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長野県旅館組合青年部
新年会
若旦那40人。
つまり、「和」のプロ40人。
40人ともは松本のＨｉｋａｒｉｙａの和に感心しました。
和のプロを和で驚かせる秘密は？

写真を良く見て下さい。

ただの屏風。屏風の奥から三味線の音楽が流れてくる。「あっ、ＣＤでＢＧＭを流している」と思った。しかし、よく見たら、右側の影が動いている。着物と三味線の棒の動き。「生演奏だ！」と気付きました。

多分、私達だったら、態々人を呼んで、態々三味線を弾いてもらったら、せっかくだから舞台か何かの上で、皆が見れるようなところでやってもらう。

屏風の奥で隠すなんって、私達が感心しました。渋い！

長野県で業界で最も憧れている明神館の斉藤さん達が松本城の近くに去年にオープンしたＨｉｋａｒｉｙａ。東館が日本食、西館がフレンチ。古き名門商家が生まれ変わって、こんなにお洒落なお店になりました。

長野県の宝物の1つ。

我々旅館若旦那の皆が納得しました。

What does it take to impress 40 ryokan proprietors? Myself and the other members of Nagano's ryokan junior association found out during our annual New Year dinner today. We are arguably professionals when it comes to "traditional Japan". However, every one of us was mesmerized by the restaurant where we gathered, Matsumoto's Hikariya.

When we walked in to the banquet room, we noticed a traditional folding screen in one corner, with the melodious sounds of shamisen coming from behind it. We initially assumed there was a CD player behind it playing background music. But upon closer inspection, on the right side we could make out a shadow moving on the wall, the shadow from a kimono sleeve and the end of a shamisen. It was a live performance, hidden behind the screen!

Man, if I were to go to the trouble of arranging for a musician to come and play shamisen live, you could bet your bottom dollar I'd have her on a stage for everyone to see. So we were so impressed by Hikariya's subtle style.

The restaurant is in a renovated merchant's house, with the east wing being Japanese cuisine, and the west French.

Hikariya is one of Nagano's treasures! Us ryokan proprietors can certainly attest!

Click here for the website of HikariyaのＨＰはこちら

Hikariya's tokonoma decoration

#1 About to take off skiing at Shiga Kogen

以前は信州の冬の楽しみ方、タイラーのトップ１０を日本語で提供いたしました。今日は英語で（写真付き！）。

Here in Nagano, it gets so cold in the winter that you don't want to go out. So what do Nagano-ites do for fun in the winter? Well, here's Tyler's Top 10 Things to Do in Nagano in the Winter:

1. Ski
Embrace the cold, and get out and enjoy Nagano's spectacular nature. One of the best ways to do that is to go skiing in the mountains. With so many world class, Olympic level ski resorts in the prefecture, it would be a shame not to take advantage and hit the slopes. Of all the ski areas in Nagano, I personally like Shiga Kogen to the east of Nagano City, for its remote mountainous beauty. I took our sons there after New Years. We skied around for half a day, and barely scratched the surface of what Shiga has to offer.
Shiga Kogen ski info here

２．Snowshoeing
If you prefer to enjoy the snowy scenery at a slower pace than skiing, then snowshoeing is the way to go. You can go cross country skiing or snowshoeing at various places throughout Nagano, but I personally suggest Togakushi. Mirror Pond, the Forest Reserve, and the mystical path to the Inner Shrine, Okusha, which is lined by massive cedar trees. The rich hues of the cedar bark contrasts so beautifully with the snow.
Togakushi's winter info is here。 Also, don't miss Togakushi's white season English pamphlet.

３．Ice Skating
For people who want to do some winter sports activities but the weather isn't cooperating or it's too much trouble to go to the mountains, how about ice skating? During New Years, our family went skating at M-Wave in Nagano City. It was a lot of fun, and they even had skates to fit me -- 30cm!
M-Wave's website is here

４．Onsen
If Nagano's cold winter is getting to you, how about going for a soak in an onsen hot spring mineral bath? Nagano is blessed with scores of onsens throughout the prefecture. Many have outdoor baths that let you enjoy views of the mountains as you soak in the onsen. Norikura's milky white onsen, Azumaya Kogen Hotel near Mount Asama, and Maguse Onsen who's outdoor bath features views of the northern Alps are just a few. Last month, our family went to the Takayama Onsen area and enjoyed the views from one of the baths at Shichimi Onsen.
Shichimi Onsen's Koyokan website is here

5. Snow Monkeys
"Walk a half an hour through the snow to some some monkey soaking in an onsen?" Well, it wouldn't be a snow monkey if there weren't any snow! This is the best time of the year to see the monkeys of Jigokudani Wild Monkey Park in their natural environment, escaping the snow and cold by bathing in the onsen. And I promise: the blissful look of the monkeys' faces as they soak in the onsen will be worth the trip.
Jigokudani's Snow Monkey website is here

6. Strawberry Picking
I know what you're thinking -- "Strawberry picking in the winter? Isn't that done in July out at a strawberry field?" Well, here in Japan, the berries are grown in greenhouses, making winter prime picking time. It's also a way we Nagano-ites escape the cold, by going inside a heated greenhouse. And you get to eat yummy berries to boot! Note: Strawberry picking in Japan involves paying to enter the greenhouse, where they give you a bowl of sweet condensed milk for berry dipping, and you get to pick and eat to your heart's (and tummy's) content. Berries for taking home are sold separately. One such greenhouse is Agri-Park, near Yashiro Station on the Shinano Railway line.Click here for Agri-Park's website.

7. Art & History Museums
Winter also presents an opportunity to visit those museums you had always wanted to check out. You get to tweak your artistic and/or historical interests, plus its warm inside the museums! Right across the street from Agri-Park (the strawberry place mentioned in #6 above), is the Nagano Prefectural History Museum, as well as the Mori Shogunzuka Keyhole tomb. Check out more about these two underrated historical centers here.

8. "Taiken" Experiences
As in #7 above, if you want to get in from the cold and do some cultural-related activity, winter is a great time to do so. Here in Nagano, there's everything from soba noodle making to ninja lessons. Two "experiences" that I suggest are traditional silk weaving for adults (Koiwai Tsumugi in Ueda) and prehistoric Jomon era craft making for kids (Sarashina Ancient Experiences Park in Chikuma City)

9. Hot Pot Cuisine
Hot Pot meals, or "o-nabe" as they are known in Japanese, are popular throughout Asia. But hot pots are a perfect match for Nagano's cold winters, especially if the ingredients include some local favorites, such as deer meat or wild boar meat. Such only-in-Nagano o-nabe are available at Gotoku-tei restaurant near Nagano Station. Click here for Gotoku-tei's website

10. Azumino Wasabi Fields
The Daio Wasabi Farm in Azumino is pretty special. Wasabi only grows in the cleanest, clearest water. Azumino has that, in rivers fed by run-off from the Japanese Alps. On top of the pristine water, you have Azumino's quiet, natural setting. Amidst all of this, and with the backdrop of the Alps, you have the wasabi fields laid out in rows with streams running through them. The farm is rewarding to see any time of the year, but in winter, when the leaves are off the trees, the bare branches give an even stronger contrast to the green of the wasabi plants and the steel grey of the riverlets. (If you go, make sure to try the wasabi soft serve ice cream, too!). Daio's website is here.

There you have it. If you try all 10 of these winter activities and are left wanting more, let me know and I'll be glad to provide a list of runners-up! Come and experience what Nagano has to offer this winter.

#2 Togakushi starting to get snow

#3 Our Family Ice Skating at M-Wave

#4 Shichi Onsen's open air bath with snowy view

#5 Blissful Snow Monkey

#6 Strawberry picking in a warm greenhouse

7. 1600-year old Mori keyhole tomb

#8 "Experiencing" silk weaving

#9 Gotoku-tei's Nagano nabe

つるつるしているAndyとKenny

上田市の奥の隅に室賀温泉があります。そこの「ささらの湯」の日帰り施設で、室賀の話題の美肌のお湯の体験が出来ます。上山田温泉を含めて、あちらこちらの温泉は「美人の湯」とか言います。しかし、この室賀温泉のお湯で、肌は本当にすべすべになります。不思議ぐらいに肌にいい感じします。
今日は女将社長が留守番してくれて、家族で行ってきました。戸倉上山田から意外に近いです。隣の坂城町から上がって、室賀峠を越えて、降りて、左側に有ります。ささらの湯はお風呂以外、地元で採れた作物のの産物直売所も、手打ちそばのレストラン、地元の作家の作品展示ギャラリーもあります。
しかし、ささらの湯の一番の魅力はやはり、室賀温泉のお湯である。月毎交換になる男女別々の内湯の外は岩か樽の露天風呂。私は亀清旅館の露天風呂を作った時に、その岩風呂を参考にしました。お風呂は１００％かけ流しだそうです。温泉の量はたっぷりあるようで、温泉スタンドもあります。今回にささらの湯に入った時に、一緒に入っていた人は群馬県から来たと仰いました。室賀温泉のお湯はやはり、県外から来る価値がある。「上山田のお湯とどう違うか」と聞かれました。温度は似ていますが、室賀温泉は肌に本当につるつるする。その代わり、上山田の方は硫黄の香りはします。（個人的に、その方が好きです。）
では、戸倉上山田温泉の行きか帰りの途中でもう一つな温泉に立ち寄りたいなら、室賀温泉は良いです！

Hidden away in the back of one of Ueda City's nooks and crannies is Muroga Onsen. Their theme is "Mihada no yu", or "mineral water for beautiful skin". Lots of onsens (including ours, Kamiyamada) advertise the beautifying effects of their mineral waters, but I have to say that Muroga's onsen water does leave your skin feeling slippery smooth.
Our boss offered to watch over Kamesei Ryokan for the afternoon, so our family went for a drive today to Sasara no yu, the daytrip bathing facility at Muroga. We drove over Muroga Pass, saving us the drive around. Sasara no yu, besides the baths, has a farmers market, soba restaurant, and art gallery. So guests can purchase local produce, eat hand-made soba, and enjoy the works of local artists. But the main draw is the mineral water. There are separate baths for men and women with a rock bath outside one, and a wood barrel bath outside the other. (The sides are changed once a month.) The baths are constantly flowing -- no recirculating. Muroga's onsen apparently has a healthy volume of water -- they even have an onsen stand (kind of like a gas stand but you pump onsen water instead of gas).
Today, some of our fellow bathers had come from neighboring Gunma Prefecture. Muroga's mineral water's smooth skin effects are such that it makes it worth it to come from afar. The Gunma guys asked us how Kamiyamada's mineral water differs. Both are clear (uncolored), and the temperatures are pretty much the same, but Muroga's definitely gives your skin a softer, more slippery feel. However, Kamiyamada's has a more prominent sulfur smell making it the more onsen-like in my opinion.
So if you are looking for a different onsen to try on the way to or from Togura Kamiyamada, I suggest checking out Muroga!

室賀は上田駅から車かバスで３０分。（バスは平日に６便、休日に２便。）Muroga is 30 minutes by car or bus from Ueda Station. The bus runs 6 times on weekdays, 2 on holidays.
ささらの湯のＨＰはこちら。Click here for Sasara no Yu's website.

くるみそば＠ささらの湯　うまい！

打ち立ての手打ちそば