lazuliblade

Happy New Year! It's been ages since I've posted anything here, but if anyone wants to read a translation of the page in the Sponichi paper today where Yuzu wrote a message in support of the Olympic and Paralympic athletes, I uploaded pictures and my translation here. The writer(editor?) included an article-poem to accompany Yuzu's message, so I also went ahead and translated that as well. It's pretty short, so I figure there are people on Twitter who have already gotten around to it, but it doesn't hurt to have multiple translations. Here's hoping for a wonderful and healthy year (decade!) for Yuzu. May all his goals be realized and may he have many happy reasons to smile.

Just passing by to say that the name of the powder is "precious snow III" which is super fitting with the precious happy Yuzu pic that the person decided to post for comparison. Our precious snow~ It seems Welcia(a grocery store chain in Japan) is going to stock it. The site doesn't explicitly say that it's based on Otonal, but since Yuzuru is representing Sekkisei, you can pretty much draw the conclusion that the design is taking after the Otonal costume. That's also what the person who tweeted is guessing based on the case design. The tweet basically says "I'm in trouble, there are too many things I want, but as I thought, I'm also interested in this limited edition powder. It's set to be at Welcia. Releases on May 16th. Looking at the model, the container is wonderful. Otonal-sama?" (they're referring to Yuzuru's Otonal program&demeanor as something that's respected)

I was working on this last weekend hoping to get it done for New Year's but it took longer than I thought to streamline how I wanted to format it, then phrasing things so they flowed better while keeping the meaning, then writing the extra notes at the end with research and relevant info. I'm glad some people are finding it useful!

I'm in the Osaka region. I just ran/jogged nearly two hours around my city checking all the convenience stores and supermarkets. I didn't know the big three weren't participating, but at least I got some exercise in. I was only going to check 6 stores, but ended up checking 13 places: Aeon, Kohyo (Aeon's smaller subsidiary), Don Quijote, 3 Family Mart, 3 Lawson, 2 Seven Eleven, Daily Yamazaki, and Aos(?I don't remember the name, but it was small and attached to the station). Not a single one showed any sign of having stocked the clearfiles, so I think my city simply didn't have any to begin with. It might be staggered? I'll do another run every couple of days I guess. I remember the last time I lived in Japan, the files were popping up throughout the week, but I wasn't sure if that would be the same this year.

I checked both the Aeon's in my city, one of which is attached to the big mall, and neither had the clearfiles up - not even a holder for clearfiles. I wonder if I should check all the local Lawson's? The 7/11's? D: Unless I want to take a bus to the train station and wander the grocery store there, I'm not sure where else to look...

......I guess I'd better head out to my local Aeon to see if they still have clearfiles.

His music is edited by Keiichi Yano. You can read an article about it here, and see a subtitled version of the kiritoru program about him here (I've already time-stamped it for 7:25). Keiichi has also talked about editing Hope&Legacy, and how he went straight to Joe Hisaishi's studios to ask permission to edit the soundtracks because he didn't want to run into copyright issues like what happened in the past with another skater. I can't seem to find that interview at the moment, but I'll search for it. I'm trying to remember if it was a video or an article... I know there was also a behind-the-scenes article/video where people talked about Yuzu's crazy requests regarding music - like seeing if it was possible to do a live guitar riff for his Parisienne Walkways program for an ice show. I'm really going to have to hunt those down. I know I shared them somewhere before.....

This is actually a commemorative postcard&stamp set you can order from the JP Post website (or with the paper form). I stopped by my local post office a couple of hours ago to pick up a package and saw the flyer there with all the details: Sales just started today (Sept 18th) and run until December 14th. The first round of orders will close on October 14th and be shipped by the 31st (Halloween!), the second round closes on November 18th and will be shipped by December 17th, and the third(final) round will close on December 14th and be shipped by January 15th. I remember the first commemorative set back in 2014 and it was deliverable in Japan only, but I'm sure you can use your usual means (whiterabbitexpress, blackship, CDJapan, etc)to buy this. I've been waiting for this because I actually bought the first set back when it was released. It's very well made and the pictures are beautiful. This one comes with even more stuff than the original, although it looks like there's no handprint this time around. I think the postcard book makes up for it, though.

He apparently goes through one pair per year. (Same as Javi btw) It was stated in a Yomiuri Shimbun article snippet that one pair of Edea Piano boots lasts him a year, but I'm not sure if the tweet with the picture of the newspaper was deleted, or if the link went dead? The comment on the Planet was here and I saved the original pic of the snippet but I'm not sure where/if I should reupload it. He also said in the P&G "Thank you mom" commercial behind the scenes (translated here) that he's only gone through about 25 pairs of boots in 18 years of skating - and that would include his feet outgrowing boots when he was little. It's Nathan who goes through a pair every 3-ish months. I think Shoma does too? But I need to look up that reference again. Speculation started on the Planet that Yuzu went through 4 pairs per year based on a tweet by John Wilson blades that had four sets of blades with Yuzu's name on it. But blades doesn't equal boots, and we got the Yomiuri Shimbun article translation and P&G commercial later on anyway.

Passing by with a tiny Japanese lesson because I'm a nerd and I love how much sense this word makes. It's "ren pa" with the kanji 連覇. The 連"ren" is the same kanji for the word 連絡 "renraku" - to communicate/get in contact, and the same kanji as in the word 連れていく"tsureteiku" - to take along. "ren" means something like "take along/connect/join," and the "pa" is like "supremacy/champion" so you can think of "renpa" like supremacy being strung/brought together -- or more concisely: connected champion, AKA consecutive champion. So "nirenpa" = two wins back-to-back, "yonrenpa" = fourpeat champion.

If Yuzu is practicing the 4A in these practices right now, he probably asked the reporters not to show footage of it. Going by his interviews, it's not perfect yet and he's still working out the technique to land it more consistently at a high quality and success rate. So yes, I'd say they're hiding the footage, but not in a "lol just wait until they see it at GP Helsinki" more of a "he's never shown his attempts before and so we'll respect his decision and request not to show anyone this time too."

I'll have to wait until after work tomorrow to get more Yuzu news, so on the one hand I'll miss news as it's released, but on the other hand, by that point everything should be out and I won't be suffering waiting for content. So there's that silver lining I guess.

Yeah, he was like "what's this pose?" when he was handed the figure, and properly fixed it for the entry pose, and then altered it to show the in-air pose. He was pointing out the position of the free leg, but I'd need to rewatch to get the specific points he wanted to make.

Well...we got new footage of him putting on his skates, and a bit of Otonal, but I think we saw that bit before. We did see a new 4T clip and 3A clip. Then there was the interview, but part of it was stuff he already explained in the ANA interview - about looking up to Plushenko and Johnny, and his thoughts wanting to skate to these songs, watching the programs many times. The new content was mostly him explaining the form and the points to think about when entering into the 4A and landing it, and comparing the distance he would need to jump in order to land it.

I have my first class with my students tomorrow, so I should go to sleep within the hour if I don't want to be dead in the morning. I guess I'll stay up for another hour max.

They're still showing baseball, so you didn't miss it! This link seems to be slightly less laggy https://ok.ru/live/761554149035

I can use the time until Yuzu's part to review a presentation I'm giving in my job tomorrow.

Looks like a rabbit is already set up, so I won't make my usual room unless someone needs it.

Whoo made it in time! I'm actually living and working in Japan right now.

@kaeryth does a wonderful job and I love the archive! It's super impressive that so much has been tracked down and every item has been listed so carefully. It's really helpful for finding which things have been translated and during what time period. A VERY BIG THANK YOU. I just need my own summary of points because there are little quotes and snippets that get mentioned - and sometimes you can make connections between what he said in 2012 and in 2018, so it helps me to tag those moments/quotes with key words or phrases. That way, when I swear I remember seeing something, I can easily find it by looking up a relevant phrase. Like: "when was it that he mentions loving edge jumps?" (Shizuka and Yuzu being interviewed for the monument, and Ice Jewels vol. 5 -- possibly also in Kenji's room?, and another instance where he draws attention to having all edge jumps in his 2016-17 SP). I could look up "edge jumps" and I would find these moments. or: "When does he mention that he loves the sit spin?" (in a Novice interview, and in Aoi Honoo I - where he also mentions/whines that he doesn't like spins so much anymore because they're hard and he's getting stiff!). I could look up "sit spin" or "StSp" and I would find it. or "where is it that he mentions his boots being scratched is a sign that he's not good enough yet?" or "where does he mention that he only uses one pair of boots per year?" (he says this twice. Once when he's a junior being interviewed in Ice Rink Sendai, and another when he first got his Piano boots). I could look up "scratches" "boots" "not good enough" "Ice Rink Sendai" "pair" "per year" and something would turn up. THEN I could search for pictures where we see his boots after 12-13 and still find scratches on them, and THEN find pictures where we see evidence of his current boots not having scratches. And then there are general figure skating things that I keep track of - like links to major boot retailers' boot models (I can identify them on sight now based on nameplate and hook positions); cost of coaching/renting ice time/etc; costume makers mentioning things like the weight of glue needing to be considered, and the use of leotards under costumes; instances where skaters mention having nutritionists; talk about indoor ice temperature; the gender distribution of skaters at the regional level in Japan. I'm not as knowledgeable as some other people I know, and I have decades of competition&skater history&sport development to catch up on, so I need to do this so I can keep up. There's so much to learn, but I guess that's what makes it fun. There's always something to discover.

It's more like -- there are various locations with the 羽生 name, and people took on the surname from there. The pronunciation differs depending on which region of Japan you're in, but the origin of the name itself comes from "hani" (red clay). The first video goes into this and explains with some examples of other surnames that take from local areas - i.e. Takahashi, Yamaguchi, Mura, Watanabe. yuzusorbet summarized a small piece of the second video here and I could have sworn someone translated more of this, but I can't find it. The short answer is "no" it's not a coincidence. The second video you link mentions that line of thinking exactly. That the areas are so far apart that you would think there's no relation to the names despite being spelled the same, "but that's not the case. There's actually a deep connection between the names." (spoiler: it's because haniwa were important, and the places where you could get the clay were named はにうhaniu/はにふhanifu "red clay origin") Those videos say the same thing as far as origin, so it's not like there's a "red clay" theory or a "feather" theory. It simply comes from "hani" (red clay) that's used to make haniwa (these awesome clay funerary statues/dolls from the Kofun period - which predates the Japanese writing system) and the feather kanji was a later shift. The first video was from 2017 and follows the route in detail that the pronunciation "Hanyuu" took. "埴が生まれる土地hani ga umareru tochi - the region where red clay originates(is born)" was abbreviated into one single word "Hanyuu" when spoken. ("埴hani" + "生u" from "生まれるumareru" = 埴生 haniu which would mean "red clay origin". When you place the two syllables ni+u together, they tend to merge into a "nyu" sound, and language tends to follow the easiest pronunciation path, so "nyu" becomes the reading. The elongated "u" is to make it easier to hear.) Then the program tries to find where it was that the feather kanji got switched - they end up in a shrine. "一説にはここ羽生(地区)は朝廷に羽毛を献上した - One theory is that the Hanyuu(location) here presented plumage to the imperial court", so "羽が生むと書いて羽生と言う地名になった - it was written 'where feathers originate from' and the place was called Hanyuu"---- BASICALLY, to clarify all this: someone at the imperial court assigned the kanji "羽feather" for the "ha," which became the generally accepted way to write the name. So even though originally the surname was taken from places with red clay, I guess people accepted their surname as written by officials, and the "hani" meaning was forgotten. Anyway, this little portion ends with the narrator noting that the this route(ending with "the place plumage is born/feather origin") fits Yuzu spot-on. The program then goes on to explore where the reading "Habu" came from - it traveled to the Kyuushuu area when a lord landed there by sea, that bay area was given the name, and people took on the name(and pronunciation) from there. The second video is from 2018 and has a more comprehensive map of where exactly the names are concentrated, summarizes the points from the first program, and briefly covers the origin of the "Habu" pronunciation (mentions the lord and the bay again). Then it explores through another route where the name "羽生habu" originated from - and it leads again to the original "hani" and "haniwa" explanation. "埴が生まれるという意味hani ga umareru to iu imi - it means where hani is born" but this time the shinto priest from that shrine says that the pronunciation for 埴生 was "hanifu" and for ease of pronunciation it became "habu." The program goes on to cover Hanyuu's name -- going to Miyagi prefecture, they ask an expert in this and she confirms the "hani" story. Another expert talks about haniwa - red clay statues - and that they were mysterious objects used in kofun (burial sites). Back in the studio there's a guy who mentions how places tend to take on names based on their purpose - he uses Haneda airport as an example. The videos are a bit long(for me) and there are quite a few people that are interviewed, so it'll take a while to do a full line-by-line translation. I'm halfway through making a summary of the first video with some portions directly translated and some portions paraphrased, but before I go further I wanted to see if anyone else has picked this up already. If no one has, I could try my hand at summarizing/translating this in full, but if someone has picked this up already, then I'll leave it like this and translate the rest on my own to get some vocab. I kind of really like haniwa and maaaay have bought a haniwa bookmark when I first visited the Tokyo National Museum. I'm kind of a nerd.

I'm an encyclopedic person, and I tend to keep folders within folders within folders, or links nested under links. I have an index with a bunch of his interviews/mentions and made summaries of them with notable points and quotes, so when something comes up often, I can just search in the doc for the relevant link. It's still a work in progress, and I keep finding that there are notable interviews/documentaries/photos that I forgot to add, so I end up scrambling through blogs and my youtube lists trying to re-find stuff. >.< It's also a bit of a mess, so I really should get around to making a new doc and organizing these mentions by categories...personal life, skating technique, injuries, ice shows. I need to figure out a system. I just get super annoyed when there's something that I remember and I want to provide the citation, but then I can't because I either: 1. thought it wasn't important at the time and I didn't bother saving it, or 2. it's buried among all his interviews. So I ended up making a master-list. Funny how research skills can come in handy outside school. Hey look, professors -- I'm applying those research techniques to the real world! I'm sure they never thought I would use this skill set for figure skating, though.

It's Ice Jewels Vol. 5. Feb 2017. Gladi translated it here: https://wherespacepooh.tumblr.com/post/158297853689/ice-jewels-vol5-feb-2017-special-interview-the "— To Hanyu-senshu, the first GPS competition this season was Skate Canada. Same as last season, it was a battle with Patrick Chan. YH Lost this time as well. I placed all three silver medals from Skate Canada at my bedside." It's one of my favorite interviews because we can see his progression in thought process from competition to competition, he gets pretty technical -- mentions trying to reduce crossovers as much as possible and goes into a paragraph just about transitions, and he talks about how much he loves the Axel. There's a lot of insightful content in this one interview. He also talks about how...ill-planned the GPF was, and I found it hilarious that he went and said it. ETA: and yes, in the snippet of the original Japanese that was tweeted above, he literally says "The three Skate Canada silver medals are placed at my bedside", so there's no question about where in his room he has them.

It's this one: Around 13:00 is when they stop at a place that overlooks a river, and 13:47 specifically is where Yuzu meets the old man (who lost his house and wife) and an old lady that were passing by. After they talk, Yuzu says "tsurai, tsurai, tsurai--" This is also the documentary where he meets the students from a junior high school in Ishinomaki. Where they ask him to do the pistol pose and he's like "pistol pose?" XD

I'd meant to post this last night but real life happened and then I was out all day today. Since we were talking about allergies, I thought I should link a helpful small article for reference: https://www.asthma.org.uk/advice/triggers/alcohol/ (It's usually the histamines and sulphites that trigger the reaction, but if he had a bad reaction to an ethanol disinfectant in the hospital, I doubt ingesting it would be smart - even if the ethanol content isn't too high in the drink.) Someone I'm close to is asthmatic and allergic to certain types of alcohol - and if it's cider, then it's specific enough to certain brands that it's like playing Russian roulette if she wants to try out a new type. She had an attack a while ago because of this, so this is still fresh in my mind. Alcohol and asthma don't really mix well, but of course it's a case-by-case basis. Just because one type of alcohol doesn't affect Yuzu doesn't mean another won't throw him into an asthma attack. If he was really determined to drink anyway, then I'm sure he would proceed with caution while exploring which alcohols he can and can't drink, but he did say he doesn't really care for drinking in the first place. Multiple people have been citing the times Yuzu mentioned the alcohol allergy/reaction, so I went and found the links for easy reference Here he talked about how bad the reaction in the hospital was - a rash where the strong disinfecting alcohol was used + hives from the antibiotics that were injected. He talks a little more about his hospital experience in the full Aoi Honoo II pages, but this is the majority of it. This is the Asaichi moment people are referring to, where he noted that he was allergic, citing the hospital case, and stating that it's probably for the best anyway since he's an athlete. I don't remember that anecdote about drinking with his father and grandpa though, so if someone could find that, that'd be great. Yuzu wouldn't have had alcohol on the coming of age day itself (Jan 12th that year), because he was in the hospital during that time (2 weeks in the hospital; New Year's Eve was the day after his surgery <-- these are stated in Aoi Honoo II). Unless they smuggled alcohol into a hospital room.... ------------------ And now I really want to go rewatch Haru yo Koi because of the recent posts here. (if only there was a sakura emoji)