市役所の農林可の鹿田さんに誘っていただいて、上山田の「力石」地区を「力石語る会」の望月会長に案内して頂きました。「田舎の江戸と言われている」と聞いた時に、最初は大げさだと思いました。しかし、力石の歴史と今までの動きを聞けば、なるほどなとなりました。
例えば、明治時代は他の地区と一緒にお蚕の生産が盛んだけど、他の地区と違って、絹より、お蚕の卵専門で成功したそうです。そのころからの立派な蔵がまだ残っています。見事です。
現在はハウスの花、特にトルコギキョウの生産がメインです。他の地区もトルコギキョウを育っているが、他の地区と違って、新しい品種、花の色などの研究で色々な発展をしている。その中で、「コサージュグリーン」というのは２００７年の「日本フラワー・オブ・ザ・イヤー」優勝しました。

他には文化財、神仏物、力石の「力石さん」、７不思議など、望月さんが親切に、面白くて案内してくれました。これからは観光客もこのツアーを楽しんで頂けるように定期的に行う計画もしているのでまたお知らせします。

Kamiyamada's "Chikara-Ishi" neighborhood was supposedly known as Edo-in-the-Countryside back in the days. I found that out when I participated in a tour today organized by the city's Agriculture Department's Shikada-san and led by Mochizuki-san, the leader of the Chikara-Ishi Talking Group ("Kataru Kai").
At first I thought comparing to quiet little Chikara-Ishi to Tokyo was a bit outrageous. However, after hearing the area's enterprising background, I started to understand the comparison.
For example, like other areas in Nagano, during the Meiji Era many families in Chikara-Ishi raised silkworms. However, instead of raising them for silk, many successfully specialized in producing eggs to sell to other areas to raise for silk. There are a handful of massive 'kura' storehouses still around today that are remnants of that prosperity.
Even today, the residents work harder to specialize. The main industry now is raising lisianthus flowers in greenhouses. Rather than just growing the flowers, much research and development has been going on to produce new colors and bigger sizes. In 2007, the "Corsage Green" variety that was developed here won the "Japan Flower of the Year" award.

Mochizuki-san also showed us many religious, historical and "amazing" sites. We are working on making his tour available to the public -- will keep you posted!

昨日はこのChihoちゃんと朝５時の座禅に行ってきました。亀清から車で約１５分の所で、「開眼寺」と言うお寺の座禅堂で、お世話になりました。前の日にこの６歳のお子さんに座禅の１－ポイント説明しましたが、大人にも複雑な座禅はどうやって子供が分かるように説明すればよいか、困っていました。特に、座禅の「目的」の事。と言うのは、仏教とキリスト教の違いもあるし。難しいです。

まあ、実際にやってみれば、やはり日常的なストレスや悩み（３９歳の旅館若旦那も、６歳の女の子も悩みがあります）を置いておいて、玉ねぎの皮を一枚、一枚剥いていくのように、ストレスや悩みを１つ、１つおいておく事によって、自分の中心と触れ合える・・・のような結果になる。

今回は座禅が終わってから、住職の柴田さんが誘って頂いて、皆でお寺の本道に行って、お経を上げました。お経の一部を説明して頂いて、そして私も皆と一緒に読みました。私にとっては初めての経験。意味が良く分からなかったけど、雰囲気で何となく分かりました。後で、柴田さんに教えていただいたけど、日本の仏教では元々のサンスクリットの文章が漢字に直されているけど、あいまいの部分があるので雰囲気で分かる・感じるのが一番良いと。なるほど。

その後、お茶を飲みながら、柴田さんが開眼寺の３５０年の歴史を話してくれました。地元の酒倉の和田家が京都から徳川家康のお母さんの兄弟（？）に頼んで、仏像を持ってきてもらった。開眼寺の秘仏です。年に２回、開眼寺なりの御開帳が行うそうです。

座禅：自分の中心と触れ合える；この当地のルーツと触れ合える。ここはどこ、私は誰？これが座禅の目的だと気がします。

Yesterday morning, I went with little Chiho-chan for 5am zazen meditation. We went to Kaigan-ji temple where the priest, Shibata-san, led us in meditation in the zazen-do room especially built for meditation. The night before, I had tried to explain the basics about meditation to Chiho. It's hard enough for adults to understand, let alone a 6 year old child. I compared the idea of peeling away layers of stress and worries to peeling off the layers of an onion. One problem I have in explaining is that Christianity and Buddhism arrive at different answers as to what is at the end of the peeling off process.

After the meditation, we moved to the temple's main building, where Shibata-san led us in a "o-kyou" chant. First he explained some of the lines, and then we chanted them together -- my first time to experience partaking in an okyou. I couldn't grasp the exact meanings, but somehow felt a simple understanding just from the overall mood. Later, Shibata-san explained that the text is a rough translation in Chinese characters of the original sanskrit, so it is not necessary to understand the exact meanings -- a general "feeling" is enough.

Then we gathered for tea, where Shibata-san told us some of the 350 year history of the temple. The local sake brewer, the Wada family, had requested a Buddhist image for the temple to Tokugawa Ieyasu's mother's family. That image is the temple's sacred, secret image which is only displayed twice a year during Kaigan-ji's "gokaicho".

Meditation -- getting in touch with your inner self as well as the land around you. It leads to the answers to those eternal questions: Who am I, and Where am I? Perhaps this is the end goal of Zazen.

千曲市の八幡地区に大雲寺と言うお寺さんがあります。高い石の壁の上に出来ているのでお城のように思われます。回りは桜の機は沢山ありますので春先に咲くときに、その桜の花と石壁、お寺の屋根の瓦が物凄く綺麗なイメージになります。
しかし、このお寺の一番の特徴はこの池の蓮です。通常は７月中旬から８月まで咲きますが、今年は雨のせいで多少遅れました。蓮の花の数が多くて、見事です。実は、お寺にお参りしないので蓮を見て帰る方がいるぐらいにその花が特別です。（見に行けば、一応、お寺にも顔を出してくださいね。

In the Yawata area of Chikuma City, there is a temple called Daiunji. It is built upon a rock wall, giving it the grand appearance of a castle instead of a temple. The blossoms of its cherry trees when they bloom in the Spring provide a pleasing visual contrast to the rock wall and the black "kawara" roof tiles of the temple.
However, Daiunji is actually best known for the huge pond in front of it filled with "hasu" lotus plants. They usually bloom from mid-July to August but this year were a little late due to all the rain. The flowers are so numerous, they make a spectacular sight. So spectacular in fact that some people just go to see the flowers and never enter the temple grounds. If you go see Daiunji's hasu, we do suggest also paying your respects to the temple, too. 🙂

大雲寺の詳しくはこちらClick here for more info on Daiunji

１６００年間は長いですね。想像が付かないぐらいに長い。

それにしても、１６００年前に現在の千曲市の周辺がうんと盛り上がっていたと分かっています。どうやって分かるかと言うと、これだけな大きい古墳があるから。千曲市の森地区に国と県と市が力を合わせて、元々だっただろうの形に綺麗に出来た森将軍塚。
見事に１６００年前の雰囲気をそのまま感じれます。
見事に綺麗に整備されています。作り直されてから１７年が立ていますが、古墳実態及び下にある資料館が良い状態にキープされています。
見事に、お盆の最中に行ったにかかわらず、人がいなかった。私たちが古墳の上に登った時に、貸しきり状態でした。ボランティアガイドさんしかいなかったです。まあ、そのお陰で質問は聞き放題でした。そして、親切に簡単に説明してくれました。有難うございました！

今日は偶々天気の良い日で、偶々夏休み中の子供達が退屈だったので、海外からとまりに来ていたお客さんが私が手伝って作った市の英語のパンフで古墳の事を偶々見て行きたいと言ってきた。本来なら、お盆の忙しさで昼寝したかったところ、代わりに皆を森に連れて行った。

その感動的に歴史のある古墳や、深い青い色の空を見て、生き返りました。

皆様も、１６００年前からの古墳と、信州の自然を見れば、生き返ると思います。

1600 years is a long time. It's impossible for the mind to grasp how long that is.

One thing I can say for sure, though, is that 1600 years ago, this Chikuma City was a happening place. How do I know that? Because of how big the Mori Shogunzuka ancient tomb is. Whose ever tomb it was, he was one major dude who ruled one major chunk of territory. In 1992, the city, along with support by the prefecture and the national government, rebuilt the keyhole-shaped tomb to as it was 1600 years ago.

It's amazing to see ancient history come alive through this tomb.
It's also amazing to see how well the city has kept up the re-made tomb and the explanatory museum below.
It's even more amazing to see how few people come to see it. We went in the middle of the peak O-Bon season, and had the tomb to ourselves. There was just the volunteer guide guy at the top. That meant we could ask away with all of our questions, and he was so kind to give us simple, non-technical answers. (Thanks, Guide-man!)

I was going to take a nap this afternoon -- we've had a series of full days here at the inn thanks to O-Bon. However, seeing our kids laze around on their summer vacation watching TV, and seeing the bright blue sky, and thanks to Reece, our guest from Canada who spotted the Mori tomb in our town's new English brochure, I skipped the nap and piled everyone in the car to check out the tomb. It was more refreshing than a nap would have been. Come and get refreshed yourself at the Mori Shogunzuka tomb.

森将軍塚の詳しくはここClick here for more info on the Mori Shogunzuka

今年の夏祭りは無事に終わりました。県外からお泊りになったお客様からの声で「こんな小さな町にこんな大きくて迫力のある祭りで吃驚した」と。参加する私達がエネルギーの全てを使い尽くしたもの。迫力のある訳だ。妻と二人は今日、へろへろ。ここで祭りの印象を一杯書きたいけど、書く元気もないし、言葉で伝え切れないと思う。代わりに、デンマークから来たお客さんの写真を提供します。Nielsさんは今年で３度目の祭りだ。デンマークからわざわざ来ている訳。上山田温泉夏祭りはそれぐらいな迫力がある。

This year's Kamiyamada Onsen Summer Festival has finally come to an end. Several of our guests that had come from neighboring prefectures to see the festival said they were surprised that this small of a town puts on this big of a festival. I should hope so -- all of us participants put in all of our energy into the event. My wife and I, for example, are completely drained today. Normally, I would write up a report about the festival here in the blog, but not only do I not have the energy to do so, but even if I did, words couldn't do it justice. So, instead, I will put up some pictures from the festival taken by Niels-san from Denmark. This is his 3rd festival. Yes -- he came all the way from Denmark just to see our town's matsuri. It's that impressive of a festival!

上山田温泉の夏祭りの週末です。家族は皆、仕事をしながら祭りにも参加しています。「仕事を休まないで、祭りに出なきゃいけないって、大変ですね」とよく言われます。でも「大変」じゃなくて、「当たり前」と思っています。この温泉に住んでいる限りで、温泉夏祭りに全面的に参加するのは当たり前。

我々家族の祭りの顔の写真を送りします。

This is the weekend of Kamiyamada Onsen's big Summer Festival. Our family participates in the festivities while at the same time running our inn. We often get comments about how most other participants are off of work for the weekend so it must be bothersome for us to have to work at the same time. We don't see it as "bothersome", but rather a "privelege". As long as you we work and live in this onsen town, we participate fully in the festival.

Here are some pictures of our family's participation.

信州戸倉上山田温泉の亀清旅館のHPはこちら Click here for the website of Kamesei Ryokan in Nagano

上山田温泉の夏祭りは水天宮の祭り。元々は千曲川の水が暴れないように神様の為の祭りだそうです。水の神様の為、そのお陰か、必ず雨が降る。今年の祭りは今日と明日なので今朝はやはり、雨です。午後からやむ予定なので、皆様、是非、この迫力のある神やまだ夏祭りにおいでやす。

Kamiyamada Onsen's Summer Festival is for the Suitengu, a water god. Originally it was in the hopes that the waters of the Chikuma River stay within the banks of the river. Nowadays, the levees pretty much take care of that. But the festival is still for the Suitengu, and perhaps because of that, it rains every festival. This year's festival will be held today and tomorrow and, of course, this morning it's raining. But the rain is forecasted to let up for this afternoon. So if you have a chance, come and check out our exciting festival!

亀清旅館の中で、祭りで一番盛り上がるのは普段ならば私です。祭り男で～す!今年の上山田温泉夏祭りは今週末なので、土曜日は私が他の若旦那と一緒に下駄供養してから、上山田神楽保存会の皆と獅子舞で温泉街を回る。そして、日曜日は「どっこいどこいどこい!」・・・祭りのでかい獅子に入る。
でも、今年は私より、妻の方が活躍する。民踊流しの頭です。約５００人の指導をする。本人は緊張しているようですが、私達家族が応援しています。頑張ってください!

Normally when our town's biggest event, the Kamiyamada Onsen Summer Festival, comes around, I'm the one that gets the craziest. I love 'matsuri' (Japanese festivals). This year's festival will be held this weekend. On Saturday, I will be participating in the geta 'offering' ceremony with the other junior innkeepers, then joining the Okagura group to parade through the town doing the lion dance. On Sunday, it will be "Dokkoi-dokoi-dokoi" time, as I will be going crazy inside the huge festival shi-shi lion.
However, this year, my wife Mari will have a bigger role in the festival. She's in charge of the Minyoren dance parade, which means directing upwards of 500 people in a massive dance procession. Mari's a bit nervous, but me and the kids are cheering her on!

上山田温泉夏祭りの詳しくはこちらClick here for details on Kamiyamada Onsen's Summer Festival

７月１８，１９日の上山田温泉夏祭りに向かって、準備が段々と進んでいます。夕べは獅子の練習でした。その「どこい！どこい！どこい！」が耳にずっと残っています。物凄く迫力のアル祭りなので機会があれば、是非見に来てください。私は今年、また獅子に入りますので宜しくお願いします。
（ちなみに、写真に写っているのは私の先輩、亀屋本店の高野さん。今年の若連のトップです。ご苦労様です！）

Preparations for this year's Kamiyamada Onsen Summer Festival (scheduled for July 18th and 19th) are starting to build into a fevered peak. Last night was the main practice for the Shi-shi lion. The "Dokoi! Dokoi! Dokoi!" chant is stuck in my head now. I can't wait for the actual day. It's an energy-filled event -- if you get the chance, definitely come and see it!

(By the way, the guy in the picture is my "senpai", Takano-san from Kameya Honten. He is this year's Waka-Ren top. Keep up the good work!)

グッド・ニュース！戸倉駅に直売りの野菜・果実キオスクが出来ました。地元の農産物を安く手に入れる。他の道の駅で桜ん坊は小さいカップで５００円、戸倉駅の市場で割りといい大きさのパックで３５０円ぐらいでした。そして、トマトは色んな種類、アスパラは緑も紫もあり、美味しそうな野菜はいっぱいありました。戸倉上山田温泉からの帰りの電車にローカルのチェリーはどう？

Good News! A mini Farmers Market has opened up in Togura Station. Good prices on locally grown produce. The other day, I stopped by a "Michi-no-Eki" at another town, and they had a pitifully small cup of cherries for 500 yen. The kiosk at Togura Station had a decent sized pack of cherries for about 350 yen. There were several varieties of tomatoes, purple as well as green asparagus, and a whole lot more yummy-looking fresh veggies. So on your train ride back home after your stay at Togura Kamiyamada Onsen, you can munch on local cherries!

信州戸倉上山田温泉の亀清旅館のHPはこちらClick here for the website of Kamesei Ryokan in Nagano.