戸倉上山田温泉にいよいよ桜が咲いてきました♪
写真はカラコロ足湯の公園のしだれ桜。
やっと春が来た！
It's cherry blossom time here at our onsen town Togura-Kamiyamada!
Pictured is the 'shidare-sakura' (weeping cherry tree) at the Kara-koro Footbath park in the center of our town.
Spring has finally come!
Transportation Guide to the Jigokudani Snow Monkeys for 2013 Spring/Summer/Fall
地獄谷野猿公苑のスノーモンキーは相変わらず、人気があります。亀清旅館・戸倉上山田温泉から楽で日帰りで行ける。車なら亀清から野猿公苑の登り口まで高速で約1時間。電車なら色んな乗換方法があるので一番便利なのをまとめて、この表を作りました。
春は赤ちゃんが生まれるのでスノーモンキーは雪がなくても見るのは楽しい♪
The famous "Snow Monkeys" of Jigokudani Wild Monkey Park are as popular as always. Going to see the monkeys is an easy day trip from Kamesei Ryokan and our onsen town, Togura-Kamiyamada. By car, it only takes an hour from our inn to the trailhead. By public transportation, it can be a bit confusing. To make sense of it all, I compiled this list to get from our local Togura Station, changing at Nagano Station to reach the trailhead at Kambayashi. From there, it is a pleasant 30 minute walk through a beautiful evergreen forest.
There doesn't need to be snow to enjoy the snow monkeys. Especially with the babies being born in Spring, the monkeys are fascinating to watch in the green season as well!
Detailed information about the Jigokudani snow monkeys, their social composition, habitat and more available on the park's official website:
地獄谷野猿公苑 Jigokudani Wild Monkey Park
4月4日に私ども亀清の家族で入学式は2つもありました：
長男のアンディー君が戸倉上山田中学校に、
長女の美咲ちゃんが上山田小学校に、
入学しました。
(二男のケネス君は小学校5年生になった。）
段々と成長する亀清の家族♪
(ちなみに、美咲ちゃんのランドセールの色はカラフルで可愛いでしょう。昔は男子が黒、女子が赤だったらしいけど、今年の上小に入学した女子で赤は一人しかいなかった。お相撲の褌は昔に全員が黒だったところで今は様々の色って事と一緒。日本と言う国も成長して来たね。）
Our family here at Kamesei Ryokan celebrated two school commencements on April 4th:
Andrew entering Togura-Kamiyamada Middle School,
and Misaki entering Kamiyamada Elementary School.
(Our middle son, Kenneth, is now a 5th grader at Kamiyamada Elementary.)
Our family is growing up!
(As a side note, elementary school students in Japan get a 'landsel' backpack as a 1st grader, and use it for 6 straight years. Back in the days, boys had black ones, and girls red. But as the color of Misaki's backpack indicates, the trend today is for a wider variety of colors. In fact, only 1 girl in this year's Kamiyamada Elementary 1st grade class had a red one. It reminds me of how all the sumo wrestlers used to all wear black fundoshi loincloths, but now each has a different color. Japan as a country is also growing up!)
Apricot Blossoms in Bloom!
杏の花の可愛らしい薄いピンク色、
春晴れの青空、
遠くの雪をかぶっている北アルプスの白い色
信州の長くて寒い冬を我慢する価値がありました。
千曲市森地区、日本一のあんずの里のあんずまつりは本格的に行われています。
小学校の入学した美咲ちゃんをお祝いで連れて、4日に二人で花見しました。まだ７分咲きでしたが、４日と５日の晴れで週末を向かってきっと満開になるだろう。
２０１３年のあんずまつりは４月２１日までの予定で、
注目のライトアップは4月12日(金)～14日(日) 18：00～21：00で場所があんずの里スケッチパーク。
今年はビッグニュースで何と天皇陛下もあんずまつりに来ることとなっています。Yahoo!ニュースにも載っていますが、４月中旬にお越しになるそうです。
あんずの里の花を見たい皆様には是非、今年が最適です。天皇陛下にも会えるかも！
The soft pink of the apricot blossoms,
The clear blue of the spring sky,
The white of the snowcapped Japanese Alps in the distance...
Chikuma City's Mori "Apricot Village" Apricot Blossom Festival is in full swing.
Our daughter Misaki just entered elementary school, and as a reward I took her for a drive to Mori to see the apricot blossoms. They were about 70% in bloom, but with warm weather predicted for the 4th and 5th, they should be in full bloom for the weekend.
The 2013 Apricot Blossom Festival is scheduled to continue through April 21st with the light up at Sketch Park to take place on the evenings of the 12th through the 14th.
And this year, Japan's Emperor and Empress are scheduled to make a visit. Yahoo! News reports the two will come in mid April.
So for all of you that have been wanting to come see the famous Mori apricot blossoms, this is the year -- you may meet the Emperor, too!
あんずまつり情報 Official Apricot Blossom Festival News
天皇陛下のあんず花見情報 News on the Emperor's Visit to Chikuma City
With snow-covered Takatsuma and the Japanese Alps in the background
Apricot Blossoms -- perfect for a stroll
Don't Forget the Apricot Soft Ice Cream あんずソフトもお勧め！
Chikuma City's new official brochure, with a coverphoto of an onsen bath that looks familiar...
千曲市観光協会の新しい通年パンフが出ました。表紙は四季に合わせて4つの写真:
紅葉の長楽寺、
雪景色の姨捨「田毎の月」棚田
森「日本一あんずの里」の杏の花
そして、一番でかくのは戸倉上山田温泉のある旅館の露天風呂と庭。
あれっ？我が亀清旅館の貸し切り露天「しなの風呂」じゃないですか？
亀清のお風呂が千曲市の代表のお風呂？！
勿論、嬉しいけれども吃驚しました！
この写真実体はいつ撮られたか、
そしていつの間にか表紙に載ったか、
不思議でしょうがない。
特に、私が観光協会のこのパンフを作成する委員会に入っている… 偶々欠席した会議で決められたのかな？
という事で、市の新しいパンフが出ましたので何方かご要望があればお送りしますのでどうぞ、ご連絡を下さい。
そして、千曲市の代表のお風呂をこれからもしっかり守って行きます！
Chikuma City's Tourism Bureau released the newest Guide Book brochure for the city. The cover has 4 pictures representing our city's four seasons:
Fall leaves at Choraku-ji Temple,
Snow-covered terraced rice fields at Obasute,
Apricot blossoms from Mori "Apricot Village"
and, a outdoor bath and garden of one of the ryokans in Togura Kamiyamada Onsen.
Hey, wait a minute,
That's Kamesei Ryokan's new outdoor family bath, "Shinano-buro"!!!
While of course I'm elated our bath was chosen to represent the city on the cover of the brochure,
I'm a bit surprised as to who/what/when the picture was taken, and how our bath's picture got chosen for the cover. Especially as I am on the committee that makes the brochure. I missed one meeting, and that must be when the decision was made.
Anyways, we now have the new brochures available for anyone that is interested, and we will now work doubly hard to make the best out of Kamesei's Shinano-buro, now that it represents the entire city!
Great Essay by Mayumi Yamazaki-san in the April 2013 issue of All Yomimono
温泉エッセイストの山崎まゆみさんは2月に亀清旅館に泊まりに来て頂きました。その時に一緒に食事も取れて、二人で温泉のことなど色んな話で盛り上がった。その時にまゆみさんは少し含み笑いしているかなと感じました。文藝春秋の月刊「オール讀物」4月号で分かりました： その話からまゆみさんの頭の中でエッセーが生まれて来ていた。
と言う訳(？)で、今月のオール讀物に「温泉のひみつ～青い目の若旦那」というストーリが載っています。「祈りを込めて作られた風呂」とか日本旅館のおもてなし「マジック」など、面白い話ばかり。「私がそんなきつい事を言ったっけ？」と言う部分もあるけど、でも全体的にまゆみさんがこの青い目の若旦那の思いをうまく表現してくれました。
嬉しい限りです♪
Back in February, onsen essayist Mayumi Yamazaki-san came and stayed at Kamesei Ryokan. It was such a pleasure to be able to host her, and the two of us had some great conversation about onsens and life and working on promoting our various projects. At the time, I sensed something else was going on in the corner of her lips when she smiled. Now, thanks to the April issue of The All Yomimono magazine, a sort of monthly Readers Digest in Japan, I realized what was going on: An idea for a magazine article was taking shape in Mayumi-san's head.
Hence this story entitled: "An Onsen Secret: The Blue-Eyed Innkeeper". Mayumi-san wrote about several episodes in my life here as an American proprietor of a traditional Japanese inn, such as building an outdoor bath by hand in honor of Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen's over 100 years of history, and how a ryokan's 'omotenashi' service comes across as magic. Some of the things she mentioned strike me as being a bit severe, but overall she did a great job of capturing the essence of my life here.
Mayumi-san, thank you for the great essay!
2013 Sakaki Rose Festival
戸倉上山田温泉の隣の坂城町にさかき千曲川バラ公園があり、毎年はばら祭りが開催される。２０１３年の予定の情報が入りましたのでお伝えします:
2013年坂城町ばら祭り
6月1日(土)～6月16日(日)
さかき千曲川バラ公園
250種・2000株は千曲川沿いのバラ公園でその甘い香りと美しい姿を楽しめる。
地元ねづみ大根のおしぼりうどんや
地元チョコレート工場「ロビーニア」さんの美味しいチョコなどの屋台もある。
私と磨利ちゃんのお勧めのデートスポット： 坂城ばら祭り
Neighboring Sakaki Town is home to a wonderful rose garden that features an annual rose festival. The dates for 2013 have been announced, as follows:
8th Annual Sakaki Rose Festival
June 1st to the 16th, 2013
Sakaki Chikuma River Rose Garden
250 varieties and 2000 plants fill the air with their lovely scent.
There will be several booths set up including one serving the local specialty "Oshibori Udon" and one selling sweets from the nearby Lobenia Chocolate Factory.
The Sakaki Rose Festival is one of Mari's and my favorite outings for a date -- highly recommended!
さかき千曲川バラ公園 Sakaki Chikuma River Rose Garden
日本の小学校６年生の教科書に森将軍塚古墳が出るそうです。この貴重な復元された１６００年前からの古墳が戸倉上山田温泉から車で約２０分で、温泉にお越しになる際ついでに寄るのに便利。
そして、ちょうど森「日本一あんずの里」のあんずまつりやゴールデンウィークに合わせて、４月２日（火）から５月１２日（日）まで特別な企画展の予定がある。
「森将軍塚古墳の発掘調査と復原整備」が開催される。
森将軍塚古墳がどのように発掘調査をされ、復原整備され、
作られた当時の姿によみがえったのかの紹介だそうです。
注: 晴れている日なら古墳の上からの善光寺平の眺めがすごい！
Every Japanese schoolchild learns about the Mori Shogunzuka in their 6th grade textbooks. This recreated 1600-year old burial mound is only a 20 minute drive from our onsen town, Togura-Kamiyamada.
And just in time for this year's Mori "Apricot Village" apricot blossom festival as well as the Golden Week Holiday season, the museum at the base of the 'kofun' mound will be showing a special presentation of the work that went into recreating the mound. The presentation will take place from April 2nd to May 12th, 2013.
And as an added bonus, if you go to the mound on a clear day, you will be treated to a spectacular view of the Zenkoji Plain.
Seductive Big Island
長野に見れない景色： 黒砂海岸にココナッツ。
ハワイ島は約１週間しか滞在しなかった。
「一週間も滞在したか？」と言われそうですが、やりたい事が多くて一か月間でも足りない様な気がした。最後の日はサーフィンをやってみたが、ハマってしまいました。思い切りハワイ島ファンになりました。
取り敢えず、信州に戻って、訪ねる皆様が信州ファンになって頂くように努力する事！
A coconut on a black sand beach.
This is a sight we can definitely never see in Nagano.
Our stay in Hawaii was just one week, but even a whole month wouldn't have been enough. There was so much to see and do. On our last day, I got to try out surfing -- and I'm hooked! The Big Island did a great job of seducing me to its charms.
Now it's back to Nagano, and back to my job as an innkeeper, trying to seduce our guests to Nagano's charms!
Surfin' with my li'l brother
My specialty -- cramming lots of cars into a small space
ハワイの弟の家でその息子の１歳の誕生日パーティーがあった。７０人ぐらいで大騒ぎだった。
車も大勢で来たので、私が駐車係りになった。
亀清旅館の若旦那として沢山の車を狭い所で整理するのは慣れているけど、今回の作業でショックがあった。
車の大きさの違いではなく(確かにアメリカで馬鹿でかい車が多い！）、
そのショックはあるお客さんが「車を遠く置かないでください」と言った。ワンちゃんとか貴重品が入っていると思ったら、「鉄砲が入っているから」と。
私は亀清旅館でお客様の車を何千台直した中で「鉄砲がある」と一度も言われた事がない。
自分で言うのは変かもしれないけど、アメリカは変わっている国だな。
During our stay in Hawaii, my brother held a birthday bash for his 1-year old son. About 70 people showed up, and I was in charge of parking the cars.
Now, I do a lot of valet parking here at Kamesei Ryokan, so I am used to cramming lots of cars in a small space. But despite all of my experience, I still had a bit of culture shock.
Not because the cars were so big (why is it Americans like to drive big-ass cars so much?),
but because one guest requested his car to not be parked far away.
I thought maybe it was because he had a puppy or something valuable in it.
But no, it was because he had a rifle inside it.
For all the thousands of cars I've parked here at Kamesei, I've never once had to deal with one that has a gun it it.
I hate to say it, but America has some serious issues when it comes to guns.
