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I'm just like you @Perelandra Regarding my French time zone : the opening ceremony will be broadcast live Friday evening on France 2, and then, depending on my preferences, some of the events will also be shown live. It's clear that the symbolism of Baron Pierre de Coubertin is no longer relevant... and I'm learning with you that the ISU is getting involved in track and field! And there are French skaters involved in the G. Cizeron controversy, which is causing a major debate in France... In 4 years, 2030, heading to France, and until then!?!?

Yes, I will be watching and I enjoy the TV coverage of Olys Summer and Winter in general. For athletes and spectators alike , it's the big sporting event of the season and the live coverage this time will be easy from my timezone. The BBC have published the day by day programme calendar and what to look for in terms of daily medal events. I'm UK based and there are quite a lot of good Team GB athletes who have done well at World Championships and X games. I'm always in awe of people throwing themselves down mountain slopes, ski jumps and sled runs etc. I hope that they do well. I realise that many Fanyus, myself included, have mixed feeling about the rink events, not just Figure but also the speed and short track which all come under the ISU governance. imvho, I understand that the Olympic Games is a major international event in which athletes from many disciplines and many countries and territories have the chance to come together and represent their country. The athletes have worked hard, it may be their once in a lifetime chance to be an Olympian and for the athletes and national sporting bodies it is considered one of the ultimate celebrations of sport and it will be interesting and exciting to watch. Clearly, there are certain aspects of the games which have been made at Olympic committee and sporting federation level with which some people do not agree and or are controversial to say the least, but this is not the forum to discuss those issues. Sadly, the world is not perfect and the sporting events reflect those imperfections, even at the highest level. That is not fair and not just, but until such time comes where efforts are correctly rewarded. ( massive understatement ). We can live in hope that one day the Olympic movement will be one of the pioneers which will completely erase cheating, bias and unfairness in competitive sport and ensure that the Olympic Games and the Olympic ideals will be something that people can be proud of.

Anyone here watching Milan olympics coming up?

They are completely sold out of any CDs for Arirang. You can get vinyl that they've restocked but it doesn't even look like you can pre-order a cd....

2026.03.30 [ Photon ] Yuzuru Hanyu Photo Collection Info: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4910319069

It was Layover, in both cases.

I'm gun shy about pre-ordering anything after that fiasco where it didn't get counted for the charts for one of the solo releases, not sure which one (Astronaut?) Of course, on the other side, there was that other fiasco where they didn't have enough stock so it didn't get counted for the charts then (Jin's Happy?). I would think that the company would have more faith in a full group come back though so seems less likely that they'd run out of stock.

Yuzuru Hanyu The art called YUZURU HANYU. After turning professional, Yuzuru Hanyu has been challenging new possibilities in music, lighting, costumes, and more. The world expressed by his programs could be called 芸術 (Geijutsu) = ART without exaggeration. Through an interview and photographs by Sunao Noto, who has continued photographing Hanyu for many years, we approach the essence of the beauty called Yuzuru Hanyu. To evolve even further, he pursues without limit what he should do. That attitude itself is probably Yuzuru-kun’s charm. Special Interview Photographer Sunao Noto speaks about the miracle called Yuzuru Hanyu. Photographer Sunao Noto, who has continued photographing Yuzuru Hanyu’s skating and is also in charge of the photography for the currently available-for-preorder THE ART CALENDAR, speaks with us. From their first encounter in Sendai to Hanyu’s present position as a professional, we asked him for his candid thoughts from the standpoint of the one who photographs. A deluxe calendar titled “Yuzuru Hanyu THE ART CALENDAR 2026.4–2027.3”, woven together with beautiful performance photographs of professional skater Yuzuru Hanyu. On the occasion of its long-awaited release, we asked photographer Sunao Noto—who handled the photography this time and has continued photographing him since his junior days—about Hanyu’s appeal as a skater and as a person. “The first time I learned about Yuzuru-kun was at the All-Japan Junior Championships in the autumn of 2007. At the time, he had moved up by skipping a level from novice to junior and immediately placed third. I was based in Sendai then, photographing figure skating, and I remember thinking, ‘There’s an incredible kid here locally.’ That was my encounter with Yuzuru-kun.” After that, when he met him in person, Noto says he was captivated not only by Hanyu’s talent as a skater, but also by his character as a person. “The Yuzuru-kun I met for the first time was a bright, lively, and articulate boy. And he remembered the names of people he had met and interacted with them accordingly. Of course his skills as a skater were impressive, but what left a strong impression was his ability to accurately convey his thoughts to those around him, and his solid sense of courtesy toward others. Even now that he’s a top skater, once he steps away from the rink he greets you with an affectionate smile, that’s also part of his charm. On the other hand, from my perspective as the photographer, Yuzuru-kun is now ‘the most difficult skater to photograph’ (laughs). Especially after turning professional, his movements have become even more intense, and there are c so the difficulty level just keeps rising. Of course, photography always feels like a single, do-or-die live performance. Yuzuru-kun’s strong desire to ‘deliver the best performance for the audience’ really comes out more in the actual stage than in practice, so I expand my own imagery to match that and go into the real thing with tension and focus. If the photographer doesn’t make the effort to accurately understand what he wants to express in a given program, it’s impossible to capture it fully — the scale is that large. In that sense, it’s important to expand your own image as well. He really is a high-difficulty subject (laughs).” Holding his camera rink-side with a passion that does not lose to Hanyu’s, Noto carries in his heart a sincere respect for a genius skater of rare historical magnitude. “Even after turning professional, he continues to refine his technique and expressive power, carries shows entirely on his own, and fills arena-scale venues to capacity… I don’t think another skater like this will be born again while I’m alive. That’s why, if I’m allowed to photograph him, no matter what happens, I want to be there and take the pictures.” Having continued photographing Hanyu for over ten years since their first encounter, how does Noto see Hanyu’s evolution and changes after turning professional? “I think his core hasn’t changed, but I feel that his desire to skate for the fans has become even stronger than during his competitive days. Even in the production of the solo show series ICE STORY, Yuzuru-kun himself plays a major role. The movies and staging are overflowing with a desire to make everyone happy. Technically as well, I think he’s challenging things that are even more difficult than in his competitive days. And if he can’t land a jump to his satisfaction in practice, he still gets frustrated just like he did as a competitor… His stance of endlessly pursuing what he should do in order to evolve further… that, I think, is Yuzuru-kun’s true charm. He always treats me casually, like a friendly neighborhood uncle, but for me, there’s nothing but respect for the greatness of his existence.” Among the photographs featured in this magazine, the one that left the deepest impression on Noto is said to be the image used for the special edition cover. “I like aiming my camera at Yuzuru-kun’s profile, and this is also, in a sense, a profile shot. This instant, like he suddenly discovered a single beam of light in the sky he looked up at, left a deep impression on my own heart as well.” Light and shadow; Noto believes that this is precisely why Hanyu’s skating draws people in. “I’m more strongly captivated by the light that Yuzuru-kun emits. For example, the way he encouraged people with his gold medal at the Sochi Olympics after the Great East Japan Earthquake. But depending on the person, some are captivated by his shadowed side, his battles with injury, or the struggles that come from being a solitary existence. Strong light, and deep, dense shadow. He’s someone who possesses the appeal of both extremes, and depending on who is watching, the gradation between that light and shadow, and the charm they feel, is different. I think that’s exactly why he attracts so many people.” Having continued to pursue Hanyu’s charm and limitless evolution through the viewfinder, what does Noto hope for Hanyu going forward? “I want him to keep skating for even one moment longer. Of course I understand that he’s taking on content that’s even harder than in his competitive days, and because Yuzuru-kun is strict with himself, if he ever feels he can no longer reach a level he’s satisfied with, he might cleanly step away from the front line. But for me, he’s the person who gives me the greatest joy as someone who photographs. So if I could be allowed to take photos for even one moment longer, even one more image, there would be no greater happiness than that.” Sunao Noto Noto Sunao, born in 1976 in Miyagi Prefecture. Photographer. Active in photographing athletes—including figure skaters—and people. His representative works include the “YUZURU” photo series of Yuzuru Hanyu.

Anan no. 2482, special edition 2026/02/04 The Special Edition has Yuzuru Hanyu on the cover. The magazine is available in printing and digitally (e-magazine). The digital version is available on Amazon Japan for Kindle and on Rakuten Japan for Kobo. More information: https://ananweb.jp/magazine/82671

Remember that you can always download the app on your MacBook as well. I have it on both my phone and laptop and they are synced so i can see the same thing on both devices. I'm so glad that I don't have to wake up at f*ck o'clock for the concert to be honest. 8pm is 11am for me so I'm thrilled. And I will be able to watch it on TV without a problem while doing a video call with my sister at the same time. I'm getting better health wise, but panicking with the job hunt. It's not looking good at all Still holding on hope that I win the radio competition on Friday so that I can breathe and start planning my journey back home with the buns after July lol

Thanks for the offer. I believe I have the Signal app figured out. I didn't until I actually used it. Yes - it flows better. (though the pace seems FAST at times) I kind of like slow scrolling on this app to see X and other posts that take some time. This screen is also much bigger than my tiny phone - but then I can look up ARMY or other posts that get referenced on the Signal thread. I know I am particularly going to like having Signal when we FINALLy get to that concert (at 4 am my time!) or Lives, because if I'm on Weverse on my computer, I can't do anything on the Planet at the same time - like when I've watched concerts on Weverse, there really is no way to do anything else interactively on my computer but my phone is still free. Just give me a little time to jump on Signal more frequently. I have way too many medical appointments so am not regular anywhere. How are you doing, by the way? Today is my best day since surgery but pain is still exhausting. And I really look like I've been sliced and diced.

Since we both have a lot of time on our hands (at least I do), I'm happy to do a video call and help you out with it if you want. Will be a lot easier to talk you through the steps I think while you tell me what you can see. I have a MacBook and iPhone as well so that's going to be easy It's just that the conversation here feels very static at times here and on signal it flows better because it's a more immediate back and forth.

Brave MassDes-kun is shooting beans at the devil for Setsubun and protecting Ubutan. Turns out the devil is none other than the artist.

The Echoes babies are having fun at Setsubun.

Heavenly being

I was going to post this - it is an honor for Jun to be the face and voice of his country, especially considering their hugh regard for some other sports (speedskating, archery - not a winter sport)

I have my Signal notifications on silent mode. Yes, I ordered through Weverse and I'm goibg to order a copy through the new, official BTS store for Canada so it will count for Canadian charts too

Jun is in a new ad for Korea: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUTGFFDkr6w/?igsh=MXdpNTlnMjl3YWJjMg==

So you ordered through Weverse and not a retail outlet? I know that doesn't count towards some chart although I forget which one. I'll check that out. Also realizing that I need to put the notifications on.if I'm ever going to be part signal (that I haven't used). What do you do? Have notifications on when you are awake-time and then turn them off every day for bedtime? I wonder if I can get silent notifications - I feeel like I'm missing out on all the best stuff. And yesterday after I posted on the planet about the Netflix stuff, I went to check Signal real quick and saw that the news was obviously already spreading. But I couldn't figure out how to even comment. I need to get into this new technology. Plus, I know we're all gonna be on there for the concert.

2026.03.27 Yuzuru Hanyu The ART - Calendar 2026.4-2027.3 Info: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/483879097X/