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信州の冬はやっと来ました。１月１５日の週末から雪が降り出して、大分積もりました。一方では、久しぶりの雪掛けですが、もう一方では雪景色にならないと信州の冬らしくない；亀清の庭が白くなって、ほっとしました。そして露天風呂もあります。外の温泉のお湯を浴びながら、雪が顔にちらちらと降るのは日本の温泉の一番良い所。

亀清の冬の外観の写真です。そして、おまけに亀清の裏の中央公園での子供達と雪遊びの写真。

Nagano's archetypical snowy winter has arrived in full force. The snow started snowing from the weekend of the 15th, and has been piling up since then. With day time temperatures as high (?) as -4 C, the white stuff will be sticking around for a while.

On one hand, I have mixed feelings about getting out the snow shovels, but on the other hand, Kamesei's gardens look so peaceful and pretty when blanketed in snow. And then there's the outdoor bath -- soaking in the onsen water as snowflakes fall on your face is the quintessential onsen experience.

Here is what our inn's facade looks like covered in snow. And, just for good measure, some pictures of our family playing in the snow in Chuo Park behind Kamesei.

今年の冬はこの戸倉上山田温泉で、完全な雪景色にまだ一度もなっていません。もう少し北や上に行けば、真っ白になりますが、我が温泉の標高は370ｍぐらいしかなくて、なおかつ温泉街の地面は割と温かいせいか、雪が比較的にすくくない地域です。でも、少しは雪景色をお客様に提供したいと思っていて…

客室「松風」の新しく出来た庭と気持ちだけの雪の写真です。

This year, we haven't had a full blanketing of snow yet. A flurry here and there, but nothing to write home about. If you go a little further north or up a bit higher, you can see a snowy winter wonderland. But down here (our elevation at Togura Kamiyamada Onsen is only 370 meters above sea level), especially with all the onsen water pipes running everywhere, we don't get a lot of snow accumulation. But this year has been unusually snow-less.

These are pictures of the newly built garden for our guest room "Matsukaze" showing a trace of snow.

信州戸倉上山田温泉の亀清旅館のＨＰはこちらClick here for the website for Kamesei Ryokan in Nagano.

上田市のの信州国分寺で、毎年の1月8日と、特にその前の夜7日からは「八日堂」という縁日が行います。広い地域から人が集まり、屋台が次から次へ並んでいる通りで冬の寒い夜で列になって、お寺でお参りしてだるま市場を通って（だるま屋さんもお客さんも、お互いの交渉はすごい事！）また屋台並びを通って珍しいもの、決まっている物を買って、おしまい。

この祭りの特徴の一つはお参りしてからお寺の横に蘇民将来符というお守りが販売されている。ここでしか買えないし、なおかつこの日にしか買えません。一年目は一番小さいのを買い、次の年は一回り大きいのを買い、全部で5つの大きさがあります。6年目からまた一番小さいのから始まる。

蘇民将来符は厄除け開運のお守りの為だそうです。私にとってはこのお守りを通じて、私の信州での人生の記録になる。その面で個人的に意味深い行事です。

今年は長男のＡｎｄｙ君が付き合ってくれて、友人のＧｏ！さんと会って祭りに参加しました。信州の冬らしい寒さで、それこそ温かい酒が合います。（神社の行事に清める力のある酒が必ず出ますが、お寺の行事でもお酒はありかな？）今回は行きも帰りも電車だったので今回はお酒がＯＫだった！

信州国分寺はしなの鉄道信州国分寺駅から歩いて数分です。戸倉駅から20分、5駅です。信州のお正月時期の代表「八日堂」は毎年の1月7日の夜です。詳しくはＨＰへ

People from throughout Nagano Prefecture gather at Shinshu Kokubun-ji Temple in Ueda City every year for the Yokado festival. 'Yoka' means the eight, as in January 8th, but the main festival actually takes place the night before, January 7th.

Both sides of the 'sando' (road leading up to the temple) are lined with an amazing variety of 'yatai' stands. Visitors line up in the cold winter night and make their way to the temple for a moment of prayer, asking for good fortune for the new year, then past the dharma doll market (one of the few places in Japan where bargaining is okay, and the negotiating certainly gets lively here!), then back through the yatai stopping to buy some individually mixed spices or right-off-the-grill river fish or whatever catches your fancy.

Yokado's trademark is the 'shominshorai' good-luck talisman. You buy smallest one your first year to the festival, the next largest one up your second year, and so on. A total of 5 different sizes. Then for your 6th year, you start over again with the smallest one.

The shominshorai is supposedly to ward off evil spirits as well as to bring good luck. For me, collecting them provides me a kind of log of my life here in Nagano. So in that regards, they have a profound meaning for me personally.

This year, my oldest son Andy tagged along as I hooked up with buddy Go!-san. It was a bitter cold night but with a cup of warm sake made it bearable. Sake is usually associated with Shinto festivals, but it had a healthy presence here as well at this Buddhist-related gathering. And since we came by train, we were able to join in the libation.

Shinshu Kokubun-ji Temple is a couple minutes walk from the station of the same name on the local Shinano Railway line. Shinshu Kokubunji Station is 20 minutes (5 stops) from Togura Station, for access to Togura Kamiyamada Onsen.