戸倉上山田温泉　盆踊り大会2012年 Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen's Bon-Odori 2012

July 28, 2012: 温泉タウン戸倉上山田 Onsen Town Togura-Kamiyamada
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その浴衣を出して、炭坑節を練習しておいて、
戸倉上山田温泉で今年はまた盆踊り大会を開催します。
2012年の盆踊り大会は8月13日（月）、14日（火）と15日（水）で行う予定。
上山田温泉の本通りは歩行者天国になって、私ども商工会青年部は射的や金魚つくい、綿あめ、焼き鳥などの屋台を出して、賑やかになります。
踊り以外は大ビンゴ大会、すいか割り、冠着太鼓の演奏など時間帯によって様々なイベントも予定しています。

本当は私が今年の大会にミスター浴衣・ミス浴衣コンテストを復活したかったけど、説得力が足りず、残念ながら今年はない。まあ、それ無くても地元の皆様及びお盆の間にお越しになるお客様の皆様がご一緒に踊れますので、この夏こそ、盆踊りの良い思い出がきっとできると思います。

Dust off your yukata, practice your Tankobushi (coal miner's dance) moves, and get ready for this year's Togura-Kamiyamada Onsen Bon-Odori festival.

The Bon-Odori dates for 2012 will be August 13th (Monday), 14th (Tuesday) and 15th (Wednesday). Kamiyamada Onsen's main street will be closed to automobiles as the dance will take over the street. Me and the members of the Junior Chamber of Commerce will once again set up food and game booths.

Besides the dancing, the festival also features a giant Bingo contest, a watermelon-splitting contest, a taiko drum performance by our local Kamuriki Taiko troupe, and other fun events.

Actually, I was hoping to reintroduce a Mr. Yukata and Miss Yukata contest, but wasn't successful in persuading the powers that be. But even without a yukata contest, the dancing and other events are sure to make for a memorable O-Bon holiday for locals and visitors alike.


Poster for Togura Kamiyamada Onsen's 2012 Bon Odori Festival


夏の暑さに負けない：　滝シャワーツアー Beat the Summer Heat: Waterfall Shower Tour

July 27, 2012: 亀清旅館 Kamesei Ryokan
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Chillin' in Fudo Falls

２０１２年の夏はまた暑～い！その暑さに負けないように、何が良いかと色々と挑戦したら、良い物に当たりました:

滝シャワー！

戸倉上山田温泉の裏にある１２５２mの冠着山の北側に久露滝、南側に不動滝の２つの滝があります。お客様と一緒にその滝にハイキングして、滝の水でシャワーを浴びる事を考えています。

６月は父の日に久露滝に初めて行ってみた。登り口は亀清旅館から車で7.1km（約１５分）、ハイキングは１０～１５分。落差は１５ｍ。

そして、この７月に今度は不動滝に初めて行ってみた。亀清から登り口までは普通の道の4.6km（12分）＋インディージョーンズの世界から出てきそうな凸凹の林道で約2㎞。丸太の橋を渡って、川の横のトレールを登って、約10分。不動滝の水量及び落差は久露滝に負けますが、ワイルド度はかなり高い。

この夏は暑さに負けないで、ご一緒に滝シャワー冒険ツアーに行きましょう！詳しくは亀清旅館へTelを。

Summer 2012 is shaping up to be a hot one! We here at Kamesei Ryokan are thinking up ways to beat the heat, and have come across the perfect solution:

A Waterfall Shower!

1252-meter Kamuriki Mtn. towers over our onsen town, Togura-Kamiyamada. On its north side is Kuro Falls, and on its south side is Fudo Falls.

On Father's Day, I took our kids for a walk up to Kuro Falls. The trailhead is a 15 minute, 7.1km drive from our inn, and the hike is a fairly steep 10-15 minute endeavor. The falls offer plenty of water fall for a shower from their 15-meter drop.

This July, the kids and I went exploring for Fudo Falls. The drive is a tame 4.6km (12 minute) cruise up the backroads of Kamiyamada, followed by an Indiana Jones - like bumpy ride up a dirt track another 2km. After parking the car (jeep?), you cross the log bridge and walk up the trail adjacent to the creek for approximately 10~15 minutes to the falls. Fudo Falls is a lot smaller and shorter than Kuro, but provides plenty of chill action for a summer heat-beating waterfall shower.

So this summer, come with us for a waterfall shower tour! Feel free to inquire by telephone for details.

亀清旅館Kamesei Ryokan





旅館青年部の褒賞：　戸倉上山田の下降（と現在？） Ryokan Junior Assoc. Awards: Togura Kamiyamada's past (and Present?)

July 26, 2012: 季節 Seasons
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Awards won in the past by Togura-Kamiyamada's Ryokan Junior Association.

日本全国の旅館・ホテル組合の青年部は２年に一度で全国大会が行う。その時に、それぞれの県や支部の青年部の活動が評価されて、褒賞が与えられる。

聴いたら、この戸倉上山田温泉の青年部は以前に数回で褒賞を与えられた。「牛に引かれて善光寺詣リ」のイベントや、夏祭りで行う「下駄供養」など、今まで続いている事は当時に褒賞を受けた。

私が青年部に入った５，６年前にこの戸倉上山田支部で「芸者サミット」の事で褒賞を与えられた。あれから特に大きい事業はなかった。この２年間は私が支部長でいるので、「温泉塾」と言う勉強・地域連携の事業をやってきたので、申し込んでみた。今期の全国大会は９月に沖縄で行う予定で、褒賞の結果は楽しみだ。戸倉上山田の褒賞の歴史が続くかな？

Once every 2 years the national Ryokan Junior Association holds its national convention. At the convention, awards are handed out for the top activities by the various local associations.

Togura Kamiyamada has won several awards over the years. Events that have won in the past such as the "Pulled by an Ox to Zenkoji" and the Geta Offering ceremony done at the summer festival are still being continued today.

During my tenure as our local chapter's leader, I have had our group working on a series of community-building study sessions dubbed "Onsen Jook", and used that to apply for this year's award. The convention will take place in September in Okinawa. We'll see if Togura-Kamiyamada's history of success will continue.





ロンドン五輪に間に合った：　亀清の庭に撫子が咲いてきた Just in time for the London Olympics: 'Nadeshiko' blooming in Kamesei's garden

July 25, 2012: 亀清旅館 Kamesei Ryokan
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亀清旅館の客間「松風」の庭にこの橙色の花が咲いています。撫子の仲間だそうです。今週末からちょうどなでしこジャパン、日本の女子サッカーチームがロンドン五輪に参加する予定、亀清旅館の庭もエールを送っています！

Currently in the garden of Kamesei's "Matsukaze" guestoom, this little orange flower is blooming. It is related to 'Nadeshiko' (Dianthus superbus L. var. longicalycinus, commonly known as "Fringed Pink").

Japan's women's soccer team is nicknamed 'Nadeshiko', named after this flower. With the team in London for the summer Olympics starting this weekend, our flower is blooming just in time!





戸倉上山田の宣伝を東京へ Taking the Togura-Kamiyamada Message to Tokyo

July 24, 2012: 季節 Seasons
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Nishizawa-san and I in Tokyo

戸倉上山田温泉旅館組合は当温泉の新しい企画の宣伝の為に東京へ行ってきました。今回は旅館ホテル１０社が５班に分けて、旅行会社と業界のメディア―を回りました。

我が亀清旅館は小さくて、旅行会社と契約はないため、私がメディア―の方を担当しました。初めてリーダーに任せてもらって、小石の湯の西澤社長と４件にお邪魔しました。

写真は旬刊旅行新聞に行ったときです。（古沢さん、有難うございました！）

何とか戸倉上山田の認識度アップを目指して、頑張っています！

10 members (including me) of the Togura Kamiyamada Ryokan Association took the Shinkansen into Tokyo for a whirlwind sales trip. We split up into 5 groups and visited travel agents and industry-related media outlets. As our inn, Kamesei, is too small to be contracted with a travel agent, I got to go on the media visitations part.

This picture is from when fellow innkeeper Nishizawa-san and I visited The Ryoko Shimbun office. (Special thanks to Furusawasa-san for the picture)

Hopefully our efforts to spread the word about our onsen town Togura-Kamiyamada will pay off.





旬刊旅行新聞に取り上がりました Featured in the Ryoko Shimbun

July 23, 2012: 日米関係Culture Shock
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Great article on the Nagano Inbound Conference. Pictured in the article is the Expedia.com table.

先月に松本で開催した長野県旅館組合インバウンド商談会が７月２１日号の旬刊旅行新聞に取り上がりました。記者の飯塚さんの記事内容は素晴らしいし、写真２枚も付くてくれました。

今回の企画ではインバウンド送客１５社を招いて、長野県のホテル・旅館経営者・予約担当約７０人が集まりました。なかなか珍しい企画だった（全国では事例がないぐらい）のでその意味で旅行新聞が来てくれて、嬉しかった。

商談会の前に私の「欧米人の求めているおもてなし」の講演がありました。飯塚さんは講演内容もきちんと書いてくれました。良くお聞きになっていました！

こうやって長野県の旅館活動が広めて、嬉しいです。

Last months Inbound seminar and trade conference that I put on in Matsumoto last month got featured in this week's edition of the Ryoko Shimbun trade newspaper. The Nagano Ryokan Association's Inbound Committee sponsored the event where we invited 15 organizations that work to send foreigners to Japan. Approximately 70 ryokan and hotel owners / reservation staff members attended and met with the various organizations to get an explanation of their operations. We also allowed time for one-on-one consultation where some inns entered into new contracts right then and there.

The reporter for the Ryoko Shimbun aptly described the conference and added a couple of color pictures to the article, too. Before the conference there was a keynote speech by, Yours Truly, on what Westerners expect when they come to Japan. Iizuka-san covered the main points of that speech in her article, too.

I am glad Nagano's ryokan association efforts on inbound are getting this publicity!





貸切露天「しなの風呂」の夏・秋はなマップ Summer/Fall Flower Map for Kamesei's Private Onsen "Shinano-buro"

July 22, 2012: 亀清旅館 Kamesei Ryokan
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亀清旅館の新しい貸切露天「しなの風呂」の庭に様々な花と植物、木が植えてあって、何が何かわかる様に庭師の岡田さんが花マップを作ってくれました。今度は夏・秋バージョンが出来た。

このマップのお蔭でどの花が咲いているか分かる。例えば、今はちょうど紫の花の植物は２つが咲いている:
タムラソウ　と　アサマフウロ

どうぞ、亀清旅館の新しい貸切露天「しなの風呂」と庭を楽しんでください。

Kamesei Ryokan's new private onsen bath "Shinano-buro" has a garden that features a wide variety of flowering plants and trees. Our gardener, Okada-san, made a flower map of the garden so our guests can keep track of what flowers when.

The Summer / Fall version just arrived, and just in time. Two plants with purple flowers are in bloom now:
Serratula coronata var. insularis
and
Geraniumu soboliferum

So come and enjoy Kamesei's brand new outdoor bath and its colorful garden this summer.




Geraniumu soboliferum


serratula coronata


どう変わるか飯山 How Changes Iiyama

July 21, 2012: 温泉タウン戸倉上山田 Onsen Town Togura-Kamiyamada
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Current Iiyama Station with the new bullet train station being built in the background

長野新幹線が金沢まで伸びる中で、長野駅の次は飯山市に駅が出来る。

新幹線の駅が出来ると、
海外の旅行者が増えるだろう。
皆さんは何を求めるか？

との事で、飯山の信用金庫に呼ばれて、講演会に参加してきました。

飯山市は新幹線の開通に向かって真剣だ。私も応援しています。

しかし、半年ぶりに飯山に行き美したが、新しい駅の工事が進んでいて、吃驚しました。

これからの飯山市はどう変わるか、楽しみです。

The Nagano Shinkansen (bullet train) is being extended to Kanazawa on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu (the main island). The station after Nagano Station will be in Iiyama City.

Iiyama anticipates an influx of foreign tourists with the opening of the shinkansen station. People there are concerned about how to best welcome the visitors from overseas.

One of the local banks their held a conference and called me in to give a speech on what Westerners expect when they come to Japan.

It was my first time to Iiyama in half a year. I was surprised to see how far along the new station's construction is.

It will be fun to see how Iiyama changes over the next few years.





戸倉上山田温泉のあじさい寺：　智識寺　Togura Kamiyamada's Hydrangea Temple: Chishiki-ji

July 20, 2012: 日米関係Culture Shock
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Hydrangeas lining the way to Chishiki-ji Temple's Thatched-Roof Historical main building

戸倉上山田温泉から車で５分、自転車で約１５分に智識寺がある。６月～７月にお寺の参道のアジサイが綺麗に咲いて、「あじさい寺」と言う別名。

今年は智識寺のアジサイは特に綺麗やって気がする。近場に行ったので行ってみたら、写真の様に紫陽花が並べて、彩に咲いていました。

その時に住職が挨拶してくれた。去年の４月から来ていて、若手の住職です。彼が来るまでは無人寺だったので国の重要文化財である秘仏、十一面観音の御開帳は年に一度だけだった。今は声をかければ、本堂を開けてくれるそうです。

本堂こそ、創建は1573年で国の重要文化財に指定されているそうです。茅葺屋根の建物で立派です。初夏の紫陽花の花と似合う。敷地内の木は秋になると赤や黄色に咲くのでそれはまた茅葺屋根の本堂と綺麗な合わせになる。

5 minutes by car or approximately 15 minutes by bicycle from our onsen town Togura-Kamiyamada is the venerable Chishiki-ji Temple. It is also known as "Ajisai-dera", or 'hydrangea temple', due to the beautiful hydrangea plants that line the temple's main path.

Since I was in the area, I stopped by to check out the hydrangea flowers. This year the flowers seem to be especially colorful and abundant. I also got to meet the head monk. He's a young chap (not sure, but not even 30 years old?), and just moved to Chishiki-ji last year. Until then, the temple was un-manned, and its sacred image, an 11-faced goddess statue (a designated National Cultural Treasure) was only displayed once a year. Now, just knock at the office and if the monk is there, he will gladly show you the statue.

The temple's main building is also a registered National Cultural Treasure. The thatched roof building was built in 1573. Its magnificent wood construction and timeless beauty of the thatched roof contrast so beautifully with the colorful hydrangea blossoms. And again in the fall, the contrast with the autumn leaves is striking, too.

智識寺 Chishiki-ji





小鬼百合が露天「１００年風呂」に遊びに来た　Tiger Lily Visiting our 100-Year Bath

July 19, 2012: 青い目のおもてなし This American’s Omotenashi
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Tiger Lily gift from nature

亀清旅館の露天「１００年風呂」の庭にこんなに綺麗なユリが咲いています。庭師の岡田さんに聞いたら、小鬼百合だそうです。ただ、岡田さんが植えた花じゃないらしいです。雑木の庭の中で沢山の綺麗な植物があるけど、このユリは鳥が種を運んでくれたかな？

小鬼百合。自然なプレゼント。亀清のお風呂にお入りになる皆様はどうぞ、楽しんでください。

In the garden around Kamesei Ryokan's "100-Year Bath" outdoor onsen, this beautiful orange and black-spotted lily is blooming. According to our gardener Okada-san, it is a "Ko-oni Yuri", or "small ogre lily". The scientific name is Lilium leichtlinii Hook. f. var. tigrinum (Regel) Nichols. Perhaps in common English it could be called a tiger lily.

Okada-san planted so many beautiful trees and plants in the garden around the 100-Year bath, but he admitted that this lily wasn't one of them. Apparently a bird must have carried the seed here.

So our tiger lily is a gift from nature, for all of our guests here at Kamesei Ryokan to enjoy.