめるスポットもあり、そしてなんとも、戸隠そば！やはりその場で食べたら一番美味しいです。戸隠を回った後、せっかく信州に来はったから温泉に泊まらないと。。。戸倉上山田温泉の亀清旅館で決まり！ 🙂
詳しくは戸隠観光協会又は亀清旅館にて。
Yamaguchi-san of Yamaguchiya Soba stopped by Kamesei and dropped off Togakushi's new brochures, including new for this year English ones, too. They were designed by Sylvie and Dominic from France who adopted Togakushi as their new home. They designed the English brochure from a Westerner's perspective, rather than just translating the Japanese one into English.
Many of our out-of-prefecture guests drive through Togakushi on their way to Kamesei. The forests and mountains of Togakushi have a certain spiritual aspect to them. I especially like the row of ancient cedar trees on the way to Okusha Shrine. They are hundreds of years old and you can really feel the power of nature in them. The Ninpo Center is a great introduction to the Togakure School of ninjutsu (the way of the Ninja) and is enjoyable by both kids and adults. And, of course, there is Togakushi Soba, which tastes extra good in this environment of fresh air and pristine water.
For more info, contact the Togakushi Tourism Bureau or Kamesei Ryokan.

温泉の何でも屋、村越さん、がひとつな丸太を板に切ってくれるということで、私が彼の千曲川の周辺の仕事場にお邪魔しに行きました。そうすると、面白い網の帽子をかぶっている人がいた。川辺のアカシアの木の皆が咲いているのでその関係でミツバチ屋さんたちが来ていました。これできっと美味しい蜂蜜が出来るでしょう。
Our onsen's handyman, Murakoshi-san, kindly offered to cut a log into planks for me. I drove over to his workplace along the Chikuma River as usual, but as I approached I saw some people with net masks. My first thought was X-Files, but then I realized they were beekeepers and were here because the acacia trees were in bloom. Apparently acacia flowers make for delicious honey.
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website

定期的に私がＮａｇａＫｎｏｗの雑誌の記事を提供しているので次の文のテーマーが長野の地ビールです。記事は出来上がる次第ブログに載せます。取り敢えず、イメージ写真を載せます。
注：亀清旅館ではよなよなエールを扱っていますので地ビールが好きな方にお勧めです。

As a regular contributor to NagaKnow magazine, here's an inside scoop on my next article's topic: Nagano Microbrews. You'll have to wait for the full article, but here's one of the image pictures.
Note: Here at Kamesei Ryokan we offer Yona Yona Ale, highly recommended for those of you who like microbrews.

NagaKnowのＨＰはこちらClick here for NagaKnow's website.

亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website

亀清旅館に泊まる県外からのお客様の皆に「信州に来たきかっけは何でしたか」と必ず聞きます。意外に多い理由は安曇野のちひろ美術館です。周りの庭も有名です。昨日は家族でドライブで行ってみみした。（1－ポイントアドバイス：高速道路より国道403号がお勧め。信州の田舎の風景に楽しい山の道だ。）
美術館に入ったら、夏の体験コースの準備していて、チラシの写真の為に長男がデルモになってくれないかと。写真は長男の作った作品です。
ナイスドライブ、ナイスガーデン、ナイスミュジアム、そしてデルモのナイスタイミングでした。
I always ask the out-of-town guests here at Kamesei Ryokan what brought them to Nagano. A surprising number say the Chihiro Art Museum in Azumino, famous for its lovely garden.
Yesterday, our family went for a drive to check it out. (1-Point Advice: take Rt. 403 instead of the freeway. You'll get to see some of Nagano's beautiful rural countryside, as well as it being a fun, windy mountain road.)
When we went into the museum, they happened to be preparing for their Summer art classes and needed a model for pictures for the brochure. So our son Andy volunteered. Pictured is the card he created.
The outing was a nice drive, a nice garden, a nice museum, and nice timing with Andy's modeling.

ちひろ安曇野美術館のＨＰはこちらClick here for the Chihiro Azumino Art Museum website

At the hill behind Togura Kamiyamada Onsen, there is a History Museum that has become, err, historical itself. It closed its doors many moons ago, and most of the artifacts have moved on. There are a few interesting statues remaining, though, including ones of Chang Kai Shek and of this guy, General Douglas MacArthur. I had heard stories of him related to Zenkoji Temple in Nagano City, but it's somewhat bizarre seeing his statue here above our town!

千曲市観光課からこの写真を頂きました。「杏の里」の杏は本当にこんなに綺麗ですか？と思われるかもしれません。言わせて頂けたら、写真より綺麗です。今年のあんずは４月３日から１８日まで、そして１０日前後が満開の予想です。戸倉上山田温泉（亀清旅館）から車で約２５分です。
Chikuma City's Tourist Div. sent us this picture of the 'Anzu no Sato' apricot blossoms. You may wonder if the blossoms are as pretty as the picture. Let me tell you, they are even prettier! This year, the blossoms are predicted to be in bloom from April 3rd to the 18th, with peak bloom April 10th.
亀清旅館のHPはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website.

戸倉駅前に立派な萱葺きの屋根の建物があります。通る度に「凄いな」といつも感動します。こょうは我が僕達を連れて、見学しました。坂井銘醸「酒造コレクション」と言う酒屋の博物館です。詳しくはhttp://sakagura.co.jp
In front of Togura Station is a huge building with a classic thatched roof. Every time I drive by it, I think, 'Wow -- this has to be hundreds of years old.' Today I took our 2 sons for a tour. It's called Sakai Meijyou 'Shuzou (Sake Brewery) Collection', and inside is a museum of sake brewing.
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website.