I'll introduce one of my friends, Kenta, who lives in Tokyo. I had enjoyed motorcycle riding with him and one more friend in Hokkaido seven years ago. The first picture was taken on Rebun island that is the northernmost island in Japan and noted as a flower island. It was named from many kinds of alpine flowers on the island. When we visited the island, it was in the midst of the peak season and we couldn't find a vacancy, even in a small cheap hotel. Unfortunately it started raining. We looked for places to stay one night hiding from the rain, but ended up putting up our tents close to each other and setting up a tarp between the tents. We stopped regarding the situation as miserable and decided to enjoy the situation. There was nothing around us except the big sound of heavy rain. We ran wild and nobody cared because there was no one else in at least a three kilometer radius in the torrential rain. Actually we had a rough time there, but it has become a good memory now.
I got an e-mail from him just before the rally. I was surprised and happy to hear from him after quite a while. He seemed to be coming to Sapporo to watch the competition. He checked this blog and knew that I was going to join the volunteer staff members of the rally. We promised to see each other in Sapporo.
If you want to enjoy the rally to your heart's content, you have to move long distances. He was moving between some points in the mountains and forests in the daytime, while I was setting up the time control station near the Dome and was not allowed to be away from my area. Finally, we couldn't see each other until the night of the second day. However, he was a spectator and I was on the side of the organizer. The second picture was sent from him, saying "I'm in the seat from where I can take it." I guessed his position in the stadium seeing the picture from 200 meters away and the opposite side of him, communicating with him by my cell phone. He moved a small flag right and left, while I was wearing a light reflector on my jacket. That was how we found each other from 200 meters' distance and talked via cell phones. It was extremely strange seeing him again. I couldn't see him face to face, but it's ok. It was also a good memory and will be one of the topics when we see each other next time.
(Vocabulary)
northernmost island 最北の島
alpine flower 高山植物 高山の
in the midst of sth ～のまっただ中で
hide from the rain // seek shelter from rain 雨宿りする
tarp/tarpaulin 防水シート
in at least a three kilometer radius 少なくとも半径３キロのなかには
move a flag up and down 旗を上下に振る
that's how そのようにして
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