Umebachi

source: https://tourdetohoku.yahoo.co.jp/2019/info/pedal/ 1.ひとりじゃない。 ツール・ド・東北参加者からは「一人で参加したけど寂しくなかった」 「地元の人々と仲良くなった」「被災地に友達ができた」という声が聞こえてくる。 東北を応援したい、という想いが、人と人とをつなぐ絆になっていく。 忘れない。何年経っても。 1. You are not alone. A number of “Tour de Tohoku” participants said “I participated on my own but I didn’t feel lonely”. “I became friendly with the local people”. “I made friends in the communities hit by disaster”. “I want to support Tohoku” – these feelings connected people to people with a strong bond of life – “kizuna”. We will not forget, no matter how many years may pass.

Tour de Tohoku (TDT) is a scenic cycling event that takes place along the coast of Miyagi prefecture - areas severely damaged by the 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami. The event raises funds to support the Tohoku recovery efforts, and also serves to introduce the Tohoku region to outsiders. In 2019, the TDT collaborated with the creators of "Yowamushi Pedal", a popular sports anime about competitive cyclists. The artists prepared a beautiful gallery of illustrations for the event, featuring Yuzuru Hanyu among the 16 well-known Pedal characters. Huge panels of the illustrations were shown around Japan (I saw them in Shinjuku Station, Tokyo) to publicize the event. They were discussed extensively in the General Yuzu stream in the summer of 2019, but I thought the illustrations deserve a space of their own, and would provide an uplifting message in this time of pandemic. There are 9 panels altogether, 7 of them illustrate actual locations in Miyagi, and Yuzu appears in 6 of them. Each illustration comes with brief words expressing the mood of the scene, and the website offers additional description. I found them moving and very much in the manner and style of Yuzu. In the following days, I will put up the illustrations with the English translation. Here is the link to the gallery: https://tourdetohoku.yahoo.co.jp/2019/info/pedal/ And the map of the TDT route:

Something cheerful to look forward to: PJ Kwong is interviewing Brian and Tracy tomorrow morning 10 AM EDT. Might we hope for some updates on our cryptid? https://www.facebook.com/SkatingPj/live/

Great photos of Sendai station and the iconic beef (tongue?) dish. I hope he will be able to stabilize his jumps under Coach Honda - he has so much potential but struggled with some of his jumps...

@Ewa Welcome to the Planet! Communicating science is critical - now, more than ever, in this time of pandemic - so kudos for your valuable work! I hope you will also have more opportunities to exercise your skills in communicating the "essence of Yuzu" to the lay population. This Planet is a good platform for testing and getting feedback on these messages. @Henni147 My condolences and sympathies, and thank you for continuing to share beautiful thoughts through your pain...

Yuzu has boosted the level of artistic and cerebral interest in the sport to new heights, which has helped to attract so many non-FS fans to watch him. For me, it's the complexity of the intellectual and emotional interaction that makes his performance so appealing and engaging. I loved Torvill and Dean but disappointed in not finding the same level of artistic interpretation among the single skaters (I was totally turned off by the cheerleader-like performances of many of skaters of 1990s). Plu and Johnny Weir did start to bend back my interest in the sport, but didn't stimulate my intellectual curiosity. Yuzu's mathematical and strategic mind as well as his self-awareness and social-mindedness have added to the overall appeal. It's telling that skaters like Kurt Browning and Scott Hamilton don't appreciate Yuzu's aesthetics - probably due to cultural imprinting about what is "cool" = square and masculine. Tastes are formed early and difficult to change. I look forward to seeing what new styles Yuzu will bring into his skating in the coming seasons following the covid inter-regnum. I am sure he will continue to push the boundaries: after "conquering" the Nessie, hopefully he will delve into different types of music and expression.

The Japanese poster says: "Etto (Ummm) - this is from the official website of Sizuan Legal Office, which has nothing to do with any sports event... And the comments are from various regional Legal Offices. It's a bit scary but gratifying, ahahaha. Even a comment from Sizuan Prison Office! Shocking! His impact/influence is amazing."

From the Kamakura City Council member Mr. Kono: He congratulates Hanyu-senshu for the MVS, and he says he is cheering him from Kamakura, together with Mr. Habu (the Shogi Master with the same written kanji name as Hanyu).

Wow - I hope the Twitch doesn't crash with so many people joining the stream!

I have unsubscribed from all ISU Skating accounts, and will rely on this forum for any relevant ISU news or videos. Looking forward to watching the CiOntu Streaming party instead. @yuzuangel thank you for organizing the streaming!

I recall that when Yuzu initially moved to Toronto in 2012, he came on his own, but then Brian had to ask his mother to join him in Toronto because Yuzu had a bad asthma attack when no one was around to help him - and his English being almost non-existent in those years must have been quite a harrowing experience for all concerned. I tried to find the original source but couldn't find it: perhaps a Japanese interview of Brian or it was in Brian's book? I also heard that as a junior skater he suffered asthma attacks on the plane and his mother would lay him down across the seats to help him breath more easily. His mother's presence is essential not only as a manager but also as someone knowledgeable about caring for his health. During one of the backstage TV shots at FaOI (perhaps 2016?) I saw him take a quick puff from an inhaler. It was a very brief moment - barely a second or two - and he quickly hid the inhaler, but I recognized that movement since I also used to walk around with an inhaler and took a surrepticious puff from time to time. I assume his health is getting better, but it's hard to know the exact status since he keeps tight-lipped about his asthma. For example, at the end of Japanese national last December, he mentioned that he had to deal with "some unexpected issues" just before coming to Japan, but he did not elaborate. It made me think that he might have had to deal with another asthma attack. This is purely speculation on my part - but when you have asthma, you live in constant fear of an unexpected attack. I hope he is doing better and able to overcome asthma as his body matures.

This video was truly educational as well as heartwarming. A million thanks to @cvdnce for continuing to share her unique perspectives and experience as a ballet instructor! I look forward to more videos in the future - keep it coming!

I just sent my donation of Euro 50 to the GoFundme site. Hope this helps defray the cost of the new server!

The tradition of keeping bell crickets in baskets goes back a long way. Here is a photo of the suzumushi in a traditional bamboo cage, being presented to the divine spirits in a Shinto ritual at the start of the fall season. For the girls of the Showa era (my generation) it was the cool thing to have suzumushi as a pet. But alas, for the boys of Yuzu's generation, it seems they were into "Mushiking" - a video game of cartoon beetles as mentioned by @sweetwater, not the actual combat of the real Kabuto-mushi. Source: https://www.leafkyoto.net/blog/kyonikki/2009/09/post_445.html

Yes, we do have our share of dangerous insects. The most well-know among them is the Suzume-bachi (sparrow-hornets) - the infamous killer hornets. We also have mukade (giant centipede) which can be poisonous... They all have the right to live, and we can co-habit by maintaining social distance! To stay on topic: we also have the sweet honey bees (mitsu-bachi), beloved by Yuzu. They are welcome everywhere.

Today we celebrate the Insects (Mushi) in Japan. It's a word play on the number six (Muttsu) for June and four (shi) for day 4. I was fortunate to attend a Japanese primary school (in Tokyo) for my first grade and part of second grade. In looking back, I now appreciate much of what I learned in those two years, one of which was to learn to love and appreciate insects - something that was definitely not taught at American schools that I attended later while overseas. One of the mandatory science curriculum for the first graders is to capture and take care of grasshoppers, for which we were all given a special clear plastic container to house the bugs. We would all go out into the nearby field or park to look for a grasshopper, capture one and keep it for a day or two, feeding cucumber pieces and giving them droplets of water to drink. We released them later after writing our "observational report". It made us observe these creatures carefully and not be afraid to touch them and pet them. This was a school in the middle of Tokyo - but we were fortunate to have parks and temple grounds where we could find grasshoppers ("batta"). Over the summer vacation, many of us went insect hunting with nets. The big horned beetles mentioned by Yuzu were very popular among boys (who competed for the most formidable looking ones). Near the end of that summer, I remember catching a "suzu-mushi" - a bell-cricket - which makes beautiful melodious chiming calls that poignantly remind us that the summer is coming to an end... A description of suzu-mushi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meloimorpha_japonicus So perhaps it is not so unusual that Yuzu displays his love of insects, as this is something we all learn in schools in Japan. But his care and concern for bugs on ice is very unusual and shows his mindfulness and ability to notice the smallest things and to show compassion and respect for the weak. Reminds me of the Jain priests who sweep the ground before them to avoid inadvertently stepping on and hurting insects and other life forms....

Thank you! That's very interesting that most of the translations are occurring in E Asia region...

Hi! Back on the Planet after a period of hiatus - took a vacation from social media to rest my eyes (too much screen time during this time of covid-19). I tried to order the new Yuzu book from Canada but I found the process too complicated, so I asked my sister (in Tokyo) to pre-order the book from Rakuten. She managed to reserve one (yay!), and she will ship it to me. Another reason to be grateful today - having a family back in Tokyo! I wonder why the publishers haven't figured out that there is a huge global market for Yuzu books? How about publishing quality prints in multiple languages? I suppose they make enough money just from the Japanese publication and can't be bothered to make the marginal investments required to expand the market... I am speculating that Japanese publishing houses are geared toward translating foreign language books to Japanese, but not the other way. This is purely a guess: Anyone on the planet familiar with the publishing houses? For example, Haruki Murakami's books are translated into millions of foreign language versions - I assume these are mainly published by non-Japanese companies? In this case, we should alert them to the prospects of a lucrative revenue source by translating Yuzu books...

Happy Birthday/Happy Anniversary to Planet Hanyu! A million thanks to the mods and admins and all those who took the courageous step to start the new platform! It was a brave and inspired step and I am so grateful for the members of the community who continue to nurture and create a safe, respectful and joyous platform! More than ever, in this time of pandemic this platform is proving to be a valuable and precious place to share our feelings and celebrate life! Bringing Seimei here to protect us and keep us safe!

Kabuki was started by Izumo-no-Okuni, a woman lived in 16th c and performed sacred dances as a miko (shinto priestess). Her performances in Kyoto became famous because of her flamboyant and sensual style - and eventually led to the founding of Kabuki. Centuries later - Kabuki had become so popular and unruly - especially in the metropolis of Edo (later Tokyo) - that the stodgy male-dominated Tokugawa Shogunate decided to forbid women actors from performing - thinking (wrongly) that this would bring Kabuki to heel. With all-male cast, beautiful male actors gained fame as "onna-gata" woman actors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izumo_no_Okuni Perhaps Kabuki became less explicit in its sexual innuendo, but it has continued to retain its subversive nature through the ages. I really think this narrative fits well with Liza's rebellious character, and I am so pleased to know that she is aware of some of Kabuki's historical background. I wish her well in creating her own story through this piece of music! On Kabuki My grandfather used to hold "season" tickets, which meant having a private "masu" = "square" (there were no seats in the theatre, only a private square area for your zabuton mat) at Kabukiza. I grew up being regaled by the names of famous actors and performances, and whenever we were back in Japan my mother took me to Kabuki performances. I grew up loving Kabuki and living overseas it's one of the things I miss - going for live performances in the grand Kabukiza as well as in the more modest Asakusa theatre (the old downtown from Edo era). Kabuki had lost some of its popularity after the war, but with the rise of a whole new generation of Kabuki actors with fresh, creative ideas we are seeing its resurgence in recent years. Hyo-en with Daisuke Takahashi is an example of the willingness of the current generation of Kabuki actors to reach out and try different forms of artistic medium.

I have gone through Ivy League schools (undergrad and grad schools) and there is quite a variance in the level of academic difficulties depending on your choice of majors and departments. These schools give you advantages later in life in terms of branding and name recognition, and an entrance into the "elite" societies. Looking back on my experience, I have come to abhor and disdain this elitist approach to education - which pervades so many countries, including US (despite the pretense to being a "merit based" society) and of course, my home country Japan (and in France and other so-called "democratic" countries). I can assure you that I did not find my moral compass at Princeton or Harvard - although these schools provided excellent preparation for my later "career". We should instead look to the content of the education and the moral and ethical values being imparted through the learning process. I respect Yuzu for selecting the subjects of his studies which allow him to explore more deeply and intellectually what he is living as an athlete - a complete package of athletic and intellectual competence! There is wisdom and integrity in his choice. As for me - it's only now, after retiring from my "career" that I am finally learning to appreciate what is important in life, and resuming the phase of learning with wonderment - something Yuzu has helped me to regain after 30 years of "elitist" institutional work that wore me and burned me out. More off-topic reflections:

Just to clarify: this nuclear reactor is located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu - in southern Japan, and is managed by Kyushu Electric. The name "Sendai" does not refer to the city of Sendai in Miyagi - it just happens to have the same name. So Yuzu should be safe! This problem has been going on for years - sadly, part of the corruption in the nuclear reactor sector of Japan. I wish Japan had followed Germany's policy with respect to nuclear power.

I quit my job in DC and moved to Canada - to find a quiet place where I can do my "own thing". In my case, it was not to pursue figure skating but to have time to think and write (and occasionally teach). And all of my family is still back in Japan... Also I moved here to train and improve on my dressage riding - not for the Olympics but at least maybe win some ribbons at local shows. My dream is to do a freestyle with music taken from one of Yuzu's programs. Perhaps Seimei? It has a good, steady beat that would go well with the different gaits of a horse.

As an old timer, one of my favorite ladies is Oksana Baiul. In the context of Tonya Harding kerfuffle, I recall Oksana as a breath of fresh air - bringing art back into the competition that was turning into a circus. In my eyes she was one of the most balletic figure skater of all times. She had great edge jumps, too - sal and loops and double axel. Her technical elements are nowhere near the level of the current skaters, but her lovely and intricate arm movements always moved me. I particularly love her short programme at 1994 Olympics. She performed the Dying Swan as her Ex.

@Fay Sorry I missed this thread earlier in the week. Been busy dealing with the lock-down and preparing webinars in lieu of meetings... I can give it a try with my Zoom. I will DM you to set up a convenient time and other details.