写真・構成：岩崎量示
The English translation follows after the Japanese text.
〈春の朝日を浴びるタウシュベツ川橋梁へ〉
湖底にはまだ氷と雪が残っていて、見た目には真冬と大差ないようにも思えるけれど、光の具合は明らかに違う。どこか春めいたやわらかさがあった。
このころの橋は、今振り返るとまだ頑丈そうに見える。当時から「崩れそうだ」と言われていたけれど、いま見れば案外しっかり立っている印象もある。
4月上旬に橋に近づけるのは、近年ではなかなか難しくなっているので、こうして撮っていた写真が気づけば貴重な記録になっていた。
Fourteen years ago today, on April 9, 2011, I headed out to the Taushubetsu Bridge at dawn.
Although the lakebed was still covered with ice and snow—looking almost like mid-winter—the quality of the light was clearly different. There was a softer, more spring-like feel in the air.
Looking back now, the bridge then still seems surprisingly solid. Even back then, people said it was about to collapse, yet in hindsight, it appears more stable than one might expect.
Since getting close to the bridge in early April has become harder in recent years, the photos I took back then have become unexpectedly valuable records.
Ryoji Iwasaki