Togura Kamiyamada's Bijoren Beauties Performing in Tokyo
戸倉上山田温泉旅館組合のメンバーと地元の湯上り美女連（日本舞踊）の美女さん達と温泉を朝早く出て、バスで東京の有楽町まで行きました。有楽町駅前に一日で戸倉上山田のパンフを配りました。おやきや杏製品の販売（おやきは人気だった!）、美女連の踊り、皆様に茸をプレゼントしたり、とにかく一生懸命この戸倉上山田温泉をＰＲしておきました。
偶に通る方で「あっ、テレビで見たよ！頑張って下さい!」と応援して頂いた方もいらっしゃいました。そして、外国人の方に英語で少しお話しして、町の英語のパンフを渡しました。その内の数人は既に長野に行った事があった。松本や山登りなど。やはり、長野県は文化や自然の財産で我々外国人に人気がある。
山登りで言えば、その好みがある様に見えた方に声をかけて、出来立てほやほやの戸倉上山田周辺のハイキング・サイクリングマップも渡しました。それは結構喜ばれました。（作成努力の価値があって、良かった!）
宿でお客様を受け身で待つだけじゃなくて、積極的に宣伝にお出かけするのも必要ですね。効果は少しでもあれば良い。
Several members of the Togura Kamiyamada Onsen Ryokan Association and I, along with our onsen's dance troupe, took a bus into Tokyo this morning. We spent the day handing out brochures in front of Yurakucho Station.
We also sold oyaki dumplings and apricot goods (the oyaki were a hit!), the dance troupe performed several times, and we handed out our local mushrooms. I'm not sure what all the busy Tokyo-ites passing by thought of our expedition from Nagano, but we sure passed out a lot of brochures.
Every once in a while, someone would stop and say, 'Oh, I saw you on TV. Good luck!' That was encouraging. And there were a handful of foreigners that seemed happy to get passed an English brochure. A few of them mentioned they had been to Nagano before for sightseeing in Matsumoto or mountain climbing. Nagano, with its cultural heritage and beautiful green mountains sure is popular with us foreigners.
Speaking of mountain climbing, a few passers-by looked like they were the active outdoorsy type. When their eyes lit up as I mentioned hiking, I was happy to give them our brand new hiking / cycling map. All the work that went in to it seems to be paying off.
Hopefully our publicity excursion to Tokyo will also pay off. It sure beats sitting on our butts and waiting for guests to show up.
