Watashima-san Joel and Cat
「旅館の仕事は大変でしょう｣とか、｢長野に引っ越して、大丈夫か？｣と届きどき言われます。｢幸せです｣といつも答えます。今日も良い日でした。夕べはオーストラリアから来たＣａｔさんとＪｏｅｌさんと一緒にお神楽の練習に行きました。(私は獅子笛を習っています。)そうすると、お神楽の渡島さんと話が盛り上がって、本人が自分のりんご畑に誘ってくれました。従って、今朝は上山田の奥に方へ上がって、渡島さんの畑にお邪魔しました。今がピークとなっている信濃スィートを取れたてで頂きました。オーストラリアからの二人はこういう農家の体験で喜んだし、渡島さんが自慢のりんごを海外からの方とＳｈａｒｅ出来て嬉しいし、私は信州の秋、そして上山田のおもてなし、そして他の国の人の見方を知る事で、嬉しかったです。本当に幸せです。
People often say that an innkeeper's job and that rural life in Nagano must be tough. But I always tell them that I am blessed. Today was a perfect example. Last night, I went to the Okagura Lion Dance practice (I am learning the flute) and invited our two guests from Australia to go along. There we got into a great conversation with Okagura's Watashima-san, who ended up inviting us to his apple orchard. So this morning, we drove up (and up!) to his orchard, and he treated us to freshly picked Shinano Sweet variety apples. Cat and Joel enjoyed experiencing an apple orchard in Japan, Watashima-san enjoyed showing off his prize apples to visitors from overseas, and I enjoyed being out in Nagano's great outdoors in the fall, as well as seeing Kamiyamada's omotenashi welcoming spirit, and getting to compare ways of thinking with people from another country. I really consider myself blessed.
Bamboo Taking on a Fall Tint
Now In Season:
