足湯はいかがですか？
千曲市は食品８０個を認定して、「千曲ブランド」を立ち上がました。今日はそのPRで、高速道路の姨捨SAで千曲ブランド祭りを開きました。千曲市に戸倉上山田温泉がせっかくあるから、上山田温泉株式会社からお湯を提供してもらって、足湯を設置しました。そして、私が市役所に声をかけられて、足湯係りでボランティアーしました。足湯に入りながら、SAに出入りしている皆様に「足湯はどうですか？上山田温泉のお湯を運んできました。気持ち良いですよ！」と。
やってみたら分かりましたが、SAの利用者はトイレや自販機、食堂でちょっと寄って、直ぐ行く人がほとんどです。SAに寄って、足湯にゆっくり入るような雰囲気じゃないですよね。余裕のある方は姨捨SAのビューポイントから善光寺平の眺めを見たりします。私だったら、足湯をそこで設置しました。景色を見ながら、上山田温泉のお湯を楽しめたら最高じゃないですか？
The City of Chikuma designated 80 locally made products as "Chikuma Brand". To promote the brand, the city worked with the highways board and held a Chikuma Brand Fair at the Obasute Service Area rest stop today. Since Chikuma City also has Togura Kamiyamada Onsen, it set up a foot bath featuring onsen water supplied by the Kamiyamada Onsen Company. City Hall asked me to attend the footbath during the festival. So I took our kids up for the morning and soaked my feet, calling out to passers-by to come and enjoy the footbath.
That experience made me realize that your average rest stop user is more interested in the toilets, vending machines or cafeteria, and doesn't have time to dilly dally in a footbath. People with a bit of extra time tend to go over to the viewpoint that overlooks the Zenkoji Plain. If it were up to me, I would have set up the footbath at the viewpoint, so people could soak their feet as they enjoyed the scenery. Alas, it's not up to me, it's up to the guys from City Hall who are more interested in getting the "Chikuma Brand" in front of more people, regardless of whether or not those people have the time or interest.
The kids enjoying the footbath
この景色は足湯を楽しみながら見た方は？
