子供達は学校が休みの金曜日。
仕事はたっぷりあるけど、
天気は良いし、
長野に住んでいる限るでは年一度ぐらいスキーしないとルール違反だし、

仕事をさぼって子供達とスキーしに行ってきました。

長男Ａｎｄｙがノザワスキー場の39度の壁を滑りたくて、
私はスキー後の温泉を楽しみにしていて、
野沢温泉に行きました。
長男がソロで滑りながら、自分が二男と娘に下のキッズパークでスキーを教えた。（教えるほどできないくせに。）

Ａｎｄｙは「山の頂上から海が見えた！」と騒いで、コースと言うコースを滑って、大満足。特に娘は「またやりたい」と言ってくれた。

長野は素晴らしいスキー場もあって、ええ所やな。

The kids had a no-school Friday.
The weather was postcard-perfect.
Lots of work to do, but....

If you live in Nagano, you gotta go skiing at least once during the winter.

So the kids and piled in the car, and went up to Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort. Andy wanted to try the 39-degree "Wall", and I was looking forward to a soak in Nozawa's onsen after skiing. So Nozawa was perfect.

While Andy tackled the Wall and the rest of Nozawa's courses, I taught #2 son Kenny and our daughter Misaki how to ski at the Kids Park at the bottom. Andy was excited to have seen the ocean from the peak, and had a blast exploring all the various runs. Meanwhile, especially Misaki got hooked on skiing and wants to try it again.

Nagano Prefecture, with so many fantastic ski areas, is such a great place to live!

野沢スキー場 Nozawa Ski Resort

この戸倉上山田温泉から車で約20分、自転車で約50分で千曲市八幡地区に大雲寺と言う歴史的なお寺さんがある。お城を思わせるお寺が1581年に建てられたそうです。立派な桜の木もあって、花は4月に見事。お寺の東側に溜まり池があって、蓮の花で有名である。（花の時期は7月末～8月）　

大雲寺の前はその蓮の池、裏周りは一重山と霊靜山。その全てが「大雲寺自然探勝公園」と指定されいている。今回は子供達を連れて、その公園の約1時間のハイキングコースを歩いた。

時期は11月なので池の蓮は咲いていなかったけど、すすきがふわふわとなっていて、綺麗でした。池の北側にちょっとしたボードウォークがあって、薄の中に入れると言う不思議な感じだった。
まずは森の中に入って490ｍの霊靜山とその手前の山を登った。両方の頂上から善光寺平が見えて、意外に綺麗な景色だった。霊靜山の天辺に石仏・石神郡がある。怖い鬼や剽軽な猫神、石像も手彫り木造も、さまざまな石仏・神がある。「わらべじぞう」って書いてある割と新しいのもあって、子供達と一緒に楽しく見ていました。
霊靜山から降りて、今度は5歳の美咲ちゃん先頭で520ｍの一重山を登った。頂上にあずまやがあって、パノラマの景色を楽しめる。落ち葉の中を歩きながら、またお寺まで下りた。

池と森の小山の自然を歩いて、剽軽のお地蔵さんを楽しんで、良い思い出となった親子ハイキング。

About 20 minutes by car or 50 minutes by bicycle, in Chikuma City's Yawata district is Daiun-ji, a very historical temple. The imposing castle-like building was constructed in 1581. Massive cherry trees add a soft, graceful touch with their blossoms in April. On the east side is a moat, err, pond-like reservoir that in late July and August explodes in color with beautiful lotus flowers. On its other three sides the temple is surrounded by Mt. Hitoe and Mt. Reijou that tower 250-meters over the temple grounds.

Daiun-ji and its pond and surrounding mountains have been designated the Daiun-ji Nature Viewing Park. The other day, I took our kids for a hike on the park's approximately 1-hour trail.

Being that it was November, the pond's lotus flowers weren't in bloom but the susuki (Japanese pampas grass) were in full fluffy form. On the north side of the pond is a boardwalk that extends into the heart of the pampas grass, for a fuzzy-wuzzy feeling.
From there, we walked a bit north and entered the forest, climbing up to 490m Mt. Reijou and its foothill. Both peaks offer surprisingly outstanding views of the Chikuma River valley and the Zenkoji Basin. And Mt. Reijou is crowned by, well, a crown of stone and wooden statues. It's a curious mix of Buddhist and Shinto figures -- a scary Oni (ogre), a funky cat god there. The kids and I enjoyed looking at the often-times comical expressions on their faces.
After descending from Reijou-san, our 5-year old daughter Misaki led the way up to the top of 520-meter high Mt. Hitoe. The peak has a wooden gazebo that serves as a lookout point. From there, we waded through the fallen leaves and descended back down to the temple.

View-filled hike with a colorful pond, thick forest, and small mountains topped by funky statuettes. The Daiun-ji Nature Viewing Park makes for a perfect family outing.

大雲寺Daiun-ji Temple

霊靜山の石仏・神　Mt. Reijou Statues

今回の大雲寺自然探勝公園コースのガイドが友人Ｐｅｔｅｒ　Ｎｉｎｎｅｓさんの千曲市ガイド本でした。Ｐｅｔｅｒさんはコースがどうやってわかったか知らないけど、この本がなっきゃ分からなかった。
Our guide for the Daiun-ji Temple Nature Viewing Park hiking course was my buddy Peter Ninnes' book "Hiking, Walking and Biking Nagano: 20 Nature, History and Culture Tours in Chikuma City". I don't know how Peter found the trails when he researched the book, but it was an absolute necessity in trying to decipher the path around Daiun-ji.

Hiking, Walking and Biking Nagano: 20 Nature, History and Culture Tours in Chikuma City
By Peter Ninnes

子供達と今年の最後のキャンプで、また冠着山の頂上まで登ってテントを張って一泊しました。ただ、考えてみれば、ハロウィーンの夜でした。冠着山の別名が「姨捨山」である。捨てられた姨さん達の幽霊は出てこなかったけど、嚢が飛んだり、イノシシの鳴き声が聞こえたり、満月の光が霧の中で流れてきたり、十分怖かった。

そして、寒かった。朝は４℃だった。

それでも、親のキャンプの又よい思い出が出来た。来年のキャンプシーズンはまた楽しみにしています。

注:戸倉上山田温泉から一番近いキャンプ場が冠着山の麓にある大池キャンプ場。車で約１５分。

The kids and I went camping for one last time this year. We hiked up to the top of 1252-meter high Kamuriki Mountain, popped our tents and spent the night. Come to think about it, it was Halloween night. Probably not the best spot to camp, as this mountain is nicknamed 'Obasute-yama', the legendary spot where old ladies were taken to be thrown away.

While we didn't see any ghosts of old ladies, we did see an owl flying, and heard the cries of some wildboars, and saw the moonbeams from the full moon streaming through the mist. It was plenty scary.

And plenty cold -- 4 Deg Celsius in the morning.

But it was all worth it, as the kids and I had another memorable campout together.

NOTE: The closest official camping place to our onsen town Togura-Kamiyamada is at Oike Pond, a 15 minute drive.

この秋の晴れていて暖かい日に子供達を連れて、浅間山連峰の高峰さんを登りました。２０９２ｍの高峰山で落葉樹の葉っぱがのほとんどが既に落ちていたけど、唐松のハリは見事な黄金色となっていました。秋の空の空気が澄んでいて、富士山も見えました。

信越高速道路の小諸ＩＣで下りて、浅間サンラインからチェリーパークラインを通って約1000ｍも登って、標高２０００ｍの車坂峠に辿り着きました。そこから片道1時間ぐらいな緩やかなアップ・ダウンを通って、高峰山頂に着きました。うちの5歳の美咲ちゃんも楽ちんで登れた。

とにかく、その紅葉の色、エンドレスの眺め、空きの空気、最高な親子ハイキングだった。

On this fine autumn day, I took our kids for a hike to the top of Mount Takamine, one of the peaks in the Asama Mountain range. At the 2092-meter peak, the deciduous trees had already dropped their leaves but the larch trees were in there golden yellow peak. And the sky was so clear we could see all the way to Mount Fuji.

From the Komoro interchange on the Shin'Etsu Expressway, you take the Asama Sun Line highway, turning off to climb the Cherry Park Line road up, with about 1000 meters of elevation gain to Kurumasaka Pass, at around 2000 meters. From there, it is a 1-hour hike with gradual ascents and descents, to the peak of Takamine-yama. Even our 5-year old Misaki had no problem with the climb.

The fall colors, the endless view from the top, and the crisp autumn air made for a perfect family outing.

車坂峠にある浅間山麓国際自然学校では、とうざんやネイチャーガイド、冬はスノーシュー、通年は竹クラフトや豆腐作り体験等のプログラムがある。
The Asama International Outdoors & Nature School at Kurumasaka Pass offers mountain and nature guides in the green season, snowshoeing guides in the winter, and bamboo craft, tofu-making and other programs year-round.
浅間山麓国際自然学校Asama International Outdoors & Nature School

この夏の暑さは半端じゃない。負けないように、滝シャワー！

春に一度スカウトした冠着山の久露滝に先日の暑い日に子供達を連れて、もう一度行ってみた。滝のハイキングトレールの登り口（一の鳥居）は亀清旅館・戸倉上山田温泉から車で約12分。そしてたった10分登れば、久露滝に着く。落差１５ｍの流れの中に思い切って入って、滝を浴びました。

気持ち良いいい！

This summer has been an extraordinarily hot one. So, how to beat the heat? By taking a waterfall shower!

This past spring, the boys and I had scouted out Kuro Falls on the northern flanks of Kamuriki Mountain. On one of these hot August summer days, the boys and I went back, and this time enjoyed a refreshingly cold shower.

先日は息子達と北アルプスの白馬連峰で山登りをしてきました。その雄大の山々の眺めが感激だったが、足元にもう一つの感激があった:　高山植物。

標高2600mぐらいで次から次へ綺麗な花が咲いていた。石楠花や野イチゴの何となく馴染みがある花もあったが、初めて見た花も多かった。

普通な生活している時に人の作った庭で綺麗な花はいくらでも見れるけど、高山植物は人間の手が関係なく、尚且つ激しい環境で育って、感心します。

長野って、良い所だね。

The other day my sons and I went mountain climbing in the Northern Alps. As we were hiking around the 2600m level in the Hakuba Range, we were treated to awe-inspiring mountain scenery. But there at our feet was something else that was awe-inspiring: alpine wildflowers.

We were delighted to see so many different types of wildflowers on the peaks. Some we were familiar with, such as rhododendrons and wild strawberries, but others we had never seen before.

Down here in town, in our usual daily lives, we often see beautiful flowers that people planted in their gardens. But alpine wildflowers grow with no help by human hand, and in such extreme conditions. Sublimely awe-inspiring.

Isn't Nagano great?!

12歳のAndy君と9歳のKen君と北アルプスの白馬連峰を登ってきました。家族の夏休みで、子供達はTDLに行きたかった。しかし、お父さん（=私）の誕生日だったので、6月に八方池まで登った思い出があって、是非に子供達と一緒に北アルプスに行きたかった。

せっかくアルプスの近くに住んでいる（戸倉上山田⇔白馬は車で約75分）ので山登りに最適。

ご参考に、私達のコースは下記です:

Our 2 sons (Andy, 12 and Kenny, 9) came with me for a mountain climbing expedition to the Hakuba Range in the northern Japanese Alps. It was our family's summer vacation, and actually the kids wanted to go to Disneyland. But as it was my birthday, and my June trip to Happo Pond had me yearning for the mountains, we went climbing instead.

Actually, our onsen town Togura-Kamiyamada is only 75 minutes by car from Hakuba, so it is so convenient to enjoy Nagano's mountain grandeur.

Of the many trekking possibilities there are in the Hakuba Range, here is the course we took:

一に目Day 1
13:00, 800m 白馬の町からリフトに乗った。
Took the chair lift from down in Hakuba Village.
14:00, 1820m 八方池山荘から登り始まった。
Started climbing from Happo Pond Mountain Hut.
15:00, 2080m 八方池到着。再び登り始まった。
Reached Happo Pond. Started climbing again.
16:30, 2620m 唐松山荘到着。夕食と泊り。
Reached the Karamatsu Mtn. Hut. Dinner and Lodging.
二日目Day 2
04:00, 2620m 唐松山荘にて日の出、朝食。05:30出発。
Sunrise and breakfast at Karamatsu Hut. Dep. 05:30.
06:00, 2696m 唐松岳山頂　Karamatsu Mountain summit
07:00~, 2600m 不帰ノ嶮　'Ridge of No Return'
名前通り、一歩間違えたらおしまい険しい峰。
As the name says, 1 false step and you're a gonner. A very technical series of ridges.
10:00, 2812m 天狗ノ頭山頂　Tengu-no-Atama summit
10:30, 2730m 天狗山荘 水場（雪溶け。助かった！）
Tengu Mountain Hut. Watering hole (snow melt -- it was a lifesaver!)
12:00, 2100m　白馬鑓温泉　Hakuba Yari Onsen
着く直前の道が滑りやすくて危ない事！
The descent to the onsen is steep, with the last stretch requiring much caution due to the slippery conditions.
13:00, 2100m お風呂と昼食後、鑓温泉出発
After an onsen soak and lunch, we departed Yari Onsen.
15:30, 1250m 猿倉荘到着 Arrived Sarukura-sou mountain hut.

白馬連峰のリフトなど詳しい事はこちらClick here for more info on climbing the Hakuba Range.

２０１２年の夏はまた暑～い！その暑さに負けないように、何が良いかと色々と挑戦したら、良い物に当たりました:

滝シャワー！

戸倉上山田温泉の裏にある１２５２mの冠着山の北側に久露滝、南側に不動滝の２つの滝があります。お客様と一緒にその滝にハイキングして、滝の水でシャワーを浴びる事を考えています。

６月は父の日に久露滝に初めて行ってみた。登り口は亀清旅館から車で7.1km（約１５分）、ハイキングは１０～１５分。落差は１５ｍ。

そして、この７月に今度は不動滝に初めて行ってみた。亀清から登り口までは普通の道の4.6km（12分）＋インディージョーンズの世界から出てきそうな凸凹の林道で約2㎞。丸太の橋を渡って、川の横のトレールを登って、約10分。不動滝の水量及び落差は久露滝に負けますが、ワイルド度はかなり高い。

この夏は暑さに負けないで、ご一緒に滝シャワー冒険ツアーに行きましょう！詳しくは亀清旅館へTelを。

Summer 2012 is shaping up to be a hot one! We here at Kamesei Ryokan are thinking up ways to beat the heat, and have come across the perfect solution:

A Waterfall Shower!

1252-meter Kamuriki Mtn. towers over our onsen town, Togura-Kamiyamada. On its north side is Kuro Falls, and on its south side is Fudo Falls.

On Father's Day, I took our kids for a walk up to Kuro Falls. The trailhead is a 15 minute, 7.1km drive from our inn, and the hike is a fairly steep 10-15 minute endeavor. The falls offer plenty of water fall for a shower from their 15-meter drop.

This July, the kids and I went exploring for Fudo Falls. The drive is a tame 4.6km (12 minute) cruise up the backroads of Kamiyamada, followed by an Indiana Jones - like bumpy ride up a dirt track another 2km. After parking the car (jeep?), you cross the log bridge and walk up the trail adjacent to the creek for approximately 10~15 minutes to the falls. Fudo Falls is a lot smaller and shorter than Kuro, but provides plenty of chill action for a summer heat-beating waterfall shower.

So this summer, come with us for a waterfall shower tour! Feel free to inquire by telephone for details.

亀清旅館Kamesei Ryokan

戸倉上山田温泉に住んでいて、嬉しい事の一つは山のハイキングをしたいならすぐそばに山は沢山ある事。

夕べは子供達が学校終ってから冠着山(1252m)の登ぐちまで連れて、皆でテントを種って、頂上まで登った。暗くなってから下の長野市の光が見えて来て、夜景が綺麗だった。そして、朝は雲が風で流れて周辺の山々と踊っている様に見えた。

こういう景色は山の頂上だからこそ見える。

朝食後、キャンプを片付けて車まで戻って下に降りて、子供達をそのまま学校へ連れて行きました。

冠着山の登ぐちは亀清旅館・戸倉上山田温泉から県道498号で7.7km、車で約20分です。そこから頂上まではハイキングで約25分。

亀清旅館からあまりにも近くて、こういうプランをお客様に提供したくなった:
旅館にチェックインし、
夕方に登山口までドライブして、頂上までハイキングして、ピックニックでもして、暗くなったら夜景や星空を楽しみ、
懐中電燈を使って下りて、旅館に戻って温泉に入って、山の天辺の夢を見ながらお休み！

One of the nice things about living here in Togura Kamiyamada Onsen is being so close to mountains.

Last night after the kids got home from school, we piled in the van, drove up to the trailhead for Kamuriki Mountain (1252m), carried our tent and gear up to the top and camped out. As it got dark, the lights of Nagano City down below came out treating us to beautiful night scenery. Then in the morning we got to see the clouds drifting in and out amongst the mountain tops, as if they were dancing with the mountains. These are the types of sights you can only enjoy from the top of a mountain.

After breakfast, we packed up, walked back down to the car and drove back down, dropping the kids off at school along the way.

The trailhead to Kamuriki Mountain is 7.7km (approx. 20 minutes by car) from Kamesei on County Road 498. The hike to the top takes approximately 25 minutes.

Being so close to the mountains like this gave me an idea for a plan to offer to our guests:
Check in,
Drive up to the Kamuriki trailhead in the evening.
Hike up to the top, have a picnic, enjoy the night view as it gets dark, use a flashlight to come back down.
Return to Kamesei Ryokan for a soak in the onsen, and have a peaceful sleep filled with dreams of your time at the top of the mountain.

Picnic picture courtesy of Peter Ninnes.
Hiking picture courtesy of Andy Mak.

この春に作成作業をずっとしていた戸倉上山田温泉ハイキング・サイクリングマップはやっとできました。出来立てホイホイでこれから色んな所に配って行きます。

私にとっては戸倉上山田温泉の魅力の1つは真ん中に流れる千曲川と周辺の山々です。そして千曲沿いのサイクリング道路で川の風情をたっぷり楽しめるし、山は登ればその自然の良さが分かります。この地図を利用して、より多くの人達にその川と山の魅力を体験して頂きたいと思っております。

なおかつ、この夏は特に電気を食う冷房を使わない戦略が大事です。そこで、この地図が役に立つと思います。自転車ツーリングで千曲川沿いの涼しいを楽しめる。山の天辺での温度は下より約５℃ぐらい低いので、山登りでその気持ち良さを感じれます。

サイクリングやハイキングで汗をかけてから、戸倉上山田温泉に戻って、お風呂に入ったらまた最高に気持ちいいです。

その様に、この新しいマップが役に立つように望んでいます。私がマップ作成者の宮坂さんと共にに、千曲サイクリングクラブや里山みどり守る会と紹介するルートを話し合った上で、自らそれぞれのサイクリングとハイキングコースに足を運んで、確認しました。デザインも工夫して、「こんなに楽しいよ!」「こんな所が見れるよ」と分かるように写真を付けて、なかなか良いマップが出来ました。マップ希望者はどうぞ、声をかけてください。

This spring, I've been working on a Hiking / Cycling Map for our onsen town, Togura Kamiyamada. It is finally finished and I am so excited to finally get the fresh-off-the-presses new map!

One of the things I love about Togura Kamiyamada is the grand Chikuma River flowing through the middle and the lush green mountains surrounding the town. I hope this new map will encourage lots of people to get out and enjoy cycling along the picturesque Chikuma River using cycling path as well as strap on their hiking boots and experience the natural grandeur of our local mountains.

With the concern for lack of electricity production this summer, everyone will be thinking about ways to not use airconditioning. Here again, our new hiking / cycling map should come in handy. Riding along the Chikuma River Cycling Road is a great way to enjoy the river's refreshing breeze. And if you climb to the top of one of our nearby mountains, you'll be pleased to find the temperature a good 5 degrees cooler than down below.

Plus, after getting all sweaty from cycling or hiking, you can come back to Togura Kamiyamada Onsen and enjoy a rejuvenating soak in an onsen bath.

That's how I'm hoping our new map can be useful. The map producer, Miyasaka-san, and I discussed which routes are best with both the Chikuma Cycling Club (for cycling) and the Sato-Yama Midori Mamoru Kai (for hiking), and then rode or hiked each and every course ourselves to verify the details. We added a lot of clever design elements as well as a thorough selection of pictures giving a useful image of the courses and the scenery that can be enjoyed along the way. A pretty darn good map if I do say so myself. If you would like a copy for yourself, just let me know!