Koi feeding and azaleas
亀清旅館の中庭に大きい鯉は何匹がいます。今朝は若若女将の美咲ちゃんがえさをやりました。ツツジのバックグラウンドで、良い風景でした。子供連れのお客様がいれば、そのお子さん達にえさをよくやってもらっています。子供に楽しい思い出になる。
Kamesei's naka-niwa garden has a pond with several koi in it. This morning, our daughter Misaki fed them. It was so cute, especially with the pretty azalea blossoms in the background.
A lot of times we have guests' children feed the fish for us. The kids really enjoy the experience.
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website
'Moto Water Features
松本のダウンタウンをブラっと歩きました。お城の近辺で会議があって、駅から歩いてみました。長野市と違って、歩行者が喜ばせる細かい点が沢山ありますね。歩道でこんな綺麗な水の流れ溝やあちらこちらにぷっち庭、そしてお店の皆は全体的に表面を綺麗にしているように感じました。今度は若女将と本ブラしたくなりました。２人で手をつないで。。。
I strolled around Matsumoto's downtown today. I was in town for a meeting near the Castle, and walked there from the station. There were nice water features and little gardens here and there, and I got the overall impression that the shops here take much more care of their facade then their counterparts in Nagano City. Such a romantic feeling -- next time I want to stroll around holding my wife's hand...
松本のＨＰはこちらClick here for 'Moto website
途中な坂北駅も景色が良い！Sakakita Sta. on the way to 'Moto: Alps View!
佐藤写真家
Cafeクロスロードに行ったら、花の写真展があって、そして写真家の佐藤富男さんの本人もいらっしゃいました。私が一番感動した写真はセツブンソウの大きく写っている写真でした。私も何度もチャレンジしたけど、その可愛いらしい小さい花は特別なマクロレンズが無い限りでなかなか綺麗に写れないです。７月１１にまでに展示の予定です。詳しくはＴｅｌ ０２６－２７２－２６６２．
Today I went to Cafe Crossroad and they happened to have a flower picture display going in their gallery. And the photographer, Tomio Satoh, happened to be there in person. His picture of the teeny setsubunsou flower was magnificent! Gallery Display through 11-July.
夏の大勝館
大勝館の夏の予定のチラシが出来ました。６月は梅田英太郎劇団、７月は劇団龍（ロン）、８月は劇団輝 です。亀清から歩いて４分で昼も夜も毎日２回の公演。割引券も提供いたします。この夏は大勝劇を楽しもう！
The Summer Line-Up for Taisho-Kan has been released. The geisha themed dance and theatrical performance (with many of the performers in drag) plays twice daily: 1pm and 8pm. The theater is only a 4 minute walk from Kamesei, and we sell discount tickets. Try something different this summer -- check out Taisho-kan.
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website
大勝館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Taishokan's website
亀清旅館のそれぞれの庭につつじが沢山咲いています。梅雨のグレーな日につつじの色が明るくて良いけれど、今日みたいな晴れている日につつじの色が特に明るいです。中庭にも、渡り廊下の横の庭にも、あちらこちらにつつじ！
All throughout Kamesei's gardens, azaleas are in bloom. Their flowers' colors are nice and bright during the grey days this time of year (monsoon season). But on a sunny day like this, the azalea flowers are particularly brilliant.
中庭のつつじ
渡り廊下のつつじ
亀清旅館の露天風呂の庭が深緑で青々・生き々してきました。やぐらとの合わせで上から取った写真です。
Kamesei's outdoor bath's garden has entered its deep green stage, and is fully leafed and and full of natural energy. Here is a picture of the bath with the garden and the 'yagura' hot spring well derrick, taken from above.
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website
Guests joining in the dancing
ミシュランの編集の方に戸倉上山田温泉の芸者の件、もう１つ聞かれたのは宴会の時に何が行うのかと。下記のように返事しました。
The Michelin editor asked a 2nd question: What takes place at a banquet with Geisha. Following is the response I prepared:
*What kind of entertainment do Geisha provide at banquets?
Traditional Song and Dance: Usually the Geisha begin their entertainment with songs performed on the banquet room’s stage. There will typically be three ladies: one playing the shamisen and singing, one playing the taiko drums, and one dancing. They generally play two or three songs, such as ‘Chikuma Ko-Uta’, a collection of short songs about the Chikuma River which runs through the middle of our onsen. The flow of the river is poetically linked to love and romance in the lyrics of the songs. Another song is ‘Kapore’, which is an energetic song that raises the spirits of the audience.
Entertaining Conversation: After performing a few songs, the Geisha will then move around the room making conversation with and pouring beer for the guests. At these banquets, the guests are seated on the tatami mat floor and have individual tables called ‘o-zen’. The o-zen are often arranged in a u-shape with everyone facing the center. The Geisha would be in the center and greet each guest one-by-one, top off his glass of beer and make fun, facetious conversation.
Parlor Games: Depending on how the banquet progresses, sometimes the Geisha will engage in parlor games with the guests. The games are often set to shamisen and song. One typical game is a version of rock-paper-scissors with an Oba (grandmother), Tora (tiger) and rifleman. The Rifleman beats the tiger but is subservient to the Oba. The tiger in turn can eat the Oba. In this game, the loser has to drink a glass of beer. Another game is ‘Hide the Flower’ with the Geisha hiding a flower decoration under one of three tea cups and the guest has to guess which cup. Whoever loses has to drink more beer.
In short, if you arrange for a Geisha to come to a banquet, you can expect to be enjoy their traditional song and dance and to be entertained with their charming conversation and fun drinking games, creating a relaxing, pleasurable atmosphere for you and your fellow guests.
Fun conversation with a Geisha
Enjoying Geisha parlor games
蓮で関心
戸倉上山田温泉の上の善光寺別院のお寺さんの池のスイレンが綺麗に咲いています。お坊さんに「なぜお寺にスイレンが多いか」と聞いたら、綺麗な蓮が汚れている水から出る様に、私達の心も日々の世の中の問題から綺麗にすることを表せているそうです。なるほど！
The Buddhist Temple above our town, Togura Kamiyamada Onsen, has a small pond with water lilies that are in bloom now. I asked a monk why so many temples have water lillies. He said that a pure water lily blooming out of the murky pond water is a symbol of how our hearts should be pure despite the doom and gloom of the world around us. That makes me appreciate the beauty of the water lily even more!
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website
2007年度のインバウンドの人数が発表されました。長野の数字は下記です。
長野県 266,260人（人泊） 全国シェア1.22% (15位）
内台湾116,020人(1位),韓国29,840人(2位),中国19,530人(3)
スキー関係でオーストラリア人がもっと多かったと思いましたが、黒部アルペンルートと上高地のトレッキングの影響が大きいそうです。亀清旅館の人数は５月日のブログにて。
The numbers of foreign travellers to Japan in 2007 have been released. Nagano's figures are:
266,260 bed nights, 1.22% of Japan's total (15th place)
Of which, 266,260 were Taiwanese, 29,840 were Korean, and 19,530 were Chinese.
I had assumed there were more Australians due to all the skiers at Hakuba, et al, but apparently the Kurobe Alpen Route and trekking in Kamikochi were big draws.
(Figures courtesy of The Travel News 10-June Issue, page 12. Thanks to staff writer Abe-san. Check out his side biz, bicycle tours in Tokyo, here.)
講師：me
山ノ内町に呼ばれて、観光連盟の総会で講演をいたしました。お猿の温泉のお陰で外国の観光客、特に欧米人、はどういうおもてなしを求めているかとの話でした。この町は観光に対してどれだけ進んでいるか、驚きました。逆に色々と勉強になりました。有難うございました。
Yamanouchi Town invited me to give a speech at their Tourism Bureau Annual Meeting. This town is home to the Snow Monkeys of Jigokudani, which attracts many foreign travelers. My talk was on what these foreigners are expecting when they come to Japan. I was surprised to find out how advanced their Tourism Bureau was, and ended up learning more than I was able to provide them!
