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The awe-inspiring Alps

地震・津波・原子問題があっても、ただ胡坐をかいてテレビ見っぱなしだけじゃ…　やらなっきゃいけない事をやっちゃう！　今日は以前から予定していた３つな大事な会議があって、長野市と松本市へ出かけました。もともと電車で行く予定だったので、ガソリンの節約になってなお良かった。

長野駅と松本駅の途中で、北アルプスが見えてきました。雄大な山々でホッとしました。

自然の力はすごいですね。地震や津波の様な恐ろしい面もあるけど、力があるからこそ感動的です。

Even with the earthquake / tsunami / nuclear radiation problems, life goes on. Rather than just wallowing in sadness and watching the gloomy news on TV all day, we gotta go on with the things that we need to do. Today, I had 3 important meetings to attend in Nagano City and Matsumoto City so I did a bunch of train travel and made some good progress. It's good I did take the train instead of driving -- gas is getting scarce due to people hoarding it.

On the train ride from Nagano Station to Matsumoto Station, there are some spectacular views of the Japanese Alps. Seeing the magnificent mountains somehow helped to lift my psyche.

Mother Nature's power is amazing. That same power that made these mountains moved the earth last week and created the tsunami. Awe and respect.

Chausuyama Zoo's brochure and notepads that the zookeeper gave us.

長野市の篠ノ井地域に茶臼山動物園があります。割りと広い動物園でキリンさんに餌をやる体験などの特徴がある。斜面の位置から善光寺平や菅平の山々が見れて、素晴らしい眺めもある。そして、代表の動物はレッサーパンダ。茶臼山動物園は子供連れの家族やカップルさんたちに人気スポットです。

実は、去年はレッサーパンダ達の「レッサーパンダ森」という新しいホームが出来ました。さらに近く見れるし、実際な木を登ったりする自然な風景になっています。

この頃はテレビで東北関東地震の辛いニュースばかり。気分転化を兼ねて、今朝はお客さん達を送ってから娘と二人でミサに行ってそして茶臼山動物園に行きました。ライオンさんの怖い存在、キリンさんの感動的な背の高さ、ウランウータンのひょうきんな表情、とにかく楽しい一日でした。

単純に楽しい一日。

キリンさんやゾウさんの顔を見る限りで、地震の心配はなさそうでした。帰る時に、偶然で園長の方と会って、地震の話が出ました。「動物に影響は？」と聞いたら、チンパンジーとウランウータンだけだと。チンパンジーはイライラし、ケージの中で走り出した;ウランウータンは頭にブランケットをかぶったそうです。やはり、人間にいちばん近い動物には自信がつらかったんだ。

Located in Nagano City's Shinonoi district, Chausuyama Zoo is a popular spot for families with kids as well as couples. It's a fairly large zoo and features such unique things to experience as giraffe-feeding. Its location on a hill above the city provides a fantastic view of the valley below as well as the Sugadaira mountains in the distance. And Chausuyama Zoo has some celebrity animals -- the lesser pandas.

In fact, last year the lesser pandas moved into a much more expanded home. Now you can see them up close and they have real trees they can climb.

The last couple of days, there has been nothing but distressing news on TV about the M7.9 earthquake in northeastern Japan. I was in the need for a change of pace, so after seeing off our guests this morning, I took our daughter to go to mass, followed by a trip to the Chausuyama zoo. We were awed by the height of the giraffes, cowered by the imposing presence of the lion, and bemused by the funny faces of the orangutans. It was an enjoyable afternoon.

A simple enjoyable afternoon.

Gazing into the faces of the giraffes and elephant, there was no trace of worry over the earthquake. But on the way out, we ran into the head zookeeper. I had to ask -- were the animals affected? He said the only ones were the chimpanzees and orangutans. The chimps got anxious and ran around their cages; the orangutans even put blankets over their heads. So the animals closest to us humans were traumatized.

茶臼山動物園のHPはこちらClick here for Chausuayama Zoo's website.

志賀高原での会議後、渋湯田中温泉の「よろづや」と言う長野（日本？）を代表できる旅館に泊まりした。朝の露天風呂の様子です。

この湯気と言え、行燈と言え、贅沢な広さの露天風呂…これはジャパンだ！

After the recent ryokan junior association meeting at Shiga Kogen, we all spent the night in Shibu Yudanaka Onsen at Yorozuya, one of Nagano's (Japan's?) best ryokans.

This is a picture of the open air bath outside of Yorozuya's nationally renowned Momoyama bath. With the steam raising up and the andon lanterns -- this is Cool Japan!

よろづやのＨＰはこちら。Click here for Yorozuya's website.

Shiga Kogen Nature Center

「信州」と言えば、「自然」。

「自然」と言えば、志賀高原！

志賀高原は冬のスキーにしても、夏のハイキングにしても、その大自然を感動しながら楽しめます。長野県の中でも、立派の山と深い森、そして地獄谷のスノーモンキーを始め沢山の動物、鳥、獣が沢山います。

志賀高原の自然との触れあい方を詳しく説明するのは：
長野県・志賀高原自然保護センター志賀高原の蓮池地区にある98センターの中です。山と人の歴史、木の種類、動物情報はもちろん、ハイキングコースの紹介もある。志賀高原の自然を楽しみ始まる時に、寄ってみる価値があると思います。

同じ建物中にオリンピック記念館もあります。1998年の冬オリンピックのＡｌｐｉｎｅイベントが志賀高原で行われました。そのころからの聖火、ピンバッジなどのアイテムが沢山展示してあります。そのころからの五輪の迫力を再度感じれます。

昨日は長野県旅館青年部の理事会で行ってきましたので初めて両館を見ました。興味のある方は是非！

（ちなみに、その時に初めて雪専用の車に乗ったのでおまけにその写真も）

詳しくはＨＰへ

People come to Nagano from far and wide to enjoy its natural beauty. And within Nagano, it doesn't get much better than Shiga Kogen. With its majestic mountains and deep forests, not to mention the famous snow monkeys and other wildlife, Shiga Kogen's wilderness is sure to delight your senses and instill a sense of awe.

Whether it is skiing in the winter, or hiking in the 'green season', Shiga Kogen is full of ways to get out and enjoy nature. In fact, the highlands are so extensive, it is hard to know where to start. Luckily, inside the 98 Center at Hatsuike Pond there is the Nagano Prefecture Shiga Kogen Nature Conservation Center. Its displays show the various types of flora and fauna that can be found in Shiga, as well as descriptions of human interaction with the mountains over the years. A three dimensional map gives you an overhead view of the area and an idea of where the various areas are in relation to each other. The center also contains a wealth of information on hiking trails and how best to enjoy the mountains.

In the same building as the Nature Center is the Olympic Memorial Hall. Shiga Kogen was the host of several alpine events during the 1998 Winter Olympics. Memorabilia from the events is on display in the hall. Here you can relive the excitement of the Nagano Games.

Yesterday I attended a Nagano Ryokan Junior Association meeting at Shiga Kogen and got to see the Nature Center and Olympics Hall for the first time. I also got to ride a special snow taxi -- just one of the many ways to enjoy Shiga Kogen.

Olympic Hall

The funky snow taxi