この戸倉上山田温泉の代表の紅葉スポット、智識寺に寄って来ました。モミジが真赤、イチョウが真っ黄色、お寺の茅葺屋根と素晴らしいコントラストになっています。写真者の皆様、今はチャンスですよ！

そして、智識寺の隣のクラウン農園に寄ってみた。今のりんごは何の種類が出ているかと思った。秋のしなのスイート、秋映、しなのゴールドはもう終わりかけ、ふじりんごがちょうど始まったと教えてくれました。「もう一週間たった方が更に甘くなる」と女将さんが言っていました。しかし、試食してみました。言わせて頂けたら、もう、十分甘いです。

という事で、今週末に戸倉上山田にお越しになる皆様、紅葉のピークだし、ふじりんごの始まりなので、お楽しみに。

The most famous location for fall foliage here in our onsen town Togura-Kamiyamada is Chishiki-ji Temple. I stopped by to see how the leaves are progressing, and was pleased to find the maple trees were in full red color, and the ginkgo trees had turned a brilliant shade of yellow. All of you photography buffs out there, this is your perfect chance to get some great pictures of this historical, thatched-rood temple and its gardens in full fall glory.

Right next to Chishiki-ji is Crown Farm. I stopped by there, too, to check on how the apple season is shaping up. They said the fall apples (Shinano Sweet, Akibae, Shinano Gold) are pretty much finished, and the Fuji apples have just started. Mrs. Tobita said that it would be another week before the Fuji apples reach their peak sweetness, but if you ask me, they were definitely sweet enough.

So for everyone planning a visit to Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen this weekend, you're in for a treat: peak fall colors and the start of the fuji apples!

智識寺 Chishiki-ji

クラウン農園 Crown Farm

亀清旅館の若若女将と今の紅葉のツーショット。この組み合わせなら、下手な写真者でも綺麗に撮れる。

Kamesei's junior-junior proprietress and this year's fall leaves. With this beautiful of a subject, even a lousy photographer like me can take a pretty picture.

亀清旅館のロビーの薪ストーブが温かいですよ！

The Wood Burning Stove in Kamesei Ryokan's Lobby is Toasty Warm!

姨捨駅と長楽寺の間に小さな姨捨公園があります。謎な相撲の土俵もありながら、善光寺平を眺める東屋がある。お相撲を取りながら、景色を見るのかな？

若女将と一緒に寄ってみました。お相撲を取らなかったけど、二人でその静かの公園で景色をゆっくり楽しめた。尚且つ、公園の木の葉っぱは色が変わっていて、綺麗に紅葉していました。

姨捨公園:　穴場的な紅葉デートスポット。

In between Obasute Station and Choraku-ji Temple is tiny Obasute Park. Not only is there a small arbor overlooking the Zenkoji Plain below, but for some reason there is a sumo ring, too. Do the sumo wrestlers enjoy the Chikuma River valley view as they smash into each other?

Anyways, Mari and I stopped by the park, not to do sumo wrestling but to check out the view. We were delighted to see the trees in the park had started to change color.

Obasute Park -- a quiet little Fall foliage date spot.

晴れの秋の週末の始まり。朝方・夕方は涼しいけど昼間は最適の２０度になる予想。
Start of a sunny fall weekend. Mornings and evenings are chilly, but daytime is perfect, 20 deg C.

名前通り甘くておいしいしなのスィート、
梨の様な感覚の陽光、
さわやか黄色のしなのゴールド、
深い赤い色の秋映え、
そして私の一番好きな尼酸っぱい紅玉。

上山田の秋りんごのシーズンが始まりました！

先日は宮下農園から採りたてのりんごは一泊を頂いて、
夜はお客様に「アップルティスティング大会」を提供いたしました。

何人かがりんごを気に入って、次の日は農園へ行って、ご自分達でりんご狩りをやりました。

秋の信州は素晴らしい！

Shinano Sweet, which tastes just like the name says,
Yoko, with almost a pear taste,
Shinano Gold, a yellow variety,
Akibae, with its deep red color,
Kogyoku, my favorite, with its eye-opening tartness.

It's apple season once again here in Kamiyamada!

Miyashita Orchards brought us a box of freshly-picked new crop apples. We shared them with our guests through an "Apple-Tasting Party". Many of the guests enjoyed the apples so much, they went to the orchard the next day to pick some themselves.

Fall in Nagano is such a great time!

戸倉上山田は果実農家で恵まれています。
６～７月は杏、
７～８月はさくらんぼ
９月はぶどう、
１０～１２月はりんご
が通常ですが、
今年のぶどうは豊富で
ぶどう狩りは１０月まで続きそうです。

先日は美咲ちゃんを連れて、中島農園のぶどう畑に行きました。宿泊のお客様のデザートの為にぶどうをいっぱい採ってきました。（採りたてのぶどうで、お客様が大喜び）

ぶどう狩りは体験した事がありますか？やってみたら、きっと良い思い出が出来ます。我が亀清旅館から車で５分で、果実畑そしてぶどう狩りの楽しさの体験が出来ます。

Our onsen town Togura-Kamiyamada is fortunate to have many fruit orchards nearby. Typically the seasons run like this:

June-July -- Apricots
July-August -- Cherries
September -- Grapes
October-December -- Apples

This year, though, our areas grapes are having a bumper crop. It looks like we'll be able to do grape picking through the end of October.

The other day, I took our daughter Misaki to Nakajima Orchard for grape picking. We picked several dozens of bunches to take back to Kamesei Ryokan to serve to our guests. They certainly appreciated having fresh-picked, juicy grapes for dessert.

Have you ever picked grapes? There is something different about being in a grape orchard -- the air is so refreshing. Come and try it! Our inn, Kamesei Ryokan is only a 5 minute drive from the orchards.

亀清旅館の客室「夕映」の庭に４ｍぐらいの金木犀の木がある。１０月になれば、その木の橙色の花が咲いて、ジャスミンのような香りが流れます。

毎年の空の楽しみ。尚且つ、亀清旅館の庭にこの気があって、嬉しい。

In the garden of Kamesei Ryokan's guestroom "Yubae" is a 4-meter tall sweet osmanthus tree (Osmanthus fragrans var. aurantiacus). Every year in October, its yellowish-orange flowers bloom, and a lovely jasmine-like fragrance comes wafting out of the blossoms.

The sweet osmanthus fragrance is a highlight of every fall, and this osmanthus tree is a highlight of Kamesei Ryokan's garden.

上山田の田んぼではこの連休から忙しくなりました。稲刈りが始まりました。もう、その時期？一年は早いよね。

農家の皆様、ご苦労様です。今年の信米を食べるのは楽しみにしております。

There has been a lot of activity in Kamiyamada's rice fields this 3 day weekend. The farmers have started cutting the rice and putting it up to dry.

It seems so early. This year is going by so fast!

I wish all the farmers good luck with the harvest, and am looking forward to eating this year's new rice.

上山田のぶどうはちょうど今、ピークです。9月25日当たりまでが一番美味しいそうです。写真は巨峰、マスカットとしなのスマイル。今年の出来上がりは素晴らしいです。それぞれの房は沢山付っていて、一つずつが大きいです。

せっかくですから、この連休でお泊りになっているお客様の食事でサービスで出しています。

上山田のぶどう畑でぶどう狩体験が出来ます。
食べ放題で1000円(子供700円)。亀清旅館から車で５分です。（自転車で行ってみたら約１５分でした。)ご自宅にお届けの宅配もあります。

Kamiyamada's grape season is in its peak right now. From this weekend thru 9/25, the grapes will be at their best. (Pictured are the mainstay purple Kyohou, green Muscat grapes that we Westerners are familiar with, and red Shinano Smile, a new variety developed here in Nagano. This year's crop is excellent, with full bunches and excellent sizes to the globes of grapes.

I went to the orchard and bought grapes to serve to our guests this weekend as a special treat for everyone.

Kamiyamada's grape orchards offer all-you-can-eat grape picking for 1000 yen (700 yen for kids). Only 5 minutes by car from Kamesei Ryokan (15 minutes by bicycle). Come and try it!

中島農園 Nakajima Orchard
クラウン農園Crown Farm　(English and German spoken.)