Japanese figure skating 2023-24 season news & updates

[YukiNieve]

At PIW shows, Shun Sato told his fans that Rise (choreographed by Akiko Suzuki) will remain to be an exhibition program as his new short and long programs have been choreographed by Guillaume Cizeron (Shun just came back from Canada). Both music use violin.

He said that the axel sequence he did for Rise will also be included in his competitive program.

 

[Sylvia]

Yuna Aoki article (machine translation of first part that non-subscribers can read is copied out below):

かつての「天才少女」青木祐奈　引退翻した言葉と景色 | 毎日新聞

競技生活の集大成と位置づけた2023～24年シーズン、かつての「天才少女」が再び輝きを放った。青木祐奈選手（22）＝MFアカデミー＝は、グランプリ（GP）シリーズ最終戦のNHK杯で日本選手トップの5位。大学卒業を区切りに競技から引退するつもりだった気持ちを翻意させたのが、オリンピアンの先輩から声を

mainichi.jp

In the 2023-2024 season, which was positioned as the culmination of her competitive career, the former "genius girl" shined once again. Yuna Aoki (22) = MF Academy = 5th place, the top Japanese player in the NHK Trophy, the final round of the Grand Prix (GP) series. She had planned to retire from competition after graduating from university, but what made her change her mind was the sight of the NHK Trophy when she was approached by a senior Olympian.

Aoki, who made her first appearance in the GP series at the NHK Trophy, performed a free program called ``She,'' which was themed around her own ups and downs in her skating life, and was filled with emotion, sometimes expressing sadness and sometimes ecstasy. It happened. Although she made some small mistakes, she was satisfied with her performance. When I looked up at the audience seats, I saw countless Japanese flags swaying as cheers poured down on me.

She studied under Shoichiro Tsuzuki, who also coached Yuzuru Hanyu, and won the All Japan Novice Championship in her first year of junior high school. The following year, in 2015, she attracted a lot of attention when she succeeded in performing the highly difficult consecutive three-turn Lutz-loop jump, which few top athletes in the world were able to perform at the time, at the ISU (International Skating Union)-sanctioned Junior GP Series Riga competition.

However, due to injuries, there was a long period in which she was unable to achieve the results she had hoped for. In 2021, her second year at university, she suffered the humiliation of finishing last in the short program (SP) at the All Japan Championships.

The turning point was in the spring of 2022...

Gallery of 17 photos from Yuna Aoki's 2023-24 season: https://mainichi.jp/graphs/20240507/mpj/00m/050/134000f/20240507mpj00m050117000p
ISU bio: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00014693.htm

 

[Sylvia]

A Kao Miura fan on Twitter/X gifted this article (machine translation below): https://twitter.com/Kao_Miura_fan/status/1787954550198145381

マリニンの背中が見えない世界選手権　三浦佳生の来季はあの名曲で：朝日新聞デジタル

■三浦佳生コラム　アイスパッション　３月の世界選手権（カナダ・モントリオール）は総合８位でした。これが今の自分の力だということを思い知らされました。　練習から調子は良かったにもかかわらず、本番で崩れて…

digital.asahi.com

World Championships where Malinin's back can't be seen Kao Miura's next season will be that famous song
May 8, 2024 6:00

　At the World Championships (Montreal, Canada) in March, I placed 8th overall. I realized that this is my strength now.

　It's frustrating that even though I felt good from practice, I fell apart during the actual performance. I was in good shape on the quad loop and was confident going into it. I entered the match with a good amount of nervousness, but the only thing that didn't go well was the actual performance.

　I always watch the matches closely, but I wasn't able to watch enough of the World Championships to express my impressions. Do your best about yourself. I saw Ilia (Malinin)'s performance after winning the competition, and his strength is that he can jump that high in the actual competition. There is a sense of security that you will not take it out of your practice.

　Our generation will have to continue fighting against him for the rest of our lives. I have to beat him. Right now, Ilia is so far away that I can't even see his back. First of all, I would like to solidify the basics and follow his footsteps.

　Next season will be the start. Continuing from this season, I would like to ask Benoît Richaud to perform the short program (SP). Benoit's program is hard, but I saw growth in my PCS (Performance Composition Scores), so I would like to try a more difficult program.

　We also plan to ask Shae-Lynn Bourne, who created this season's "Attack on Titan," to do the free work [program].

　I have a song that I want to do, and I think Shae-Lynn is the person who can create that image. I don't think anyone can imagine it, but she wants to use the music from the French movie ``The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.'' I don't know what will happen yet.

　I've always thought Cherbourg's songs were great. Lim Hannah and Quan Ye, who also competed in the world championships, were using it for free, and I thought it was a great idea, so I decided to use it.

　While showing the storyline of the movie, they compete with more graceful and beautiful skating. Two top skaters, Ilia and Adam (Siao Him Fa), are great, but I would like to take a different route.

　The movie itself doesn't really have a happy ending, it seems like it has a bad ending. From the perspective of the story as a whole, it's a bad ending, but I want to portray that sadness on ice. I think it might be a surprising match for me.

　This spring, I entered Meiji University and started taking various lectures such as English, Chinese, and economics. I was worried that I could only rely on Shun (Sato), so I asked Ryusei (Kikuchi, junior man) as well and decided on a lecture schedule. I respect Shun, but I can't lower my grades either. Before I knew it, I was in a higher grade than Shun, and I was planning to graduate first (lol).

 

[zebobes]

I believe that Shoma just announced his retirement?

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Karen-W]

I believe that Shoma just announced his retirement?

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Certainly seems to have done so. He says he will be holding a retirement press conference on May 14th.

 

[Rukia]

I'm kind of not surprised because it just kind of felt like he was setting up a retirement lifestyle lately. Anyway, best of luck to him in the future. He really has had a super interesting career.

 

[On My Own]

[Miura] I've always thought Cherbourg's songs were great. Lim Hannah and Quan Ye, who also competed in the world championships, were using it for free, and I thought it was a great idea, so I decided to use it.

... Somebody please stop these kids.

 

[YukiNieve]

Concerning Kao's interview above, I made tiny bit changes where machine translation does not convey the original meanings in Japanese (I hope you do not mind, Sylvia):

About Ilia:
I watched Ilia (Malinin)'s winning performance. It speaks to his talent that he can jump like that during the actual competition. It really shows his peace of mind that stays unchanged from when he's practicing. My generation has to battle with him for the rest of our careers. We need to win against him. Right now, I'm so far behind that I can't even see Ilia's back. I would like to chase after him by solidifying my basics.

About Shun:
This spring, I started college at Meiji University. I am taking classes in English, Chinese, Economics -- a wide variety of subjects. I wanted to rely not just on Shun (Sato), so I also asked Ryusei (Kikuchi) for his class schedule to help decide my courses. I respect Shun, but I can't fail any classes. My plan is to skip grades ahead of Shun and graduate first before we know it, LOL.

A note: Shun is one grade above Kao but they have been very close friends (including Yuma), knowing each other for a long time and keep competitive but supportive relationships.

 

[On My Own]

A note: Shun is one grade above Kao but they have been very close friends (including Yuma)

They're called the Kanto Bears.

 

[Marco]

With Shoma out of the equation, Yuna and Kao are top two, and Sota and Shun will be fighting for the third spot... this is still exciting...

 

[YukiNieve]

Kao Miura said in his Threads account that he choreographed a program for someone for the first time (he choreographed Myra for himself).

 

[On My Own]

Kao Miura said in his Threads account that he choreographed a program for someone for the first time (he choreographed Myra for himself).

Where's a video of Myra?

 

[Sylvia]

Where's a video of Myra?

ETA:

Kao Miura said in his Threads account that he choreographed a program for someone for the first time

kao miura 三浦佳生 (@kao.miura) on Threads

初めて自分自身以外の振り付け。

www.threads.net

(Good to know we can link to Threads posts without having subscribed.)

ETA:

With Shoma out of the equation, Yuna and Kao are top two, and Sota and Shun will be fighting for the third spot... this is still exciting...

And Kazuki Tomono!

 

[On My Own]

kao miura 三浦佳生 (@kao.miura) on Threads

初めて自分自身以外の振り付け。

www.threads.net

(Good to know we can link to Threads posts without having subscribed.)

No this is the new one that he choreographed for someone else, isn't it? I'm asking for Myra.

 

[YukiNieve]

No this is the new one that he choreographed for someone else, isn't it? I'm asking for Myra.

Myra was the program Kao skated for the SOI in Japan.
I have not seen the video. There will be a broadcasting of the show this month (May) and hopefully someone will upload the video.

 

[On My Own]

Myra was the program Kao skated for the SOI in Japan.
I have not seen the video. There will be a broadcasting of the show this month (May) and hopefully someone will upload the video.

OK good to know because I tried and tried and couldn't find it

Apparently, this is the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FF1gzosv8k

 

[Sylvia]

Shoma Uno's appearance at Colan Totte's (a medical equipment manufacturer) launch event earlier today in Nagoya with Kazuki Tomono, Sota Yamamoto, Koshiro Shimada and Rio Nakata - 2 photos & a video clip of Uno speaking: https://twitter.com/Colan_Totte/status/1789249199990833445
An article:

宇野昌磨さん引退発表後初の公の場「やりたいこと探していきたい」 | 毎日新聞

フィギュアスケートで日本男子初の世界選手権2連覇を果たし、9日に現役引退を表明した宇野昌磨さん（26）が11日、名古屋市内であった医療機器メーカー「コラントッテ」のイベントに登壇。集まった約150人のファンを前に今季の振り返りや、今後の抱負を語った。

mainichi.jp

 

[Sylvia]

(4) Rookie Special Feature No. 3 ~ Kao Miura ② ~ – Meiji University Sports Newspaper Club (May 11, 2024):

（４）ルーキー特集　第３弾　～三浦佳生編②～ – 明大スポーツ新聞部

今年度も頼もしいルーキーたちが紫紺の門をたたいた。７回目を迎える今回のルーキー特集でも例年に引き続き、競技の話から普段は見えない選手の意外な一面まで、それぞれの魅力をお届けする。 （この取材は２月22日に行われたもので […]

meisupo.net

Machine translation (@YukiNieve feel free to post better translations of anything if you feel like it ):

(This interview was conducted on February 22nd)

--Please tell us why you decided to enter Meiji University.
　“I have a lot of seniors who are close to me, so when I thought about where I should go to pursue my skating career, Meiji University was the first place that came to mind.”

Q: You have many seniors with whom you have connections, so have you talked to Mr. Shun Sato (Politics and Economics 3: Sakae Saitama), with whom you have a close friendship?
　`Sometimes we would listen to stories about the university, but I don't know what to say, but we're both rather no-frills.I'm also a no-frills person, so the content of our conversations was something along the lines of, `It'll work out somehow.'' It's faint."

――You are also a member of the Faculty of Political Science and Economics. Why did you choose your faculty?
　“I also wonder if I can talk to (Sato).”

--In terms of connections to Meguro Nihon University, there are Ryusei Kikuchi (Politics and Economics 2 = Meguro Nihon University) and Aiko Motoei (Commerce 2 = Meguro Nihon University).
　"That's right. Ryusei was also in high school, but we used to practice at the same rink, so we have a lot of interaction. We even go out to play. Aiko-chan also used to have the same teacher, so we have quite a connection."

――As for Oriental Bio, you also have Rion Sumiyoshi (Commercial 3 = Komaba Gakuen).Would you like to talk to him?
　`Rion-chan said something like `Meiji is going to be tough,'' but she hasn't really talked about the university that much.''

--Are there any other Meiji University players you have contact with?
　``Mitsuto-kun (Mitsuto Oshima, Politics and Economics 4 = Rikkyo Niiza) also plays there sometimes, and Kana Horimi (Commercial 3 = Aichi Mizuho Daizuho) and I practice at the same rink.''

--Is there anything you're looking forward to after entering university?
　"I'm like, 'I wonder what's going to happen?' I'm worried, but I'd like to start by making friends and living a normal life."

--How are you studying?
　"I don't like it. In fact, I don't like it (lol). However, there are many overseas matches, so I have the opportunity to interact with overseas players, and I also played with overseas players the other day, so I hope I can talk more. I think it's okay, so I'm studying English. I don't want to study anything other than what I'm interested in, so that's a bad thing."

――It 's the same with your communication with Shae-Lynn [Bourne], and it seems that you also communicate with Ilia Malinin (USA) privately over the Internet. How is your English at that time?
　``With Ilia, I can take screenshots of sentences sent to me (on the internet), translate them, and send them back, but since the practice with Shae-Lynn was face-to-face, I had her write some simple English and if I couldn't understand it, I would use a translator. It was like using

--Do you have a favorite subject?
　"Not at all (laughs). (Are there any things you're relatively good at?) I'm still learning Japanese. The answers to the word problems are already written, right? Just read them. I'm no good at anything else."

--What is your least favorite subject?
　``Mathematics is by far the best.I was left behind at about the second year of junior high school.(What do you think about the Faculty of Political Science and Economics?)It's not good.I hope I can make some friends and learn from them and be able to make it work somehow. (lol)"

--You have also participated in many tournaments overseas. You said that the ice didn't suit you at Skate Canada, but could you tell us more specifically?
　`That's right.The ice was unique, and the rink was the size of a hockey rink, so I was the type of person who jumped with a lot of speed, and I was like, `When I jump, there's already a wall,'' so it was pretty tough. (What is your impression of the ice?) In Japan, when there are fairly large tournaments, ice is made and skated at places like the Saitama Super Arena, and the ice in Canada seems to be similar to the ice made there. I had a unique impression of it.It's a strange analogy to say it was like cardboard, but it was slippery and stiff, and you couldn't tell whether it was hard or soft.''

――Are there any other differences between overseas and Japanese rinks other than the state of the rinks?
　“It varies depending on the rink, but some links are cold and some are not cold at all.In overseas, one link is larger. In addition to the main rink, there are subrinks, or two or three rinks. It feels like ``overseas.''

--Is your home rink, KOSÉ Shin-Yokohama Skate Center, the most comfortable rink for you?
　``I don't know. I can't jump the quadruple loop at Shinyoko, but I can do it at overseas venues.I wonder why.The ice at Shinyoko is especially suitable for me.'' It’s not like there’s one.”

--Is there anything that left a lasting impression on you while overseas?
　``Basically, even if I go to a match, I don't do any sightseeing, and I usually just stay in my room and play games.For example, during the Grand Prix Final a year ago, I went to Burger King and accidentally threw my phone in the trash. I threw it away, and then that night my phone stopped working.I left it on the tray and washed it away with it, along with the leftover drinks and it got submerged in water. I couldn't use it anymore (lol). I was in a lot of trouble (lol). (Was it okay?) I asked a lot of people and it was restored."

--I think Miura's dynamic jumps are his weapon. How do you personally feel about the order of difficulty of jumps?
　``In my case, it's not that I'm particularly bad at loops, but I feel like I'm most afraid of them.I hate Lutz the most, and they're the most difficult.(Next) loops, flips, It's like a toe (toe loop) or a salchow. (It depends on the person.) Well, some people are good at lutzes, but some Japanese skaters tend to do salchows and toes. There are a lot of skaters, but overseas and in Europe, they tend to be weaker at those (Salchow, Toe).

--What do you think about Sato's specialty, the quadruple Lutz?
　``I've always been bad at Lutz jumps, and I used to make edge errors, but now that I've finally corrected them, it's still a long way off.First of all, I need to jump well on loops and flips. I think it's still not too late. First, I think (Lutz) will be practicing jumping triples with plenty of time."

--What does Miura think of Ilia Malinin's quadruple axel?
　"You're inhuman, honestly. Even if you ask me to jump, it's impossible. I probably won't be able to do it no matter how much time I spend."

--What do you think is amazing?
　"It's weird that Axel can jump with that kind of jumping power. I can still understand Lutz and others, but Axel is weird, completely. I don't understand how he jumps anymore, (it's like) a frog."

--In terms of expression, I hear you also watch the performances of past athletes on YouTube.
　``Well, at first, after watching a few performances, I was recommended to her [YT], but from there I started watching her more and more and got to know her.''

--Do you use it as a reference?
　``I feel like I'm doing a type of skating that doesn't exist today, and it's not that I don't particularly dislike modern skating, but there are some things that are unique to the old days.If anything, modern skating is more about jumping. No matter how much you hone your skating skills and work hard, the PCS (Performing Composite Points) is given a perfect score, and when you get to the top level, there isn't much difference between you and everyone, so you can't do the (high-scoring) jumps. We live in an era where you can't win.In that respect, looking back at the past, I think it's interesting that the performances don't focus too much on jumping.''

--Do you talk about other skaters' performances with the skaters around you?
　`Sometimes I'm like, `That athlete is great, right?'' There are quite a few people who aren't interested, so I choose people who are interested. (For example, who do I talk to?) I watch Yuma a lot, and he really knows how to skate. I like him and often watch both current and former players, so we often talk about things like that (Do you talk to Sato?) Shun (lol). (What kind of game is it?) The most common one is Prospi (Professional Baseball Spirits A). I play it on my iPad, and it's fun."

― ―There were days last year when you appeared in SP (short program) twice in one day, but are you physically able to do it?
　"If it's SP. (Will SP be able to do it?) Not yet (lol). Well, it was tough, but in that match, if one side won, they would get meat, and the other one had Yuma and Shun, so... I wanted to do both. At first I was thinking of choosing one, but I couldn't decide and ended up doing both."

--Do you have a routine?
　"I always take a nap. I take it anytime. (How long do I take it?) It varies from day to day, but when I'm really sleepy, I take a nap until I feel like I'm done. I don't think napping is really good, but I have to. If I have night practice and morning practice, I don't have much time to sleep.If I have to make dinner, prepare for bed, take a bath, etc., I don't have time to sleep, so I go to bed in the afternoon.''

--Are you careful about your diet?
　``I didn't really pay attention to it, but lately I've been mainly eating protein.When I go out to play, I eat a lot without worrying about it, but usually I only eat protein.I want to lose weight more. So, I don't drink juices at all, thinking that it will make my skin clearer."

--Is it because squeezing your body affects your jumping?
　"I don't really care about that. I want to completely tone my body and go to the beach in the summer. I don't want to go there with a sagging stomach (lol). I just want to feel confident about it (lol) )”

--When do you feel the most fun while figure skating?
　“I think the most rewarding, or rather fun, moments are when I learn a new jump or when I achieve results in a competition.”

――Are there any moments when you feel tired?
　"Everything else is already hard. I have to practice jumping a lot. I don't like practicing small spins, so I'm practicing reluctantly. (I don't really like spins, do you?) Well, I've always liked them. It wasn't, but it would be bad if I couldn't get to the level, so I started practicing, but I don't like it.''

--Since you've been skating, has there ever been a time when you changed?
　``One day, Yuma moved to the same practice rink, and Shun also moved from Sendai to Kanto, and the three of us were often together in a nearby area. That's when I realized that I couldn't beat them unless I did better, and I think my mindset changed a lot from then on.''

――Are there any areas in which you think you are not inferior to those two players (Kagiyayama and Sato)?
　“I don’t want to lose momentum and power.”

--When did you start becoming aware of the world?
　“I transitioned to senior status around last season, and little by little.At first, I didn't really think about it, but in my first overseas match as a senior, I faced Ilia, and I beat Ilia in the SP, so overall, I didn't think anything of it. I felt like if I didn't fail, there wouldn't be that much of a difference. Little by little, I started to see my potential, which led to my confidence, and from there I started wanting to beat the overseas competitors even more. I think it came out.”

――Is there anything you would like to improve during your four years at university?
　``I'd like to become a little more grounded, but I'd like to expand my horizons from a lifestyle where I only watched skating to other things, make friends, hang out, participate in events, and become more active.'' I think so.”

--What do you think about skating?
　“The Milan Olympics will be held in 2026, so I want to train hard for that, while also enjoying university life and doing my best in both.”

--Finally , please give a message to your fans.
　“I would appreciate it if you would continue to support me even after I enter university.”

--thank you very much.

[Taiyo Hashimoto, Kokoro Horiguchi]

 

[On My Own]

Colan Totte's (a medical equipment manufacturer)

They are "magnetic necklaces" and the sort, for the record. https://colantotte.co.jp/global/products/

I've never been sure what medical properties they're supposed to possess.

 

[YukiNieve]

Machine translation (@YukiNieve feel free to post better translations of anything if you feel like it ):

The translations are mostly fine, but because this is an interview done by the college newspaper (I think the interviewer is also a fellow college student), the original sentences are quite colloquial. So the machine translation sometimes fails to capture the meanings accurately. In my experience, DeepL dose better job than Google Translation when it comes to translate Japanese into English.

Here are just a few paragraphs that had some inaccuracies in the original translations.

Q: You have many seniors with whom you have connections, so have you talked to Mr. Shun Sato (College of Politics and Economics 3), with whom you have a close friendship?
Kao: Sometimes I asked him about the university, but I don't know how to put it...both of us are rather happy go lucky. We are happy go lucky people, so our conversations were rather unfocused and like "It'll work out somehow.

Q: Do you have a favorite subject?
Kao: Nothing (laughs). (Are there any subjects you're relatively good at?) Japanese (as a subject matter) is OK. You can find answers if you read the text, right? I'm not good at anything else.

Q: Is your home rink, KOSÉ Shin-Yokohama Skate Center, the most comfortable rink for you?
Kao: I don't know. I can't jump the quadruple loop at Shinyoko, but I can do it at overseas venues. I wonder why. The ice at Shinyoko is not particularly suited for me.

Q: (On Ilia's 4A) What part of his Axel do you think is amazing?
Kao: It's crazy that he can jump Axel with that kind of leaping power. I can still understand if that were about Lutz, but Axel is a completely different matter. I don't understand his take off for the Axel at all. He looks like a frog." ←added by me.

Q: As for the expression side, I heard that you also watch the performances of past athletes on YouTube, right?
Kao: Yes, I do. It started out by following recommended performances (by YouTube) after watching a few, but from there I watched more and more and got to know more and more about it.

Q: Do you use it as a reference?
Kao: It's not that I don't like the current skating, but there are good things about the past. No matter how hard you work on your skating skills, the full score of PCS (Performance Component Score) is fixed and there cannot be much differences between the top level skaters, so you cannot win unless you can do hardest jumps. In that respect, when I look at the past, I think it's interesting to see performances that did not focus too much just on jumps.

Q: Do you talk about those other performances with the skaters around you?
Kao: Sometimes I say things like “XX (skater) is good”. There are quite a few people who aren't interested, so I talk about it with people who are interested. (For example, who do you talk to?) Yuma watches others' performance a lot, and he really likes skating and watches both current and old skaters, so we talk a lot about that. (Do you talk to Sato?) Shun? With him I talk about games all the time. (Which games?). The game we talk about most is Professional Baseball Spirits. I play it on my iPad, and it's fun.

 

[YukiNieve]

So the machine translation sometimes fails to capture the meanings accurately.

Having said that, translations, especially between Japanese and English, the languages whose grammar and structures are so different, are not easy. I am not a native speaker so feel free to correct incorrect sentences if you find ones.

For example my child (a native speaker) told me that using the word "weird" in the sentence "It's weird that he can jump Axel with that kind of leaping power." sounds too strong. Being curious, I put the Japanese sentence in both Google and DeepL and both translated that part as weird.
"But he has the sense of respect for Ilia when saying that, right?"
"Of course"
"Then it's probably better to use crazy or mind-boggling."
"I see"