戸倉上山田の温泉街を「クールジャパン」として海外に紹介する事業が始まりました。その中で芸者さん達と話し合ってみた結果：　着物着付けwith戸倉上山田温泉芸寮組合

芸者さん達とお話ししたら、着物はとにかく沢山ある！そして、皆さんがその着物文化に誇りを持っていて、海外の皆様にも提供したいと。
この着物着付け体験と言う商品が生まれました！

この間はモデルのＪさんがボランティアーしてくれて、テスト的に着物着付けを行いました。アメリカから来たＪさんは着物に憧れて、実者の芸妓さん達三人係りで豪華の着物を着て、夢の様だったと本人が仰った。
これからはどんどんと戸倉上山田温泉のクールを磨いて、海外に売り込みます！

New Activity for onsen town Togura-Kamiyamada: Kimono Wearing by the Geisha.

Onsen Town Togura-Kamiyamada is proud of its geisha heritage. Today there are around 20 active geisha that provide dancing and musical entertainment for guests at banquets at the many onsen inns and hotels. One thing the geisha often mention is the pride they have in the kimonos that they wear, and love sharing the experience of wearing their elegant kimonos with guests. You, too, can try on a real-life geisha kimono with assistance by actual geisha.

Many locations in Japan offer kimono-wearing experiences, but Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen is likely the only place where you can try on an actual geisha kimono with real geisha assisting. The intricate layering, wearing the 'katsura' wig, the decorative tying of the obi ... the whole process will amaze you and interacting with the geisha each step of the way is certain to be a memorably joy. At the end, the geisha will help you strike a captivating pose for a once-in-a-lifetime picture.

戸倉上山田温泉の上の山城「荒砥城」は年に一度に無料で開放され、祭りが開催される。２０１３年の荒砥城祭りは１０月２０日(日)に行われます。戦国時代と触れ合える体験は様々あり、特に子供達が侍スプリットになれる。

普段は荒砥城祭りが戸倉上山田のハロウィーンパーティーと重なるので、ハロウィーンの実行委員長としてなかなか荒砥城まで上がれない。しかし、今年はハロウィーンの開催日がずれたお蔭で、私がお城の方で手伝いが出来そう。

従って、一生に行きましょう、荒砥城祭りへ！

Above our onsen town Togura-Kamiyamada stands the mountain fortress Arato-jo. Once a year the castle is opened for free to the public for the Arato-jo Festival. For 2013, the festival will be held on Sunday 20-October. There will be plenty of activities especially for kids to experience what samurai life was like.

Normally the Arato-jo Festival and the Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen Halloween Party are held on the same day, and as I always running the Halloween deal, I can never participate up at the castle. However, this year Halloween's being moved a different date, freeing me up to help at the castle.

So come and join my for this year's Arato-jo Festival!

荒砥城 Arato-jo Fort

雑誌の写真撮影があり、ついでに取りました：
亀清旅館・Chef武井の９月後半会席料理。メニューは下記です。
A couple of photographers came to do a photo shoot for a magazine. I got to sneak in this picture using the pro lighting of Kamesei Ryokan's Chef Takei Kaiseki Dinner Menu for late September. Menu description as below:

旬の物　焼き茄子 Baked Eggplant
酢の物　佐久鯉南蛮漬け　Spicy Nanban-seasoned Saku Carp
サラダ　生湯葉サラダ　Salad with Yuba (tofu skin)
蒸し物　Big栗（吃驚）茶碗　Surprise Chawan egg custard
つくり　かじき、甘海老、蛸　Kajiki Tuna, Shrimp, Octopus
焼き物　鮎塩焼き　Salt-rubbed Grilled Ayu Sweetfish
台の物　4種類の茸鍋 Hot Pot with 4 Varieties of local Mushrooms
別皿　　味噌漬け豆腐と松茸のホイル焼き　Foil-baked Tofu seasoned with miso, Unagi (eel) seasoned with white miso and Matsutake mushrooms
揚げ物　信州サーモン唐揚げ風 Shinshu Salmon Fried, Topped with Onion Sauce
お椀　　松茸汁 Matsutake Mushroom Soup
香の物　野沢菜　Nozawana and assorted Pickled Vegetables
水皿　　3食の地どり葡萄 Tri-color Local Grapes

「以前はスーパーへ行って、お米を買う人の姿を見て不思議に思った。自分で作れるものは何で買うかと。
しかし、年をとって、田んぼの仕事が出来なくなって、
自分もスーパーで買う様になり、
どれだけ楽か分かってきました。」

（お客さんの送迎の時に言われた事。）

稲刈りの皆様、ご苦労様です。大変だけど、止めないで欲しいな。

"I used to always be amazed whenever I saw someone buying rice at the supermarket -- Why pay for something that you can grow yourself?
But since I've gotten too old to work in the rice paddies and have come to buy rice at the supermarket myself, I realize just how much less work it is to do so."

(Mentioned by a guest one day.)

To all of the people sweating it out working to harvest the rice this time of you, you have my respect. Please keep it up!

テレビの撮影で上山田温泉本通りにあるまんじゅと御菓子屋さん「塩川」に入りました。新しい一品がありました：

あんずジャムソフト♪

自転車乗りの後だったからまんじゅはまず頂きましたが、そのあんずジャムソフトの美味しい事！冷たくて美味いバニラソフトに尼酸っぱい杏ジャムの組み合わせは最高です。バニラソフトはもちろん美味しいし、杏ジャムは大好きですが、その二つを足せば１＋１＝２ではなく、３ぐらいになります。戸倉上山田の新しいヒット商品が生まれました！

塩川店の努力に感動！

During a video shoot for a TV show, I stopped in at Shiokawa, a confectionary shop on Kamiyamada Onsen's main street. I was pleased to see he has a new menu item: Softserve ice cream with apricot jam!

Vanilla soft ice cream is of course yummy, and I love the tartness of apricot jam, but the two together is simply wonderful. It's like a new star has been born here at Togura Kamiyamada!

I applaud Shiokawa's efforts!

亀清旅館・戸倉上山田温泉から車で10分の「田毎の月」で有名な姨捨棚田。今は金黄の穂波状態。稲刈りはあと2週間？

日本の原風景だ。

The famous moon-reflecting terraced rice fields of Obasute, a short 10 minute drive from Kamesei Ryokan and our onsen town, Togura-Kamiyamada. Harvest is set to start in a couple of weeks.

Golden waves of grain -- a quintessential landscape of the Japanese countryside.

安曇野アートラインは１８軒の美術館で、その代表なのは子供の絵本作家岩崎ちひろの安曇野ちひろ美術館と彫刻術の碌山美術館と、今回に紹介したいグラスアートの

安曇野アートヒルズミュージアム

この3件を含めて安曇野アートラインの特徴は美術品の展示はもちろんですが、それぞれの建物や庭は安曇野の北アルプスの麓の場所や田舎の風景に合うのです。

安曇野アートヒルズミュージアムもそうです。北欧やフランス「ポップ」や日本（特に信州の若手グラスアーティスト）のグラスアートの展示と充実した体験プログラムも魅力の上に、周りの庭はグラスと自然のコラボレーションが印象的。

玄関の木々からぶら下げているグラス風鈴の音、
美術館の北側に池と野原はどれが自然の花か、どれがグラスか迷うぐらい。

この田舎の長野だからこそグラスの世界の体験・実感ができ、嬉しいです。

The Azumino Art Line is comprised of 18 art museums. Probably the most notable are the Azumino Chihiro Art Museum featuring works by childrens book artist Chihiro Iwasaki, the Rokuzan Art Museum of sculptures, and Azumino Art Hills Museum of glass art, which our family visited on our recent trip to Azumino.

All 18 museums, but especially these 3, share a common bond: not only do they display beautiful works of art, but their buildings and gardens are an awe-inspiring complement to the majestic Japanese Alps and the bucolic Azumino countryside.

The Azumino Art Hills Museum pays wonderful tribute to the glass art of Scandinavia, France's modern 'pop' art, Japan (especially the young generation of glass artists here in Nagano) and more. And they offer an extensive variety of hands-on (and lips-on) glass making and blowing lessons. But on top of that, outside the museum is an amazing combination of glass art and nature. Visitors are greeted by an almost mystical sound coming from glass windchimes hanging from the trees at the entrance. The pond and wildflower garden on the north side causes you to look closer to discern which flowers are real and which are made of glass.

Having such an extensive glass museum here in the Nagano countryside (or perhaps, it's because it is the Nagano countryside) is such an exhilerating feeling!

安曇野アートヒルズミュージアム Azumino Art Hills Museum

安曇野アートライン Azumino Art Line

戸倉上山田温泉から車で10分の姨捨「田毎の月」の棚田は四季でそれぞれの季節のそれぞれの魅力（夏は深い緑色、秋は金黄色の稲穂、冬は雪景色、春はお月様を反射する水田）ありますが、

一日の中でそれぞれの時間帯でまた別な魅力があります。

昼間は風でさらさらと流れる穂波で、下の善光寺平や遠くの北信５山の景色、
夕方は夕日の金色の光が稲に横から当たって、写真者に一番喜ばれる光、
夜は善光寺平の夜景と棚田の暗闇とのコントラスト、そして蛙やコオロギの鳴き声、

そして朝は千曲川の向こう側の山から登る太陽の光で見る棚田はまた格別です。

今朝は全国的で有名な乗鞍ロードレースで参加してきたお客様と、うちの長男、三人で朝早く起きてロードバイクで千曲川沿いのサイクリング道路を通って、姨捨の棚田まで登って、走ってきました。約19㎞のコース。朝の運動にちょうど良い。尚且つ、日の出の棚田が見えて、感動しました。

戸倉上山田温泉に泊まって、早起きして姨捨の棚田を是非、見て頂きたいと思っております。

A quick 10 minute drive from Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen, the Obasute "Tagoto no Tsuki" terraced rice fields are a beautiful sight to see. Their name refers to how the terraced slope is situated in just such a way that when the moon comes up, it reflects in each individual rice field.

The rice fields offer distinct scenery depending on the seasons:

Deep green of the rice fronds in the summer,

Golden yellow of the rice ready for harvest in the fall, and the scenes of the cut rice set out for drying.

Patterns of snow over the barren fields in the winter.

And, of course, the mirror-like surface of the fields flooded in springtime for planting.

But what some people may not realize is the fields also offer a variety of scenery throughout the day.

During the middle of the day, the waves of rice grains blowing in the wind with the Zenkoji Plain stretching out below and the 5 Northern Nagano Peaks in the distance,

At dusk, the golden rays of sunlight streaming from over the shoulder of the terraces, lighting up the rice plants from the side.

At night, the inky darkness of the rice fields in contrast with the lights of the Zenkoji Plain down below,

And in the morning, the sun raising up over the mountains across the Chikuma River bathing the terraces in the early morning light.

This morning, I woke up early and went for a bike ride with our oldest son and a guest who stayed at our inn after competing in the nationally famous Norikura Road Race. We set out along the Chikuma River Cycling Road
before heading up to cycle through the Obasute rice fields. It was an envigorating 19-km ride.

亀清旅館の貸し切り露天「しなの風呂」の庭は季節ごとに色んな花が咲きます。8月下旬はこの綺麗な紫の花が貸切風呂に入る皆様に「こんにちは」と言ってくれています。

しなの風呂の庭を作ってくれた岡田さんはデザインの中で季節感を入れてくれて、年中に沢山の花を楽しめます。その影響もあり、「貸切露天1回利用付き」の宿泊プランが人気になりました。

Kamesei Ryokan's family bath "Shinano-buro" is surrounded by a beautiful garden that features various flowers blooming throughout the year. Our gardener, Okada-san, was careful in considering which plants to include so that there is something in bloom whenever time of the year guests use the bath. Right now at the end of August, this purple flower is delighting our guests.

Thanks in no small part to this designer-garden, Kamesei's stay-plan that includes 1 free use of the family bath has become one of our most popular plans.

地元の老人ホームに頼まれて、上山田神楽保存会の仲間と和太鼓をたたきました。老人ホームの盆踊り祭りだったので、ボランティアーで和太鼓をたたくのは私達だけでした。

という事で、生まれてから初めて和太鼓演奏しました。

まあ、テクニークはとにかく、車いすで一生懸命踊っているおじさん、そのおじさんの嬉しい涙を見て、私達も嬉しかったです。

旅館青年部や市の観光協会など、私のさまざまの活動をしている中、こういう地味の活動も大事だな。

One of the local old folks homes was in need of a taiko drum player for their Bon Odori summer festival. Me and the leader of the Lion Dance troupe were the only ones to volunteer, so for the first time in my life I found myself performing taiko drumming for an audience.

Seeing one of the old guys dancing in his wheelchair with tears of joy streaming down his face made it all worth-while.

With all of my ryokan association, tourism association and other activities, this sort of simple work is also important!