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信州温泉巡りの続き:

まずは信州では「明神館」と言えば、
普通はルレ・エ・シャトーに指名された、デンマークのグリーンキー登録の世界レベルで活躍なされているで扉温泉の明神館の事です。
それかもしかしたら、上高地の明神池にある明神館。

しかし、実はもう一つがある:

東御市にあるArt Village明神館。

この明神館は宿泊施設にも一応なっているけど、日帰り温泉として東御市の皆さんで人気がある。

近くに他には沢山の温泉施設があるから、競争はきっと激しい。小諸アグリーの湯や御牧乃湯、布引温泉、布引漢音温泉など。その中で、Art Village明神館は比較的にこじんまりした、馴染みやすい大きさ。そして、偶々行った日の天気は良かったせいか、Art Village明神館のお風呂からの浅間山連峰の景色が一番良いと思った。

設備は建物がまだ比較的に新しいので、キッチンとなっている様に感じました。浴場とシャワーの周りに使った石やタイルはこだわりがあって、市営施設なのに新鮮に感じた。

温泉宿の経営者として羨ましいと思ったのはシャワーの配管。元の配管が壁の中で被されて、止めてあった。新しい配管は壁の表面を通してあって、裸のままだった。亀清旅館の場合、上山田温泉の御湯の成分が強くて、金造の配管を外に出したらすぐ真っ黒になってしまう。Art Village明神館のお湯は成分が薄いせいか、配管は綺麗なままで残っている。

と言う訳で、温泉の湯質にうるさい私みたいな方にはArt Village明神館はがっかりするかもしれません。一応、ナトリウム・カルシウム塩化物温泉だそうですが、薄いし循環しているし、あまり温泉らしくないお湯だったのは残念でした。

場所もカーナビがないと分かりづらい。バスは特にないそうで、しなの鉄道田中駅からタクシーで15分となってしまいます。

小さ目の市営温泉で田んぼと浅間山の景色を眺めて、湯質は気にしない方にArt Village明神館にお勧め。

Further Nagano Onsen-hopping adventures. This time, Art Village Myojinkan in Tomi City, in Eastern Nagano.

Usually when you mention "Myojinkan", most people will assume you mean exclusive, internationally recognized ryokan in Tobira Onsen in the foothills east of Matsumoto.

Or perhaps the Myojinkan on the banks of Myojin Pond in Kamikochi in the Japanese Alps west of Matsumoto.

But there is actually a 3rd Myojinkan, this Art Village one. It started out as the main village onsen bathhouse for Kitamimaki Village which merged with the neighboring Tobu Town to become Tomi City in 2004. Art Village Myojinkan's bath is still much beloved by the inhabitants of the Kitamimaki side of Tomi.

Despite being a municipally-run onsen, Art Village Myojinkan has a bit of a designer feel to it. There are several onsens in the vicinity, many with similar views of the Asama Mountain range, such as Mimaki no Yu, Nunobiki Onsen, Nunobiki Kannon Onsen, and Komoro's Agri no Yu. But Art Village Myojinkan stands out from the crowd thanks to its artistic touches.

First there's the decorative fence along the 'village' pond you pass as you drive to the bathhouse. Then there's the cozy size of the building and the baths, especially compared to the imposing structures of Agri no Yu and other nearby behomoth baths. And there's also the use of designer materials in the baths. I especially liked the 'stressed' feel of the concrete tilework in the bathing area.

But the big draw for Art Village Myojinkan's bath is the view from the outdoor bath. It overlooks lush green rice paddies with Mount Asama commanding attention in the distance. The other baths in the area also feature views of Asama. Perhaps it was because we had the fortune of good weather when we visited, but I felt Myojinkan's view was the best.

One thing as an onsen inn operator myself was the way the pipes for the showers were run. It was clear that the original pipes that were covered by the wall had been capped off, and the current pipes for the showers run along the surface of the wall. The steel pipes give a modernistic industrial feel that matched the other designer details of the baths.

It made me a bit jealous, though. If we tried running metal pipes on the surface here at Kamiyamada Onsen, the strong mineral content of the hot spring water would turn the pipes completely black in a matter of months.

Which is an indication of how mild Art Village Myojinkan's onsen is. While the onsen data says it the water contains sodium calcium chloride, the baths left me with a desire for a heftier onsen feel to the water.

So that's my take on Art Village Myojinkan's onsen: appealing modernistic designer touches, outsanding view of Mt. Asama from the baths, but a little weak in the onsen water department. And forget taking public transportation -- closest is Tanaka Station on the Shinano Railway line which is a 15 minute taxi ride away. Even by car, you better hope your GPS navigator is up for the task, as the location is a bit difficult to find.

Art Village Myojinkan