亀清旅館から車で１５分で大手なお野菜屋さんがありまして、今日は私が始めていってみました。「ヤマサン」という名前で信州の新鮮な野菜や果実はたっぷり。詳しくはここ。
About 15 minutes by car from Kamesei Ryokan is a large produce stand called 'Yamasan'. I stopped there for the first time yesterday, and was impressed by their selection of fresh local fruits and vegetables. Back where we lived in Seattle we had a stand nearby like this -- it's comforting to find one here, too!
亀清旅館にお越しになれば、この大工事でびっくりしないでください。メインの廊下のトイレを改造しています。暗くて狭いトイレを明るくて広く作り直してもらっています。大工さんたち、ご苦労様です。（お客様に迷惑が少ないように早くしてくださいね）
If you come see us here at Kamesei Ryokan, don't be surprised by this construction -- we are remodelling the main bathrooms. We are making them brighter and more spacious. I want to thank the carpenters for their hard work (but also ask them to hurry up so we don't inconvenience the guests much longer!)
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan website
デザートは別腹
なぜかこの青い目の若旦那が良く聞かれる：「このお料理も作るの？」と。日本のお料理がこんなに奥深い中で、私が作れる訳が無いですよ。私がうちの板長の作業を見るといつも感動します。手をうんとかけています。
ということで、亀清の料理はうちの板長の作品です。でも、デザートぐらいなら私は自信があります。うちの子供に良く作るし。それで、思いついた：アメリカ風のバナナスプリットサンデー。別注で二人前で1000円でどうぞ！
Often I get asked if I do the cooking at our inn. Japanese cuisine is so complicated, how could I possibly do it? Every time I see our chef preparing a dish, I am impressed by how much work goes into it. So, no, I am not the chef. But when it comes to dessert, I can put a pretty good one together. I practice on our kids all the time. So we came upon the following idea: Special Order Dessert Menu -- American Style Banana Split Sundae. Big enough for two people, for 1000 yen. Come and try it!
No CO2 Udo
信州で環境にやさしく考えている沢山の人の中でオーストリア人の知り合いのＵｄｏさんが特別です。今回は使い終わった油（天ぷら等）を加工して、Ｂｉｏ－ｄｉｅｓｅｌを作って、この軽トラを動かしている。フライドポテトの匂いするけど、ＣＯ２は出ないそうです。Ｕｄｏさん、えらい！
There are many environmentally-aware people here in Nagano, but my Austrian buddy Udo is in a league by himself. His pick-up truck is running on biodiesel. It smells a little like french fries, but puts out no CO2. Way to go, Udo!
The Obasute terraced rice paddies are a 10 minute drive from our inn, Kamesei Ryokan, and our onsen town here of Togura Kamiyamada. The moon reflecting on the individual paddies has been a subject for many haiku and other objects. Click here for a link to info on a woodblock print of Obasute.
亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for Kamesei Ryokan's website
Michelin dancer Takeshi, mismatched with her cell phone 🙂
ミシュランガイドの編集の方に戸倉上山田と千曲市のＰＲをしてきました。渋湯田中温泉の公民館で、１０分間の勝負でした。千曲市の看板川：千曲川と名物山：姨捨山を紹介してから戸倉上山田温泉との芸者の文化の話しました。それで武さんと春駒さんが「千曲小唄」の踊り・歌をしました。ミシュランの方が感動したようで写真も撮りました。そして、姨捨山にも興味があって、「年よりは本当に捨てられてたか？」と聞きました。「お墓は沢山あるし、行けばゴーストが出るよ」と答えたかったが、市役所の方もいましたから正式的の答えをした：７６８年に日本全国の親孝行のトップ９人の内の一人が更級郡の人で、「姨捨山」の伝説が親孝行の話なのでそのつながりが出来たそうです。
まあ、これで二星ぐらいかな？:) (メンションさえされたら嬉しい！）
Today was the big day to make our 10 minute presentation on Togura Kamiyamada Onsen and Chikuma City to the Michelin Guide Japan editor. I talked about our namesake Chikuma River and our famous 'Obasute' mountain, and then explained about our onsen's history and the geisha heritage. Takeshi and Harugoma, two of our most talented geisha, then performed 'Chikuma Ko-Uta' with dance and song and shamisen. I think the editor was impressed, as he took a picture of the dance. He also asked about the Obasute legend -- were old people really thrown away at the mountain? I wanted to answer "Of course! There are lots of graves up there, and ghosts, too!" But a couple of guys from City Hall were there, too, so I had to stick with the official reply: in the year 768, a local man was selected as one of the Top 9 people in Japan for filial piety. As the legend's theme is also filial piety, the connection was made.
I thought the presentation was good for at least two stars. 🙂 (We'll be lucky to even get mentioned!)
Presentation Venue: Shibu Onsen
千曲市の国際室と我が千曲国際交流協会のプロデュースで杏ホールで「千曲万博」は今日、行いました。亀清の宿泊のお客さんも楽しめました。うちの子供達はココナツからミルクを飲むのがヒットでした。
Chikuma City's Int'l Dept. and our Chikuma International Cultural Exchange Assoc. put on the Chikuma Expo in Anzu Hall today. A group of Kamesei Ryokan's guests went, too. Our kids enjoyed drinking coconut milk out of a real coconut the most.
Looks like fun to Andy and Kenny
姨捨の棚田を寄ったら田植えがまだ続いていました。ここの棚田が狭い為に機械じゃなくて、手でやるそうです。保存会になっているので東京からご家族が子供を連れて田植えしに来るスポンサーもいる。姨捨棚田の田植えの時期が見事だ！
We stopped by the terraced rice paddies at Obasute today, and saw an old lady planting the rice seedlings by hand. The paddies are too small to use machines for planting, so volunteer members of the Preservation Society come, some families from Tokyo with their kids in tow, too. The rice planting season at Obasute is one of those magical times here in Nagano.
世の中では色々なややこしい事がありますけど、今回は特に悔しいです。昨日の戸倉上山田温泉旅館組合連合会の理事会（長いな！）で「明日はＪＲの姨捨駅フォトとレインのイベントなので宜しく」と言われて、皆が「はっ、初耳や！」と怒りました。何で観光協会が前もって情報をくれないか？何でＪＲがもっと積極的に連絡しないかい？仕事をしているのかい？という訳で、もう遅いけれど、一応お知らせします：
「姨捨フォトとレイン四季彩号運転」というイベント、長野駅発が本日１１：４４発です。写真展示、観光放送、沿線風景、観光パンフレットプレゼント、観光案内、限定販売、そして「駅からハイキング」です。詳しくはＪＲ東日本長野支社026-224-5310.
At yesterday's Ryokan Assoc. mtg, there was an announcement about JR's Obasute Special Event today. That was the first anyone had heard about it! Why doesn't the Travel Bureau do a better job of getting the word out? Why isn't JR more proactive in announcing these things? Are these guys working?!?!
Anyways, it's probably already too late, but here's the event info:
"Obasute Photo Train SHIKISAI Event", departs Nagano Station at 11:44 today. Photo Display, Travel Guide, Special View Car Train, Free Pamphlets, Original Bento and Souvenir placard, and Train / Hiking Combo. More info at JR East Nagano 026-224-5310.
戸隠のy山口やそばの山口さんが亀清に戸隠の新しいパンフを持ってきてくれました。今年からは英語のパンフも。戸隠に住んでいるフランス人のＳｙｌｖｉｅさん達が欧米人の目で見た戸隠のパンフを作成した。
県外から亀清旅館に起こしになるお客さんで戸隠を回って来はる方が多いです。戸隠のスピリチュアルの自然が感動的です。特に奥社へ行く途中の杉の並び。自然の力が感じれます。忍法センターは子供も親も楽しめるスポットもあり、そしてなんとも、戸隠そば！やはりその場で食べたら一番美味しいです。戸隠を回った後、せっかく信州に来はったから温泉に泊まらないと。。。戸倉上山田温泉の亀清旅館で決まり！ 🙂
詳しくは戸隠観光協会又は亀清旅館にて。
Yamaguchi-san of Yamaguchiya Soba stopped by Kamesei and dropped off Togakushi's new brochures, including new for this year English ones, too. They were designed by Sylvie and Dominic from France who adopted Togakushi as their new home. They designed the English brochure from a Westerner's perspective, rather than just translating the Japanese one into English.
Many of our out-of-prefecture guests drive through Togakushi on their way to Kamesei. The forests and mountains of Togakushi have a certain spiritual aspect to them. I especially like the row of ancient cedar trees on the way to Okusha Shrine. They are hundreds of years old and you can really feel the power of nature in them. The Ninpo Center is a great introduction to the Togakure School of ninjutsu (the way of the Ninja) and is enjoyable by both kids and adults. And, of course, there is Togakushi Soba, which tastes extra good in this environment of fresh air and pristine water.
For more info, contact the Togakushi Tourism Bureau or Kamesei Ryokan.
