July in Hokkaido is ideal for distance runners. Maybe not just for runners, but also for any other sports. I hear that many college sport teams have summer training in Hokkaido due to its mild summer climate. Along the Shiroihi Cycling Road in Sapporo, which is my regular running course, are trees of deep summer green and blooming flowers, and lavender is one of them. I happened to learn that the cultivation of lavender in Japan was started out here in Sapporo about 80 years ago. Since the Furano area (including Nakafurano and Biei) is the brand name of lavender fields in Hokkaido, it was a little surprise to me. I don’t …