Authentic onsen, Yamada Onsen's O-Yu
信州高山村の山田温泉に公衆浴場「大湯」があります。
村のＨＰによると、「大湯は、開湯２００年の歴史をもつ古湯に、桃山風建築の堂々としたたたずまいが温泉情緒を醸し出しています。」
今の建物は外から見れば２００年ではなくて、最近に出来た様に見えました。しかし中に入ったら、本格的でした。
私の山田温泉「大湯」の初体験:
裸になって、浴場に入ったらまずは掛け湯。しかし、どこでやるかは悩んじゃう。シャワーとか蛇口は一切ない。奥の壁に面白い木造の配管っぽい所があって、木の板を上げらばお湯が出るかな？
「板を前に引っ張って」と天使（＝地元のおじさん）が言ってくれました。お蔭で、やっと掛け湯。
さあ、今度はお風呂にザボって。湯船は「あつ湯」と「ぬる湯」の２つに分けてある。ぬる湯が苦手で、あつ湯から入ろうとしたら、４５℃ぐらいで暑くて入れなかった！
また天使に救われた：「ぬる湯にまず入って、慣れなっきゃ」と。
なるほど。ぬる湯に入りなおすと、最適な４１℃じゃないですか？何が「ぬるい」かい？
伝統的な木造の作りで屋根が吹き抜きになっていて、これは本格的な温泉だな。お湯も硫黄の香りがプンプンとして、本物の温泉お湯。
皆さんの長野温泉巡りで、山田温泉「大湯」はお勧め。
In Nagano's Takayama Village in the foothills east of Nagano City is a small collection of onsen ryokans called Yamada Onsen. In the center is a public onsen bathhouse called "O-Yu" (which loosely translates as the 'Main Bath'). According to the village's website, a bathhouse has been at this spot for 200+ years. The current building is built in a traditional manner and visitors are in for a very authentic 'onsen' experience.
My first experience of Yamada Onsen's O-Yu went like this:
After getting naked and entering the bathing room, as always the first thing I wanted to was rinse off before soaking. Which posed a problem, as there was nothing even resembling a shower. On the far wall was a wooden contraption with funky wooden levers. I thought if I lifted the lever out, water to wash with would come out. No joy.
Then an angel (read, "local regular user old guy") spoke: "Pull the lever forward." Ahh, water to rinse with!
Next was to soak. There onsen baths were divided into an "Atsu-Yu" hot bath and "Nuru-Yu" cool bath. I personally don't like Nuru-Yu's, so I hopped into the Atsu-Yu.
Or, I should say, I tried to hop into the Atsu-Yu. It was a scaulding-hot 45 deg C.
Again, the angel: "Try the Nuru-Yu first to get your body used to the hot temperature."
Ahh. Okay, 2nd attempt, the Nuru-Yu. It turns out, it's a perfect 41 deg C., nothing "cool" about it. Apparently people here have a unique definition of what constitutes a cool temperature.
The bathhouse's traditional construction with a raised, vented central ceiling to let the onsen mist out, the onsen water with a strong sulfur content,
Yamada Onsen's O-Yu makes for an authentic onsen experience.
If you make an onsen-hopping trip to Nagano, I highly suggest stopping at Yamada Onsen's O-Yu.
No showers here. Pull the wooden lever towards you for water for washing.
ちなみに、仲間のＰｅｔｅｒさんが「長野トップ１００日帰り温泉」の英字本を書いているので、私が手伝っています。まあ、温泉巡りが「手伝い」と言えるかどうか分かりませんが、今回は温泉のセミナーに行く途中で少し余裕があって、この山田温泉の大湯に入りました。
By the way, my buddy Peter is writing a book on the Top 100 Onsens of Nagano. I am helping with the research (if you can call onsen-hopping 'helping'). This time I was headed to an onsen seminar and had just enough time to enjoy stopping at Yamada Onsen's O-Yu.
