長野県のトップ100温泉の調査の難し所の一つは県境を少し超えたら良い温泉もあるのです。長野県はもちろん、温泉で恵まれている国だが、山の一つの違いだけで周辺に他にも、例えば群馬の草津や万座、岐阜県の奥飛騨温泉、富山県の宇奈月温泉、新潟の赤倉温泉の様な本格的な温泉があります。先日長野県の栄村を超えて、新潟県の松之山温泉に行ってみてきました。

松之山温泉は日本三大薬湯の一つです。湯質は塩っぽいで油の臭いがする、特徴的なお湯。（入ってみたら、その「三大薬湯」の事は納得しました！）そして、新潟・長野のこの辺は「雪国」と呼ばれています。今回行ったのは正に雪の世界で、途中の大雪の中の運転で「この先は何があるのだろ」と言う不安でしたが、山奥にこんなに本格的な温泉があって、嬉しかったです。
今回はこの戸倉上山田温泉の旅館青年部の2年に一度の研修会で行って、泊まったのは全国レベルで活動なされている若旦那、柳さんの宿、「ひなの宿ちとせ」に泊まった。松之山温泉を代表できる「月見の湯」のお風呂に入らせて頂きました。大雪の中の屋根付きの露天風呂。日本の温泉文化はやはりいいね！

松之山温泉は我が戸倉上山田温泉から約100㎞、車で約2時間15分です。松之山の代表のイベント、「むこ投げ・すみ塗り」奇祭は毎年1月15日です。それを見てから、長野県の冬を代表して、同じ1月15日に行う野沢温泉の火の祭りも見れます。

In researching Nagano Prefecture's Top 100 Onsens, one thing that I've realized is that several outstanding onsens are being left out because of the arbitrary line made up by the prefectural border. Literally just one mountain away from Nagano are such famous onsens areas such as Kusatsu and Manza in Gunma Prefecture, Oku-Hida in Gifu, Unazuki in Toyama, and Akakura in Niigata. The other day, I went for the first time to one other such neighboring onsen: Matsunoyama in Niigata.

Matsunoyama Onsen is known as one of Japan's Top 3 Medicinal Onsens, and it's mineral waters have a strong salt taste as well as a mild oilly aroma -- definitely unique enough to justify its Top 3 designation to me.

This area of the Niigata/ Nagano border is considered to be Snow Country, and it certainly lived up to its billing the day I went. Driving through thickly falling snow, we were a little nervous that there would be something worthwhile at the end of the road.

And we were not disappointed. I went with my fellow junior innkeepers from our onsen town Togura-Kamiyamada and we stayed at the inn of Yanagi-san, active on the national junior innkeepers association. His inn, Chitose, features "Tsukimi no Yu", an outdoor bath with a hefty roof over it. Practically embedded in deep snow, this one bath seems to represent the best of all of Matsunoyama Onsen.

Matsunoyama is approximately 100km from our onsen town, Togura-Kamiyamada and is approx. 2 hours and 15 minutes by car. Or by train, 25 minutes to Nagano Station and then almost 2 hours on the leisurely JR Iiyama Line to Tsunan Station.
Matsunoyama is also famous for its 'Muko-nage, Sumi-nuri' festival held annually every January 15th. Sons of neighboring towns who have taken local lasses away in marriage (= 'Muko') are thrown ("nage") off a hill, then everyone takes charcoal ("Sumi") and rubs ("nuri") it on everyone else. With a little bit of planning, this festival can be enjoyed in conjunction with Nagano's most famous winter-time festival, Nozawa Onsen's fire festival, held on the evening of January 15th.

ひなの宿ちとせChitose

戸倉上山田温泉から戸隠への電車とバスの時刻表。冬の戸隠が見事に綺麗。この冬は雪がたっぷりあり！

Train and bus schedule from our onsen town Togura Kamiyamada to Togakushi. Wintertime is also great for visiting Togakushi, and there's plenty of snow there this winter!

千曲市在住のＰｅｔｅｒ　Ｎｉｎｎｅｓさんは以前に出版した千曲市のハイキング・ウォーキング・サイクリングのガイドブックのついでに、上田市周辺のガイドブックを出版しました。

13世紀のおたら巡りやパノラマ景色の山登り、全部で16コースの紹介です。日本語が分からない方が回りながら何を見ているか分かるようにできる。尚且つ、英語に興味のある地元の方が馴染みのあるところを英語で表現を習える。

我が亀清旅館で販売しておりますので、どうぞ、買い求めにお越しください。

Fellow Expat here in Togura-Kamiyamada, Peter Ninnes, has released his 2nd Hiking, Walking and Biking Nagano Guide Book. His first was for Chikuma City. This one is for Ueda City and Environs.

From a walk through a series of temples dating back to the 13th century, to serious hikes up to the spectacular 360-degree views from the tops of the area's mountains, this book features 16 different courses.

It is perfect for non-Japanese speakers to get the most out of exploring Ueda, as well as for local Japanese studying English.

We have several copies for sale here at Kamesei Ryokan, so feel free to inquire.

Hiking, Walking & Biking Nagano -- 16 Tours in Ueda City and Environs

先日に子供達を連れてＭ－Ｗａｖｅでワールドカップスピードスケートを見に行った時に、オリンピック記念展示コーナーも見学させて頂きました。

以前に一部を見たけど、こんなに奥深いってびっくりしました。98年五輪で実際使われた道具が沢山展示してあって、選手たちの目線を体験できるものもあって、凄かったですよ。
さあ、クイズタイム:　スキージャンプかスピードスケート、どちらのジャージーが軽いでしょうか？
そして、聖火リレーで使ったトーチの重さは？
こういう事が分かるし、色んなふれあい物もある。私達が一番気に入ったのはボブスレー体験だった。選手目線の映像を見ながらボブスレーに乗ると、カーブの時に自分の体が自然に傾く。

M-Waveに大会を見に行く時、もしくはアイススケートを也路とか、何かのイベントに参加する時に、オリンピック記念展示コーナーも是非、見てください。

The other day I took our kids to M-Wave to watch the World Cup Speed Skating. While there, we checked out the Nagano Olympics Exhibition Corner.

I had seen a bit of the exhibit before, but this was the first time to explore it in depth. And I was pleasantly surprised to see how deep the exhibit is, with plenty of interactive exhibits to get a feel of what the '98 Winter Olympic experience was like.

Okay, quiz time: Which is lighter, a ski jumpers uniform or a speedskaters'?
And, just how heavy is the torch that the runners carry?
Our favorite exhibit was the bobsleigh that sits in front of a video screen showing actual footage from a run down the Spiral, the course used for the Olympics.
As the video shows the bobsleigh careening through the corners, you find your body naturally leaning into the curves.

If you go to M-Wave to see a competition, to go ice skating yourself, or to attend one of the many events held there, be sure to see the Olympics Exhibition Corner, too!

M-Wave
Note: The website has been recently renewed, and in addition to Japanese and English, now features français, 中文（Simplified Chinese), and 한국어 (Korean).

長野県で楽しめる冬スポーツの一つはアイススケート。98年の五輪の為にできたＭ－Ｗａｖｅは最も良いスケート所で、私達家族が時々すべりに行きます。今回は滑りに行ったのではなくて、プロのスケート選手を見に行った。12月8－9日でワールドカップスピードスケートの試合が開催された。全世界からのトップスケート選手達が見れた。

うちの子供達が「見たい！」と騒いだから、連れて行ってみた。自分達が滑りに行く時にスピードスケートを練習している人達がいつもいるけど、プロはやはり違うね。あまりにも早くて写真はほとんど無理だった。

ワールドカップスピードスケート観賞。長野だからこそできた体験。

Here in Nagano, one of the winter sports that can be enjoyed is ice skating. And M-Wave, the ice rink built for the '98 Winter Olympics, is the perfect place to skate. On December 8th and 9th, a World Cup Speed Skating competition was held, and athletes from across the world came to skate.

Our family always goes skating at M-Wave a couple times of year, and there are usually speed skating teams there practicing. But these pro skaters were in a class above what we've ever seen before. They were so fast it was practically impossible to photograph the skaters.

It's such a privelege living in Nagano to be able to see World Cup Speed Skating!

ワールドカップスピードスケート World Cup Speed Skating

M-Wave

長野県は温泉が沢山あって、回り切れない。近場でもまだ行った事がないのがあります。今回はその一つにデビューしました:　戸倉温泉の白鳥園。

白鳥園は我が亀清から歩いて15分の距離なのに、
そして超有名（ＴＤＬとかできる前の時代で遊園地の様な役割だったようで、ご年配の皆は白鳥園の事を懐かしく語る）なのに、
今回は私の初めてだった。

建物は一昔の造りで、実は千曲市が新しい建物を作って、今のを約一年後取り壊す予定だそうです。「今の内じゃないと」と思って、家族で行ってみました。

まずは、温泉評論家臭い印象:

お湯は上山田と似ている単純硫黄泉なので、湯口から流れるお湯はとっても良い香りがする。ただ、湯船は循環で薬を入れているせいか、湯質があまり感じないのは残念だった。

と言っても、温度が入りやすい４０℃前後、湯船はいくつかを楽しめる。代表的な広い内風呂は「マンモス風呂」とも言われているぐらい広い。（３００人が入れるそうです。）でかい岩の露天風呂も快適。後は泡風呂、寝湯と水風呂のもう３つの内風呂もサウナもある。

お風呂上りは
食堂（ニンニクたれの焼き鳥が名物）、
１００円のゲームセンター　（モグラたたきで私が今日のハイスコアが出来た！）、
卓球、
カラオケ、
売店、
色々あります。（それぞれの営業時間が異になるので要チェック）

なおかつ、玄関に岡本太郎の作品がある。天皇陛下は一度、泊まった事があるぐらい。（御本人の使った器が展示されている。）

これは湯質がああでこうでの問題じゃない。白鳥園はトータルのことを考えなきゃいけない。そのタイムスリップの様なトータル。そして、一年後、すべてが新しくなるから今の内ですよ。

（新しくなってからはあのモグラたたきのゲームはどうなるだろう？）

In researching (?) Nagano's Top 100 Onsens, I've come to realize that there are just so many onsens, it's going to be impossible to try them all. There are several here in Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen even that I haven't been to yet. I finally made my "debut" at one of those -- Togura Onsen's Hakuchouen.

Even though Hakuchouen is only a 15 minute walk from Kamesei Ryokan,
and even though it is a legend in these parts (in the era before Tokyo Disneyland, Hakuchouen served as somewhat of an amusement park so all of the old-timers in the area speak fondly of their memories of the place),
this was my first time to experience the legend.

First, my attempt at being an onsen critic:

The onsen water is high in sulfur content, similar to Kamiyada's. So where it comes pouring out into the bath, there is a strong sulfur smell. But the bath water is recirculated so with the chlorine and what-not added, it looses any special "onsen" sensation.

However, the variety of the baths makes up for that. First there is the massive main indoor bath, nicknamed the "Mammoth Bath" (supposedly big enough for 300 people), and an outdoor bath made out of impressively large boulders. But wait, there's more! 3 more indoor baths -- a bubble bath, one where you lay down in, and a lukewarm bath, perfect for dipping in after coming out of the sauna.

And no description of Hakuchouen would be complete without mentioning the extras:
a cafeteria with, besides the regular ramen and donburi fare, features some seriously potent garlic-seasoned yakitori (chicken-on-skewers),
a game center (I got the day's high score on the Whack the Mole game!),
ping-pong tables,
karaoke singing,
a shop selling everything from peanuts to go with your beer to clothes of questionable fashion sense.
(The various areas have different operation hours so double-check once you get there.)
There's even an Okamoto Taro sculpture in the entrance. And to top it off, the emperor once spent the night at Hakuchouen. (They even have the tableware and dishes he used on display.)

Hakuchouen is more than just its onsen water -- you have to consider the total package. The entire time-slip total.

Just be sure to consider it soon -- it will all be replaced in about a year's time.

(What will happen to that classic Whack the Mole game?)

まだまだ、長野のトップ100温泉の研究（？）が続いています。まだまだいい温泉が沢山ある！

今回は長野市松代地区の皆神山の麓にある虫歌の湯に入ってみた。松代の方に「露天風呂からの眺めが綺麗」との事で、勧められた。

温泉評論家っぽい言い方からも知れないけど、虫歌の湯は長野のトップ100温泉に入るかどうか、微妙だと思いました。
大露天風呂の岩と庭が立派だが、側に走る県道35号を少し上れば岩と石がもっともっと立派の十福の湯がある。
奥の露天風呂からの眺めが長野市と善光寺平が見えて良かったけど、塀が邪魔で立たないと見れない。松代から車で約10分走れば、大室温泉「まきばの湯」はもっと本格的な眺めがある。
そして、私が一番気になっている湯質についえ、虫歌の湯のお湯はあまり特徴的じゃない。同じ松代の松代荘と一陽館の鉄分が高いお湯、湯質こそ本格的。
まあ、虫歌の湯の建物と大露天風呂の上の屋根に使っている柱が太くて印象的ですが、全体な事を考えれば更に良い立ち寄り湯た近くにあります。

これはあくまで私の意見です。虫歌の湯のは虫歌の湯の湯でファンが少なくはないどうぞ、入ってみてください。

My research (if you can call it that) of Nagano's Top 100 Onsens continues. This time it was Mushi-Uta no Yu in Nagano City's Matsushiro district. Located at the foot of Mt. Minakami (rumored to be a pyramid visited by UFO's), Mushi-Uta no Yu overlooks Nagano City and the Zenkoji Plain. Several acquaintances who live in Matsushiro recommended Mushi-Uta for its view.

Mushi-Uta literally means "the insects' song". It refers to Matsushiro's roots as a silkworm growing area. Children used to hear the cries of the silkworms struggling to break out of their cocoons and had a statue dedicated to Kannon (the Goddess of Mercy) built nearby.

Not that I'm an onsen critic, but here is my arguably critical take on Mushi-Uta no Yu:

The large outdoor bath is massive, and features huge boulders and a garden. However, just 10 minutes further up Route 35 is Juppuku no Yu whose outdoor bath features even more impressive boulders and a much more complete garden.
The highly-touted view from the outdoor bath overlooking the valley turned out to be disappointing, as you had to stand up to enjoy it due to fence blocking the view. About 10 minutes north of Matsushiro is Omuro Onsen's Makiba no Yu has a much more panaromic view of the valley.
For me, the most important part is the quality of the onsen water, and that was the biggest disappointment -- Mushi-Uta's mineral content is rather bland and the baths are recirculated. Which is a shame, because also in Matsushiro is Matsushiro-sou and nearby Ichiyoukan whose iron-rich mineral water makes for an unforgettable onsen experience.

One thing Mushi-Uta has going for it is the impressive timbers used in the construction of the bathhouse and the shelter over the main outdoor bath. Overall though, with so many better onsen options in the area, Mushi-Uta needs more than just cool columns.

But don't take my word for it. Mushi-Uta has lots of fans -- go check it out yourself.

虫歌の湯 Mushi-Uta no Yu

信州高山村の山田温泉に公衆浴場「大湯」があります。
村のＨＰによると、「大湯は、開湯２００年の歴史をもつ古湯に、桃山風建築の堂々としたたたずまいが温泉情緒を醸し出しています。」
今の建物は外から見れば２００年ではなくて、最近に出来た様に見えました。しかし中に入ったら、本格的でした。

私の山田温泉「大湯」の初体験:
裸になって、浴場に入ったらまずは掛け湯。しかし、どこでやるかは悩んじゃう。シャワーとか蛇口は一切ない。奥の壁に面白い木造の配管っぽい所があって、木の板を上げらばお湯が出るかな？
「板を前に引っ張って」と天使（＝地元のおじさん）が言ってくれました。お蔭で、やっと掛け湯。
さあ、今度はお風呂にザボって。湯船は「あつ湯」と「ぬる湯」の２つに分けてある。ぬる湯が苦手で、あつ湯から入ろうとしたら、４５℃ぐらいで暑くて入れなかった！
また天使に救われた：「ぬる湯にまず入って、慣れなっきゃ」と。
なるほど。ぬる湯に入りなおすと、最適な４１℃じゃないですか？何が「ぬるい」かい？

伝統的な木造の作りで屋根が吹き抜きになっていて、これは本格的な温泉だな。お湯も硫黄の香りがプンプンとして、本物の温泉お湯。

皆さんの長野温泉巡りで、山田温泉「大湯」はお勧め。

In Nagano's Takayama Village in the foothills east of Nagano City is a small collection of onsen ryokans called Yamada Onsen. In the center is a public onsen bathhouse called "O-Yu" (which loosely translates as the 'Main Bath'). According to the village's website, a bathhouse has been at this spot for 200+ years. The current building is built in a traditional manner and visitors are in for a very authentic 'onsen' experience.

My first experience of Yamada Onsen's O-Yu went like this:

After getting naked and entering the bathing room, as always the first thing I wanted to was rinse off before soaking. Which posed a problem, as there was nothing even resembling a shower. On the far wall was a wooden contraption with funky wooden levers. I thought if I lifted the lever out, water to wash with would come out. No joy.

Then an angel (read, "local regular user old guy") spoke: "Pull the lever forward." Ahh, water to rinse with!

Next was to soak. There onsen baths were divided into an "Atsu-Yu" hot bath and "Nuru-Yu" cool bath. I personally don't like Nuru-Yu's, so I hopped into the Atsu-Yu.

Or, I should say, I tried to hop into the Atsu-Yu. It was a scaulding-hot 45 deg C.

Again, the angel: "Try the Nuru-Yu first to get your body used to the hot temperature."

Ahh. Okay, 2nd attempt, the Nuru-Yu. It turns out, it's a perfect 41 deg C., nothing "cool" about it. Apparently people here have a unique definition of what constitutes a cool temperature.

The bathhouse's traditional construction with a raised, vented central ceiling to let the onsen mist out, the onsen water with a strong sulfur content,
Yamada Onsen's O-Yu makes for an authentic onsen experience.

If you make an onsen-hopping trip to Nagano, I highly suggest stopping at Yamada Onsen's O-Yu.

山田温泉「大湯」Yamada Onsen "O-Yu"

ちなみに、仲間のＰｅｔｅｒさんが「長野トップ１００日帰り温泉」の英字本を書いているので、私が手伝っています。まあ、温泉巡りが「手伝い」と言えるかどうか分かりませんが、今回は温泉のセミナーに行く途中で少し余裕があって、この山田温泉の大湯に入りました。

By the way, my buddy Peter is writing a book on the Top 100 Onsens of Nagano. I am helping with the research (if you can call onsen-hopping 'helping'). This time I was headed to an onsen seminar and had just enough time to enjoy stopping at Yamada Onsen's O-Yu.

Peter Ninnes' books

橋がある。

そして、信州高山村の高井橋がある。

紅葉の時期は高井橋と背景の松川渓谷が長野県を代表できるような風景になります。高井橋の赤い色と松川渓谷の楓の黄色い葉っぱは絵の様な景色になる。

温泉についての研修会の為に山田温泉郷に行きました。ちょうどその赤い高井橋を通りましたが、渡ってから県道６６道に左折して、ちょっと下ったらこの写真を撮れた景色スポットがあります。

通常は松川渓谷の紅葉が１０月中旬から下旬までですが、今年は少し遅れて、この様に１１月上旬まだ綺麗でした。

There are bridges, and then there is the red Takai-Hashi Bridge in northern Nagano's Takayama Village.

During the fall, the brilliant red color of Takai-Hashi combined with the gorgeous yellows of the Matsukawa Ravine maple trees makes for one of Nagano's most iconic fall scenes.

I drove up to Takayama Village (not to be confused with Hida-Takayama in Gifu Prefecture) for an onsen seminar, and was fortunate to be able to see this most famous fall foliage setting. Normally the trees of Matsukawa Ravine change color in mid- to late-October but this year the leaves changed later than normal, and were still this beautiful in early November.

Takayama Village's Matsukawa Ravine

高峰山の登山の帰り、高峰温泉ランプの宿のお風呂に立ち寄り湯しました。日本秘湯を守る会に入っているとお聞きして、期待していました。

結果は？

期待以上、良かったです。

２０９２ｍ高峰山と２２０２ｍ水の塔の間の尾根という思い切り「秘湯」的な位置。宿の名前通り、所々にランプが置いてあって、風情のある宿。お風呂場にもランプがかかってあって、なかなかユニーク。温泉の泉質は含硫黄・カルシウム・ナトリウム・硫酸で、源泉の温度はぬるい35.6℃なので、そのままのぬる風呂一つと、加温しているお風呂一つ、合計二つの湯船の男・女の2ヶ所。宿泊者は更に広い内風呂2つと「雲上の野天風呂」１つを使えるそうです。私達が入れたお風呂からの眺めは周りのカラマツ林が見れて、ちょうど紅葉見風呂となっていました。

山々の大自然の中の場所。ランプと言う魅力のあるテーマ。硫黄の香りした良いお湯。高峰温泉ランプの宿はお勧めが出来る温泉宿です。

On the way back down from the summit of Takamine Mountain, we stopped at the solitary ryokan at Takamine Onsen, nicknamed "Lamp Inn", for a bath.

Located on a shoulder ridge between 2092-meter Takamine Mountain and 2202-meter Mizunotou Peak, Lamp Inn is about as isolated as you could possibly get. Hence it is well-deserving of its "Secluded Hot Spring Inns of Japan" designation. The inn's namesake oil lamps are everywhere you look in the inn, giving it a unique touch.

There's even a lamp in the onsen baths, too. The lamp is not in any way a 'gimmicky' touch, as no gimmicks are necessary to justify these onsen baths. The onsen water's mineral content consists of sulfur, calcium, sodium and sulfuric acid, with an overall hearty sulfur smell to it. The source is only 35.6 degrees Celsius, and one of the baths is fed directly from the source (making for a less-than-luke-warm bath), the other from onsen water that has been heated, resulting is a more comfortable 39~40 degrees Celsius.

Guests that spend the night at the inn are treated to two even larger indoor baths, as well as their 2000-meter high panaroma view outdoor bath.

Our bath's view was more of the larch tree forest, which was in brilliant fall colors when we were there.

With its remote mountainous location, excellent onsen water, homey "lamp" theme, Takamine Onsen is one ryokan I can highly recommend.

高峰温泉ランプの宿 Takamine Onsen