Niko concert at Shuzo Collection
７月の連休にこの上山田温泉夏祭りが行います。毎年の事ですが、我々旅館の皆も寄付集めで町を回ります。私は先週も出て、今週は二日間連続で出ました。それぞれの会社やお店に行って、頭を下げて、｢今年もご協力をお願いします！」と。疲れます。しかし、見事に沢山の良い出会いにもつながるし、町にどういう企業があるか良く分かります。(そして、どの企業が貢献的かも分かります。応援したくなりますね。）
この間は戸倉駅前の歴史のある酒蔵コレクションに行った時に、シルクロードの｢ニコ｣と言う楽器の演奏が行われていました。何百年前に出来た茅葺屋根の酒蔵に何千年前からの楽器の音が響いて、なおかつ、その楽器を弾いていたのは現代の日本の高校生。感動的！
また別な所は旅館のシーツや浴衣を洗濯する工場「ＣｏＣｏ」。工場見学をさせて頂きましたけど、そのでかい機会に細かい作業でまた感動しました。４０人が働いていて、その内の１０人が指導員でのころの３０人が障害者達。障害でいながら、社会に出たいので、こうやって温泉に泊まるお客さんの皆が綺麗なシーツと浴衣で寝れるように努力しています。感心しました。
寄付集めは暑い中でつらい仕事で、それぞれの会社の努力をかけて得た利益から分けて、申し訳ないな仕事ですが、良い出会い、良い勉強になります。今年の祭りがこのお陰で盛り上がるといいですね。
Kamiyamada Onsen's Summer Festival is held every year on the Ocean Day holiday weekend. And every year, us ryokan owners help out with gathering donations. It's hard work, going around to the various businesses and shops, humbly asking for their financial support. But you get to know more about the local businesses (as well as which ones support the community!).
One of the places I went to was the historical sake brewery in front of Togura Station, Shuzo Collection. There happened to be a musical performance going on. There in the courtyard of the hundreds of years old thatched roof brewery was a concert on a thousands of years old Silk Road instrument called a niko, played by a very modern Japanese high school student. The whole contrast was very impressive.
Another place I got to go to was CoCo, the factory where all the sheets and yukata from our onsen are sent for cleaning. I was given a tour of the factory to see all the impressive machinery as well as the detailed work that is involved. 40 people work at CoCo, 10 of which are instructors, and the other 30 are people with mental disabilities. Those 30 people all want to get out and work in society, and CoCo provides that opportunity. It is thanks to their amazing efforts that the guests of our onsen town can enjoy clean linens when they stay.
Those are just some of the great experiences I had while going around for donations for this year's summer festival. I hope everyone's contributions will lead to another fabulous matsuri!
上山田温泉夏祭りの詳しくはこちらClick here for more info on the Kamiyamada Onsen Summer Festival.
CoCo's factory
