Annual events of the inn at the hot spring town(by Fubou)

The other day I introduced here [making house made miss=fermented soybean paste] as one of our annual event of my inn.
There were several other things we should try to do as the inn every year.
I wish to tell you about such things this time.

[Fill up snows to the snow room]
Kusatu spa was on the highland of around 1200meters above the sea level.
So it was a fine summer resort temperature around 25c highest even in the midsummer.
In addition to this, fresh and clear cold water from mountain were supplied without limit and such waters flow into the water tub of the kitchen in which we put in ider: beer: water melon: peach: etc.
We could eat such a cool food in the tub.
So generally speaking, we need not to have refrigerator at all.
But as the kitchen of the inn, I presume they had to keep fishes and meets in the refrigerator.
There were big ice refrigerator in the kitchen room.
For that ice refrigerator we had the cave as the snow room which dug on the slope of the suburbs of the spa--only ten minutes walk from my house on foot--.

From the narrow entrance of the cave, we walked down two or three stairs; there were ten square meters snow room. It was rather difficult to put in powdery snow in the winter to the room.
So around March or April when the snow become wet by absorbing moistures, staffs of the inn came to fill in the snow on or around the cave.

In the summer some one in the kitchen room said [snow in the ice refrigerator now were running short], some staffs not so busy were pulling Rear-Car (two wheel carriage pulled by bicycle) to the snow room to collect the lump of snow covered with old blanket. I remember that I myself many a times helped to carry the snow with our staffs.

(Note) Rear-Car is said imported to Japan on Taisho 10 (1921)

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[To put postage stamp on New Years card]

Every year end a clerk wrote the address of the customers on several hundred of New Year card by hair brush pen.
[We called him a choba banto (head of banto=head of staffs) Now a days perhaps we call him as General manager of the office. His capacity will be including manager of administration and manager of accounting section. But at that time he was called Ochoubasan by other staff or women staff.]

After finishing the address writing, we children were requested to put the postage stamp on these New Year cards.
We children always said that it was rather trouble some, so it was better to ask Post office to stamp on it separate payment.
But our ideas were always refused by saying that such a way was very impolite to the customers.


[Renewing of tatami mats (rush covered mats)and repaper of shoji(sliding thin paper screen or door)]

Renewing of tatami mats and repaper of shoji were also very important work of that time.
As to these works I wish to show you a part of letter dated Meiji 45(1912) from my grandfather in the hospital in Tokyo to my grandmother.

[Repaper of shoji ; please try gradually to the part of not so good looking place. Renewing of tatami mats; upon receiving the tatami face, Please start from room 58 room 63 room 62 third floor room 22 room 23 to renew with new tatami face.
As to room 20 room 21 you might use old face of room 62 and 23.Room 25 and 26 I presumed it was alright to keep current face.
But if it was not so good looking you had to renew these as well.----]

This is the part of letter sent by my grandfather to my grandmother. It is great surprise for me that he sent such a detailed instructions to my grandmother notwithstanding with his illness in the hospital.

I take off my hat to his eagerness to his business.
These works were done by tatami maker and paper hanger entre to my home lived in town near to us.


[Change of cotton for cotton stuffed mattress]

I am not so sure the seasons of this, every year a man named Gunnjisa from Takasaki came to my inn and worked for the change of cotton for cotton stuffed mattress staying with us for a few days.
Upon returning from primary school, when I was told that Gunnjisan was here, I throw my school bag out and rushed in to the room where Gunjisan was working.

All day long Gunjisan was sewing futon and putting cotton into futon. He liked children and told us several stories doing his work at the same time.

The stories were such as
The subjugate of a baboon Revenge of Mr.Mataemon Arakikilling 36men Sanada ten brave warriorSarutobi Saksuke etc. with such a story telling actually himself experienced-


　　Daitou-kan (Japanese style hot spring hotel)
　　　　　　　　

　　Hot spring field and Daitou-kan




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Looking back the era from Japan and Russia War(1904) to Showa first ten years with Taisho age in the middleI feel that it was rather romantic and optimistic good years, of course technically and economically not so developed well.
But such a good current of times and nice custom were gradually faded away followed by the change of labor power relation and demand and supply of good on or around second ten years of Showa after Japan came to stuck in the mud of war.

Fubou