Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Day 3

     It was the last day of the rally. We were required to get up 5:30 in the morning. After the meeting in our hotel, we moved to the Sapporo Dome. We were walking toward the eating area in the first picture. We found two Subaru cars on the way. Looking at the license plates, these cars must have been transported from some other country. The next two pictures show the passes for the cars. I thought the organizer must have done the huge but detailed work before we arrived in Sapporo three days ago. As you can see in the last picture, it was a sunny and nice day. At least I was thinking so when I took this picture, but.....

Seeing After Seven Years In The Dome

     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

(KW: 礼文島　ラリージャパン　バイク　ツーリング)

Conrad Rautenbach and Sébastien Loeb

     It was the first time for me to put the light reflector on. We were told to wear it for safety during the work. These outfits made me excited. Actually I had a great time here and I really wanted to take pictures, but we were not allowed to become one of the spectators. It seemed that lots of rally officials had wanted to appear in pictures during the work to show to their friends or family members last year. Therefore a rally official was assigned to take our pictures. I asked him to take my picture with some cars or drivers in secret. If there is a good one, I'll post it in this blog.
     I'd like to talk about two episodes now. At first I had a chance to chat with car number 14 driver Conrad Rautenbach, a world class driver. What made me speak to him was that I noticed a Japanese beginners mark stuck on his car. He was definitely one of the fastest drivers on the public road. Why a beginners mark on his car? I asked him. He said, "I am a beginner, with a smile on his face." I took it as a joke and I felt him to be friendly and modest. To tell the truth, I asked a rally official about the meaning of the mark and I realized the real reason of the mark on his car. I'll write about this in another entry. Anyway, I got a good impression about Mr. Conrad Rautenbach and will cheer for him in the future.
     Secondly, I'll talk about Sébastien Loeb, who became the yearly champion after Rally Japan. Before that, I had been intersted in the WRC media who put on the orange tabard. Ordinary media were wearing the green one, as I showed before. http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2008/10/a-short-break.html
     In Parc-Fermes no one was allowed to work on the car. Drivers were required to stop the engine. However, we were told that whatever the orange WRC media were doing, let them go. I wondered what on earth the orange WRC did and followed them. They were removing the data boxes of the on-board cameras. I was watching their work. This data would be used on TV. At that time someone bumped into me on the left shoulder, but said nothing. How rude it was, I thought and turned around. He was Sébastien and looked nervous so I didn't speak to him. My friend was watching us then and envied me the incident, but I didn't think so.
     At any rate, it was a shame that I was not allowed to take pictures in the Parc-Fermes, but I was happy being surrounded by the rally cars that I had dreamed of.

(Vocabulary)
appear in a photo // come out   写真に写る
before that  その前に
work on  修理（手入れ）する
At any rate  それにしても

Nice Weather

     Yesterday was a terrible day. A serious crash occurred and the weather was horrible with rain and a cold wind. It sounded like it was snowing in the mountain area. However, today, the rain has let up. We had only to do the same thing as yesterday and we had room to enjoy seeing the cars and drivers. I started thinking about what to say to the drivers if I had a chance to meet them face to face.

(Vocabulary)
The rain has let up.  雨が止む

 

My Area, Parc-Fermes

     Firstly, look at the picture. I was working in this area yesterday and I would do the same work here today. The tent in the picture was the entrance of this area which we call Parc-Fermes, and my tent controlled the departure time of cars from the Parc-Fermes. The entrance side looked to be ready. I made haste to prepare.
     A realistic idea came up in my mind. The rally cars that would come here later would be transported to 14 places a year by air. A few dozens professional people belonged to each big team. The owner of the team had to pay them, along with the maintenance fee of the cars. How much did it cost a year? I, who was anxious about such a thing, might not be qualified to attend the competition as a driver.

 

Behind the Rally Japan

     I'll show you stuff that never appears in the magazines and on TV. The first picture shows the dump. Garbage collectors came here regularly, several times a day. There was a dump for industrial waste beside it. The last picture shows portable toilets set in the center of the service park.

Got Back to the Dome

     We returned to the Dome and started preparations for the rally. All rally cars had already started and would get together at about 18:00 hours. We had to set up our time control station. We did the same thing last night and it was not difficult. The first picture shows us preparing the tent. The second picture shows our tabards that got wet from last night's rain. I was relieved that they were dry.

Dinner

     Today's dinner was kimchi (Korean pickle) soup. It was hot and tasty. It was very nice menu, especially on such a cold night. It warmed my body.

 

Finished

     All done today. It was so cold outside. We were told to get together in the Dome and I took pictures on the way to the designated point. It was about 10 o'clock. I was so tired but enjoyed the rally. I could look at the WRC cars directly and enjoyed chatting with the WRC medias. I knew how the videos of the WRC were recorded.
     The second picture is the auditorium of the Sapporo Dome. I thought it was beautiful under the cocktail light.

Time Control Station

     I worked here for about three hours. This point was only 100 meters away from the Dome, but I couldn't watch the Super Special Stage conducted in the Dome. It was really a shame, but this point had its merits.
     All rally cars gathered here and co-drivers got out of the car and dropped in at this tent to get the time control sheet that certificates the time of their pass-through. I could have the chance to talk with some world class co-drivers. On the other hand, when I did the arrangements of the cars outside of the tent, I could also approach the cars and drivers. My co-workers were not so good at English, so when something urgent happened, I had to inform the drivers of the information. At that time, I could talk to the drivers. It was a great and exciting experience to me.
     I'm writing two episodes that happened today. A famous Japanese movie star, Sho Aikawa (http://teamshow.net/blog/) was joining in the rally as a driver. I knew that when I saw his service team in the service park. He is about 40 and a nice looking guy. Guess what, I MET HIM here by chance. He got out of his car and rushed into the tent and said, "Where's the lavatory?" His face was expressing the urgent situation that he was confronted with.
     One more thing happened that I have to tell you about. I MET Mikko Hirvonen by chance near the toilet. I showed him the toilet. His face was light-skinned and looked younger than his age. I thought he was shy and modest. Some rally drivers including Japanese are supposed to be pushy, or have rude manners, but he wasn't like that. He was a gentleman. I'd like to talk about something with him, but I was a rally official and it was amidst the competition. I refrained from speaking to him. He asked me the location of the wash room and I answered. That was it.

(KW: 哀川翔　フィンランド　ヒルボネン　ラリードライバー)

Noncombustible

     In such an international event or convention, I often learn new English words. At that time, I sometimes understand the real meaning and usage of the words or phrases that have been memorized in the wrong way.
     I didn't know the word "noncombustible" until I saw the signboard that is shown in the picture below. The separation of trash is obligated in Japan. We have to separate combustible from noncombustible trash.
     I don't know why, but as far as I know, the word "burnable/nonburnable" is more frequently used than "combustible/noncombustible" as the English translation in Japan. It seems that "combustible/noncombustible" is more popular in the U.S. according to my dictionary. Anyway, I shall use "combustible/noncombustible" opposed to "burnable/nonburnable".

(Vocabulary)
separate combustible from noncombustible trash
  燃えるごみと燃えないごみを分ける
  日本の自治体ではしばしばburnable/nonburnableという英訳を使うが、combustible/noncombustibleのほうが普通と英辞郎には書いてある。

A Car for Reconnaissance?

     I found a car with an unfamiliar license plate. What country did it come from? If someone knows the answer, please tell me the country. I suspected that this car was for the reconnaissance of the course of the special stages.

 

A Short Break

     We got generators. That was it. I had a short break. I walked around the Dome and went to the eating house.

     The booth of Subaru：. Lots of tiny goods were being offered to guests. I got small flags for free and bought two eco-friendly shopping bags (Eco-bags).

     The booth of Mitsubishi: Mitsubishi was displaying the car for the Dakar rally raid (Pris Dakar Rally).

     Lawson, one of the biggest convenience store chains in Japan, were selling hot meals.

     The audience in front of the Citroen Team. They were waiting for the No.1 driver, Christian Loeb.

     Citroen's service staff members were working on their cars. They might be the most excellent mechanics in the world. I wished I could understand French.

     The media crew who was collecting news material from the galleries in front of the Ford Team.

     Munchi's Ford World Rally Team.

     It is our Subaru Team.

     I was stuck at this point.

(Vocabulary)
Eco-friendly shopping bags (Eco-bags)  エコバッグ
be abbreviated to / be called ~ for short　  略称を～という
collect news data / collect news materials / get a story　取材する

Test-Ride Event

     A Japanese car manufacturer, Subaru held a test-ride event in the Dome. I really wanted to join it, but I didn't want to waste my time waiting in line so long. The black cars in the picture were Subaru Imprezas. They were so beautiful and powerful that I might get one when I change my car.

(KW: スバル　インプレッサ　試乗会)

Dump

     When I was wandering about, I found the dump for waste oil. The labels on three drum cans read "waste oil", "waste antifreeze solution" and "waste oil element". I didn't notice that the dump was necessary until I saw it. Organizing the WRC was really tough, I thought.

(Vocabulary)
dump  ゴミ捨て場　廃棄物処理場

 

Car for ADAC 24h Rennen Nuerburgring

     I found a Subaru-made car built for the 24 Hour Nuerburgring (http://www.nuerburgring.de/) by chance. It seemed like Subaru, the famous car manufacturer, was going to show the customers their technology. I'll post pictures of the car below.
     By the way, the rally cars were supposed to gather here about 6 o'clock in the evening. That meant that the racing course specially designed in the Dome was vacant in the daytime. Subaru held a test-ride event for three days using this course in the daytime and a few hundred people participated it. They seemed to enjoy the Subaru cars that were driven by professional racers.

(Vocabulary)
test-ride event  試乗会

 

(KW: ニュルブルクリンク24時間耐久レース)

A Bowl of Okhotsk with Soba Noodles (The Bowl of Seafood) オホーツク丼

     I tried to translate a Japanese dish into English and the result is the title of this entry. I don't know if this translation is perfect or not.
     We dropped in at a restaurant adjacent to our hotel on Oct. 30th. When I visit a certain place, I usually try local foods and the word "Okhotsk" was attractive for me and I chose it. I realized that I was certainly in Hokkaido to see "Okhotsk" on the menu.
     The dish was several kinds of seafood on rice. It looked nice seeing it on the menu that I'm showing below, but the dish that was actually  served was as below. These were never the same ones!

(KW: オホーツク丼)

APA Hotel & Resort Sapporo

     I was outfitted with a parka, a heavy cotton shirt, a cap and my official credentials at the Rally HQ. After looking around the service park and some booths, we headed for our hotel. This hotel was also offered by the HQ of Rally Japan. A brother of one of us, who is running a pastry shop in Sapporo City, drove us to the hotel. I will write about him and his shop later.
     The pictures show our hotel and my room. My room was originally designed as a twin room and they added another bed, I supposed. My room was so tight, but the public bath of this hotel used hot spring water and was gorgeous.

http://www.apahotel.com/~lang_sapporo/en/

(Vocabulary)
parka   フード付き防寒着
outfit sb/sth with sth   装備を与える　
heavy  厚手の
pastry shop  ケーキ屋

(KW: アパホテル＆リゾート札幌)

Sapporo Dome

     It had been a year since the last time I flew into Sapporo. We took a bus to Sapporo Dome that you can see in the first picture. Rally HQ (Headquarter) is headquartered here. First of all, we went for the rally official registration. The number of volunteer staff was supposed to be 800. The registration counters were swarming with people. I found the cheering group for the Subaru Rally Team on the way and took pictures. Subaru looked like they put a lot of effort into creating a strong spirit for the rally.

(Vocabulary)
swarm with sb/sth  <場所が>～であふれている　ごった返している

(KW: ラリージャパン　札幌ドーム)

Shall We Go To Sappro

     At first, look at our clothes. This picture was taken just before boarding in Tokyo International Airport. This airport has regular flights to Sapporo and many people are flying to Sapporo from here every day, so our heavy winter costumes weren't curious so here. Sapporo City is very cold this time of year.
     However, when we left Matsuyama Airport wearing these clothes, we were prominent among people in business suits. Matsuyama City is located in a warm area of Japan and people there are not wearing winter clothes yet.

(Vocabulary)
winter clothes / winter costume   冬服