千曲市の皆様、ご迷惑をかけいます。
今週は千曲市会議員の選挙の応援活動をやっています。もう１人の若旦那のサポートです。私が始めて日本に来た時に、選挙車がうるさくて迷惑だと言う印象を受けました。まっさか私はこうやって乗るようになると思わなかった。。。
All this week I am helping out one of my fellow ryokan owners in his campaign for city council. When I first came to Japan, I thought these campaign sound trucks were obnoxiously loud. I had know idea that one day I would be riding in one!
千曲市がこんなに広いんだ！（休憩所）
Ahh! Gelato!
暑くなってきました！見事に、戸倉上山田温泉にジェラート屋さんがあります：ラヴニール。息子達と行って来ました。冷たくて美味しい！
It's starting to get hot out. Thank goodness, there is a gelato shop here in Togura Kamiyamada Onsen: L'Avenir. I took our two sons there. The gelato was refreshingly cold!
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website
ラヴニールのＨＰはこちらClick here for L'Avenir website
廊下の壁を綺麗に
亀清の廊下の壁が大分傷んでいました（我が息子達の影響もあったかもしれません）。今日は来るその業者に頼んで、塗り壁を落としてクロスを貼りなおしてもらいました。話を聞くと、洋紙を重ねって貼るけど日本は防火関係で紙は端を合わせて貼るそうです。壁クロスにも日米関係だ！
The walls of Kamesei's main hallway have gotten pretty beat up (due in no small part to our rambunctious sons). Today, we had a pro come in and take off the applied wall and put on wallpaper. He told me that Western Wallpaper was applied with the edges overlapping. In Japan, though, that's considered a fire hazzard, to the paper here is designed to be applied with the edges lined up with each other. Even in wallpaper, East and West differ!
Look, purple rice!
亀清旅館の売店で紫米を売っています。クロスロードと言う身体障害者の為の施設が作っています。古米の一種で普通のお米にちょっとだけ入れたら全部が紫になります。
そこまで私が分かっていました。この間は近場の田んぼで、いつもの緑色の中で紫の色もあって、びっくりしました。考えてみれば、紫米の稲も紫だと言うことが当たり前です。でも、始めた見ると驚きますよね！
At our little sales counter here at Kamesei Ryokan, we sell Purple Rice. A local facility for mentally impaired people produces it. It's an ancient strain of rice, and when you add a little bit with normal rice when you cook it the whole thing turns purple.
That much I knew. The other day, I happened to see a rice paddy nearby that, among the normal green rows, had some dark purple rows, too. If you think about it, it makes sense that purple rice would have purple stalks, but it was still surprising to see it for the first time!
親戚からこの赤いユリを頂きました。そして、違う親戚から頂いた松代焼きの花瓶で飾りました。ユリの元気な色と松代焼きの落ち着いた色の合わせがなかなかいいですね。亀清旅館のあちらこちらに旬の花が飾ってありますので見においでやス。
One of our relatives gave us these red lilies, and we placed them in this Matsushiro-style pottery vase that was given to us by another relative. The vibrant colors of the lilies provide a sweet contrast to the subdued auroraborealis-like colors of the Matsushiro-yaki.
Seasonal cut flowers are displayed here and there throughout Kamesei -- we hope you come and take a look!
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website
Campaigning to the fireflies (don't ask...)
この１週間は千曲市会議員の選挙の応援活動をやっています。アメリカの大統領の選挙みたいに何年間かからなくて良いけど、その代わりにＣａｎｄｉｄａｔｅの名前を皆に認識してもらうのに１週間しかないと言うのは逆に短すぎない？どちらが良いかとは言えません。取り敢えず、応援活動を頑張ってまいります。
All this week I will be helping out with a colleague's campaign for City Council. I'm glad the campaign process doesn't take months like it does in the U.S. (or years as in the case of the presidential election), but Japan's campaing limitations are way too short. If you only have 1 week to get your name out, you're forced to use the obnoxious campaign sound cars. I can't say which system is better. But I don't have time to worry about it -- I have to get out there again and campaign!
New roof at Chorakuji
週末にお客さんを連れて姨捨の長楽寺によりました。ひとつな建物の屋根がずっと工事中でしたが、今回に見たら工事が完成でした。萱の屋根の材料や技術者がほとんどない中で、こんな素敵な屋根が出来たのは大したものだ！周辺の姨捨駅でＪＲの特別スイッチバック列車を見に来ていた人たちに長楽寺にも足を運んでもらいたかった。
Last weekend I took a guest to see the Chorakuji Temple. One of the buildings' roofs had been under construction for the longest time, but is now finally finished. The thatched roof is spectacular, especially considering thatch is hard to come by, as well as carpenters who know how to do it.
There were lots of people at nearby Obasute Station taking photos of JR's special Switchback train -- I wish some of them had come to see Chorakuji, too.
Moon Viewing Temple Chorakuji
チラシ貼り Posting bills
選挙権が無いし、政治的な事を避けたい私はそれでも旅館仲間の市会議員の選挙手伝いで７階も呼ばれています。夏祭りも重なっている忙しい時期ですが、千曲市に戸倉上山田温泉の代表を是非応援したいと思っています。
I don't even have voting rights here, and personally try to stay away from politics, but I've been asked to help out with one of my fellow ryokan owner's election campaign for city council. We do need a representative of our onsen on the council, so I'm trying to help out as much as I can, even though the election coincides with preparation for our summer festival! When am I going to have time to clean our mineral baths? 🙂
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website
At the Send-Off party
Firefly in Andy's hand
我が息子がいきなり「蛍を見に行きたい」と今晩、言い出しました。上山田の奥の方の知り合いに電話したら、協和地区の蛍祭りが７月７日だと分かりましたのでちょっと早かったけど取り敢えず行ってみました。小ぶりの雨の中で蛍は２１匹も数えました。
明日の祭りは祭りというより、近所のおじさん達がお酒を飲む為の様な集まりですが、人数より蛍の数が多いからそから中のちゃんとした祭りより楽しめますよ！
Our son asked for us to take him to go see fireflies tonight. I called an acquaintance who lives in rural Kamiyamada, and he advised their local Firefly Festival will be held tomorrow 07-July. We went to check it out anyways, and in the light rain found 21 fireflies.
The 'Festival' is more an excuse for local 'ojisan' to gather and drink sake. But there will likely be more fireflies than people, which is better than most of those official firefly festivals out there.
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website.
千曲市蛍情報はこちらClick here for Chikuma City firefly info
夜の松本城
夕べは会議のために松本に行きましたので終わってから松本のダウンタウンをぶらぶらしました。ライトアップのお城も綺麗ですし、本町の橋の周辺のモダンな建物やガス等が素敵でした。Ｏｌｄ Ｒｏｃｋと言うパブで食事したので久しぶりにＧｕｉｎｎｅｓｓを飲めた。松本はやはりお洒落だね。
但し、最後で駅の前に中国のお姉さんに「マッサージをかけますか？」と言われなくても良かったですけど。。。
Last night I was in Matsumoto for a meeting. Afterwards, I strolled around the downtown area. The castle is so pretty lit up at night, and the modern architecture and gas lamps around the Honmachi bridge were an elegant combination. And I found out the Old Rock Irish Pub pulls a very drinkable Guinness. All in all, a very good evening, except for being asked about a massage by the Chinese lady in front of 'Moto Station...
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website.
Old Rockの情報はこちらClick here for info on Old Rock
松本の観光のＨＰはこちらClick here for 'Moto Sightseeing website.
本町のお洒落 Honmachi Elegance
As good a shamrock as any
