I came to a single inn near Mt. Asama in Shinshu.
I had intended to stop at this inn for a short visit,
but I took an unplanned action that I had never taken before.
There is much to love about this place that makes it so.
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| ［Tengu] A legendary Japanese "god" or "yokai" that has been
handed down from generation to generation. They generally have a red face,
a high nose, wings, and the ability to fly. The word "become a Tengu"
means to get carried away, to boast, or to be conceited. |
| Beautiful scenery and beautiful ...... |
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"Hey, hey, since when did you become a horseman!" There's a reason why people say that. Well, listen to me.
Yesterday, I visited Takamine Onsen Hot Springs at an altitude of 2,000
meters above sea level. On our way home after the morning snow had stopped,
it was still too early to return to Tokyo, so I decided to take a side
trip with our model Tamon-san. We called Tengu Onsen Asama Sanso, 600 meters
below sea level from Takamine Onsen, to ask if we could stop by and take
a picture of the hot spring baths, not for a full-scale interview.
When we arrived at Asama Sanso, I immediately went to the front desk. When
I said, "Hello!" in a loud voice, I was taken by surprise by a woman who appeared smilingly
as if she was the landlady: ...... What a surprise, she's beautiful! I
hadn't noticed her in the phone conversation just before the meeting (of
course).
Nervously, I asked her if I could meet owner, and she said he was outside.
I looked through the front door at the property and saw the unfashionable
owner, dressed like a stray, coming in stealthily with his rubber boots
on. With his consent, I went to the indoor hot spring in order to take
photograph of the hot spring, and when I opened the door to the bathroom,
I found ......
“Wow, what in the world is this bright orange!” I had heard rumors about the color of the hot water at Tengu Onsen and
I had seen it in the pictures on the website, but it was impressive to
see it in person.
The purpose of my visit was just to take pictures of the bathtub, although
I did not know when I would publish them in a magazine. But I changed my
mind. This inn seems interesting (and has a beautiful landlady). So I decided
to go for a full-fledged interview. Yes, I have decided now!
However, the main premise of the interview must to stay overnight. So,
I decided to come back next week, while the beautiful autumn foliage was
still intact.
However, due to the short notice, neither the model nor the professional
photographer could be accommodated. So we returned to Tokyo, taking only
the bathing scenes of the model and myself (mine is superfluous?) and a
picture of the bathtub and owner’s face. But what about the day of the
interview? If that happens, I can take the pictures. But what if I am the
subject? I could take my wife with me. ...... So, the first horseback riding
photo was taken by my wife. It was the first time for her to use a single-lens
reflex camera with full-automatic high-speed continuous shooting. I'm sure
she’ll get a few good shots. …Hmm, I guess her hit it. (Top photo) |
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| The road to Tengu Onsen is flat, unpaved, about 4 km. |
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| It arrives at an inn at an elevation of about 1,400 meters. Autumn leaves
in fall and green trees in spring are beautiful. |
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| The landlady is friendly, and the owner is serious and comical. |
| Sorcery of Tengu |
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When I first visited, my first conversation with the owner went like this.
"Thank you very much for your hospitality. By the way, I was surprised
to see how beautiful your wife is."
"Oh, you think so?" The owner's face, smiling with a ...... grin and seemingly unconcerned,
was truly impressive.
Normally, such a conversation would not take place when meeting someone for the first time. It would be rude. However, since I had just seen the landlady, I couldn't help but speak up. |
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A week later, I return to talk to the owner in earnest. First, we talked
about horses over drinks.
"The current riding ground used to be a tennis court. My father built it because it was not far from Karuizawa, a tourist spot, and he thought it would be popular here, but it didn't work out."
It is a long way from Karuizawa, and anyone would think that people would
not come all the way down the forest road, which is also unpaved.
"So, since I was a horse lover, I decided to use a riding ground."
That would be good idea. It is a nice place to bring the family, ride a horse, work up a sweat, and soak in a hot spring of a great color. The owner's manner of speaking and the change in his facial expression, like a kabuki actor, were amusing. The drinks were flowing, and we got into another conversation about the landlady. I told owner that he had picked her up very well.
He said, "Everyone says so, but no, I was picked up by her. One day she came
to stay at this inn and I asked her for a part-time job in here."
That's what people call picking up girls. I took the opportunity to confirm
this with the landlady, and she said, "Please let it be that way." ……The landlady is a woman who treat her husband with due respect.
Now, what is the origin of the name "Tengu Onsen"?
"I heard that a Tengu (a bad Tengu) lived on Mt. Asam. There was a
Tengu hot spring on an old topographical map."
What ? That's all there is to it ? I thought it would be a more interesting
story. Then let me tell you a Tengu legend based on my imagination.
......There was a wily Tengu on Mt. Asama a long time ago. At the foot
of the mountain, a hot spring gushed out and the villagers were happy to
take a bath in it, but the Tengu, claiming the spring as his own, applied
sorcery and changed the water red. The villagers were saddened to learn
that the water had turned poisonous. The Tengu told them that if they gave
him a beautiful woman as a wife, he would remove the poison, and they obeyed.
And so we have the present day. ...... Hmmm, I guess that was a bit realistic. |
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| One pet pig, free range. |
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Countless stars overhead at Tengu Onsen.
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| In the morning, it is a sea of clouds. It often appears at the change of
the season. |
| It is not a simple hot water. |
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There are hot springs called "Akayu (Red) hot springs" all over the country, but such bright orange hot water is the rarest of
the rare. However, it is not only the color that is mysterious. |
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The source is clear and colorless. The second-floor "Sora" indoor
bath is for guests,
and the first-floor "Gaku" indoor bath is for day-trip bathing. Model: Ms. Emi Tamon. |
The hot water, which flows in a sealed container from a source 300 meters away, does not change color until it comes into contact with the air in the bathtub. The main cause is "iron oxidation". What is even more questionable is the temperature of the water. One would
assume that a hot spring located in close proximity to Mt. Asama, an active
volcano that is emitting a plume of smoke, would have been affected by
the magma and would be very hot. However, the temperature of the fountainhead
is a cold mineral spring of 8 ℃. Therefore, heating is necessary. There
is one more thing. The 47.6 liters per minute of the spring's output is
not a lot, but the bathtub is not very spacious, so I think it would be
fine to pour water from the source over the bathtub, but circulation is
also added. The owner of the inn says in response to this.
"If the water is not circulated and stirred, iron components will
accumulate at the bottom of the bathtub. In addition, it is necessary to
heat the water during the circulation process."
This hot water is called "fountainhead hot water that is poured over the source and stirred
around." Although people are often distracted by the orange color of the water
due to the iron content, the water also contains a large amount of hydrogen
carbonate and metasilicic acid, both of which are beneficial for beautiful
skin. The name of the spring is "simple iron (II) cold mineral spring". However, it is not a "simple" spring at all, but a complex
and mysterious one. |
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| The owner making soba noodles. |
I thought that the owner’s job was to take care of the horses, manage the
hot springs, and otherwise manage the funds. However, people are not always
what they seem.
The soba noodles for dinner were made by the owner himself. And mushrooms
in autumn, Shiitake mushrooms are cultivated, and various other mushrooms
are picked by the owner and landlady in the vast forest on the grounds,
which cover an area of 10,000 square meters. Of course, they never fail
to learn how to distinguish them from poisonous mushrooms. I was impressed
by their cooking. I am sorry to say, but he was surprisingly dexterous.
I have written about her several times. What heals people when they visit
hot springs is not only the property of the spring water, no matter how
good it is. The surrounding scenery, the atmosphere of the inn, and the
food are also important factors. Furthermore, the personalities of the
owner and landlady are also important. This is the personality of the inn
as a whole and influences the degree to which you are healed. On my way
home, I thought, "I will come back to this inn again". (In fact, I went back to stay there again.) |
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To the hot spring of the Tengu,
To horses, pigs, the starry sky, the sea of clouds
And to the owner and the landlady, cheers ! |
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Tengu Onsen Asama Sanso
4766-2 Koumata, Komoro, Nagano TEL 0267-22-0959
Rates are from 14,300 yen per person on weekdays (2 persons per room, including
taxes, single occupancy allowed). 10 guest rooms in the main building.
For rates for cottages, lodges, camping, etc., please refer to the site
information or call. Day use hot springs: Only the indoor hot water on
the first floor is available, 850 yen.
[Hot water]
Simple iron (Ⅱ) cold mineral spring [bicarbonate type].
Number of fountainhead: 1 natural gush Amount of gush: 47.6 ℓ/min
Souce-of-spring temperature: 8.4 ℃ pH 5.9 weak acidity Dissolved matter: 515 mg/kg
There is no addition of water and heating. Inner hot water “Gaku” is circulation
and filtration, and “Sora” is circulation.Bathroom: Inner hot water 4 (man/woman
distinction)
[Inn data] As of June 2022
Official site https://tenguspa.com/ |
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