「戸倉上山田温泉が終わった」?!の大喧嘩 Fight over Togura Kamiyamada Onsen being Finished

June 5, 2012: 青い目のおもてなし This American’s Omotenashi

Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen -- Too much visual clutter?

先日の日本温泉地域学会の松代荘学会で、温泉関係の色んな方と出会いました。実はその一人と大喧嘩してしました。大学の教授先生でした。こういう会話でした:

先生: 戸倉上山田はどう?

私: 大好きだからこそ、引っ越ししてきた。

先生: 戸倉上山田が駄目だ。もう終わってる。

私: ?!?!

先生: 温泉街のおもてなしがない。

それから3つな例が出ました:

1.道に歩道がない。車がはしているから歩行者に危ない。

(確かに、いつかは温泉街を通行止めの歩行者天国にしたいと言う夢はあるけど、何十年前のピークに夜は下駄の音だ町中に響いたころにも歩道がなかったけど、問題は特になかった。)

2.空は電線だらけ。地下にしないと見苦しくて駄目。

(旅館組合が年々に市に頼んでいるけど、そのお金は?)

3.旅館と一般商店・住宅が混じっている。ゾーニングしろ!

(人の生活の匂いがあるからこそ、魅力を感じると私が思いますが…)

私: 先生は机に座って教科書を相手にしている世界に入っているけど、現場に入ってみ。町興しはどれだけ難しいか。

その後、学会のリーダーと話して、「やばい。今の先生と喧嘩してしまいました」と言ったら、「良いんだよ。私も彼とよく喧嘩するよ。」

そんなもんか?

At the The Regional Science Association of Spa, Japan conference held in Matsushiro, I had the opportunity to meet so many onsen fans. Unfortunately, I got into an argument with one of them, a university professor, no less. Our conversation went like this:

Professor: What do you think of Togura-Kamiyamada?

Me: I like it enough to have moved here.

P: That place is finished. The town doesn't put any effort into providing guests with good experiences.

His 3 examples are as follows.

1. No sidewalks. You can't go for a stroll 'cuz you'd get hit by a car.

(One of my long-term dreams is to make the onsen core a car-free pedestrian zone. But even at the town's peak 30 years ago when there were thousands of people out clip-clopping in their wooden geta sandals, there were no car-related accidents.)

2. All those electrical poles and wires clutter up the sky.

(Every year, our ryokan association petitions the city to put the wires underground. But no budget!)

3. Ryokans next to houses next to shops -- there needs to be better zoning!

(Personally, I like the fact that so many regular people live and work here. That's one of the draws about Togura-Kamiyamada -- it's not just a cold museum.)

Me: Professor, you've been sitting behind a desk reading text books too long. Do you know how hard it is to be on the actual ground level pushing for civic improvement?

Afterwards, I admitted to one of the organizers that I'd gotten into the argument. He told me not to worry, that he often has fights with that professor, too.

Ahh, now I see!






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