Ladysci

At the Saga Arena, only a 30 min drive from my house. So lucky not to have to fly to see this show and lucky to have won tickets .Good to see such a new arena. Not great seats, second floor SS, but clear view of the front. Rows are steep, but that means you can see over the people in the row ahead of time.

Outside the arena waiting for FaOI Miyagi D3 to start. It is so windy today, but better than rain. Sendai station and the subway to Arai station was full of Fanyus with their Yuzu related totes. Getting really excited!!! Any satellites here today? We’re sitting in south arena seats. Btw, the line for the special monica at Sendai station is still really really long- maybe I’ll have better luck tomorrow morning!

Ice resurfacing time now. Pretty full in the first two tiers, but not the top highest level of seats. Really not bad at all for Thursday on a weekday! Got to see the oh too short opening part by Yuzu! He’s so fantastic and getting better each time ( if that’s possible)! I had the perfect seat to clearly see the traveling spin and the crowd really screamed and clapped loudly at that point! That shirt must be designed for maximum impact 😂

Are there any satellites in Shin-Yokahama now for Day 1? We’re waiting to go over to the arena for today’s show in about 2 h from now— getting incredibly excited Suprised to find a convenient hotel and pretty good seats and have seen lots of GIFT totes already. Set my recorder to record at home too.

Congratulations on winning FAOI Makuhari! I was lucky too and won the pre-reserve lottery for FaOI Miyagi, last day. I was really shocked, after being annihilated so many times in previous lotteries! So don't give up and continue to apply. This lottery only allowed you to ask for two tickets also and I got my first choice!

I entered ticket lottery for the Hachinoe show this afternoon. The process is definitely not for the faint of heart . You need a Japanese phone number to which you can receive messages and the application has to be submitted from inside of Japan or use a VPN. If the system detects that your domain is not Japan, it will not let you log onto the Lawson ticket site (you will get a system error message, in Japanese). I used a Japanese CC but I heard that certain non-Japanese cards might be acceptable. Once the main applicant puts in the credentials of the accompanying person, this person cannot apply again for the same day, You can have first, second, and third choices for each day. It says the stand seats may have some view limitations because of the railing. This is a very small venue and I don't think I have much of a chance, but at least I booked my hotel ahead of time The results of this prelottery will be on Nov 11, around 3 pm or afterwards .

He defnitely said arigato gozaimashita like always— heard it. That message in Japanese says that he did.

Closing number— You Raise me up morphing into Nessum Dorma. Guys in sparkly white shirt with a weird black tie around the neck.

Upbeat piece. Costume— white pants, sparkly long white top with either purple or gray narrow gradient strip on one side. Hem of top is jagged. Long sleeves. Like how tge jagged hem flares out when he’s spinning.

Now is intermission and the mass exits to the toilets😂, as usual not enough. Arena is full except for some nose bleed seats and an empty section next to the stage.

Opening number costume— black pants, short somewhat pleather looking , best-like top. Sleeve on one side, other side no sleeves. Red scarf like material on the sleeveless side. Top is quite short and tight, very abs revealing. I love this costume! Ladies— halter top black shinny costume with red elbow length fingerless glives.

I am sitting in the arena waiting for the first Kobe show to start. Last row of the arena seats but a very clear view, so hope Yuzu struts his stuff right down the middle to the north side ( opposite the stage). Seats start from on ice so really row 11 is not that bad. Taxi driver didn’t know the exact location, but soon we found it— the one with a zillion people line 😂

Yukok, congratulations on succeeding in the lottery . I was lucky too and got a pair of SS tickets for Kobe . This was a big surprise since I failed in many past lotteries, so I assumed I wouldn't succeed this time either. Luckily, Kobe is the closest to where I live and can take the Shinkansen over there and also Kobe is a fantastic city, so might stay over a couple of days. Haven't posted for quite a while, but I have been around, reading all your interesting posts and maybe will post more often. Happy anniversary to the Planet

Just found out that I lost the GPF ticket lottery---I am extremely relieved ! This ticket lottery thing is really a rollercoaster ride . First you have to go through the convoluted registration system, followed by being sad (when I lost both tries for the NHK lottery), followed by relief. Did not want to spend lots of money going to the GPF when Yuzu won't be there and much better to watch on TV, no stress, bundled up in my Nishikawa fleece towel blanket. Of course there is lots of anxiety worrying about Yuzu's injury still, but all the worry is part of being his fan. Now, what to do about Japan Nats

Thanks for the news @sweetwater I'm going there next Tuesday to pick up my Yuzu keitai (mobile phone) stand from the Sekkisei campaign (need foundation, sunscreen, etc. anyway ) and would love to see this, even if it is a new pair, but like the ones he actually used! Hope they are still there, since not being in Tokyo, things rarely appear here.

After waiting patiently (well, not so patiently... ) for the post today, I received my copy of Yuzu'll Be Back III today. This A4 book is a beautifully done photobook that truly reflects how the photographers respect and empathize with Yuzu and understand his different moods as reflected in the photos. There is a jacket and on the reverse side of the jacket is a full body shot of H&E. The cover itself has Nats photos (SP, awards) of Yuzu in black and white. Speaking as someone who probably has purchased too many photobooks already this season, this is the best one so far---covering Nationals, Worlds, and WTT. Admittedly, I was worried to see the Worlds FS photos, because we aware of his asthma attack, but the photos themselves are still beautiful, in a haunting way. Hoping the international satellites will get their copies soon---it's worth the wait!

@SuzyQ , you've done a thorough job for explaining the vaccination situation in Japan---thank you! I fortunately live in a prefecture with a relatively low population that had started vaccinating seniors as soon as they could and are now making it available to people under 65. My son's university has also made it available to all staff and students. In my opinion, the Japanese government did not have enough foresight to buy enough doses and not soon enough, when a number of other countries did. I also think that insisting on my clinical trials was unnecessary since the Pfizer vaccine had already been give to millions of people before vaccinations had begun, among those to people of Asian ethnicity. As a scientist, I think the number of participants in the Japanese trial were too low to come to any meaningful conclusion, so much of this is due to bureaucracy wanting to maintain control. If vaccinations were initiated sooner, Tokyo would be in better shape to put on the Olympics, although in my opinion, I think it is unwise to do so. Well, off my soapbox , just hoping that most will get vaccinated before the delta and possible epsilon strains become prevalent. I also think that the number of people reluctant to get the vaccine is not that high, particularly since the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are predominantly used.

[NEWS] There will be another new photobook to be released in July 20 ! It's 150 pages and over-sized! Wonder if it will contain all new photos, already published photos, or a mixture. Has this been posted? Descriptions from Amazon.co.jp (Google translation is pretty rough, but you can get an idea and its probably better than me translating ) "Yuzuru Hanyu Photo Collection Reproduction REGROWTH (tentative title) - Full of latest photos! JP Oversized – July 20, 2021 The official latest photo collection of Yuzuru Hanyu, "Prince on ice". It completely covers the activities and expressions of the 2020-2021 season, such as world championships, national competitions, ice shows, etc. It also includes plans for "memories" that look back on the trajectory of past competitions and events, super wide size benefit visuals, and valuable real face shots. Among the spectators without corona disaster, yuzu's charm that grows with the aim of further height by re-playing the cheers of fans." "羽生結弦写真集 再生 REGROWTH(仮題)~最新フォト満載! JP Oversized – July 20, 2021 「氷上の王子」羽生結弦の公式最新写真集。世界選手権、国別対抗戦、アイスショーなど、2020-2021シーズンの活躍・表情を完全網羅。過去の大会、イベントなど軌跡を振り返る「思い出」の企画や、超ワイドサイズの特典ビジュアル、貴重な素顔ショットも収録。コロナ禍の無観客の中でも心の中でファンの声援を再生し、苦難を乗り越えて自らの存在も再生させ、さらなる高みを目指して成長するユヅの魅力が満載。豪華な永久保存版。羽生結弦ファン必携の一冊。"

I received the same thing from Golden Skate. It is really odd since I haven't posted there since before the Planet was started. Wonder what's up---they are losing their readership?

In academic papers, you never identify the subject by their real name, so it is ridiculous how these foreign "media" are spinning it. Those actually guilty of poor technique are actually identifying themselves this way ---how stupid and ironic.

Here's something UA practice clothes enthusiasts may look forward to : There will be a new photobook focusing on Yuzu's practice clothes, to be published in May 2021. It's called 羽生結弦写真集: The Real (Yuzuru Hanyu Photobook: The Real ) by photographers Noto-san and Taguchi-san. It's 2860 JPY (in Japan, which includes tax) at CD Japan, but not yet listed at Amazon.co.jp and will be published/released in mid May 2021. The description at the Rakuten site, translated into English by Google (so there might be some errors) about the book and the photographers. "Athletes' "ultimate costumes" practice wear. Yuzuru Hanyu's "true form" is here. This book is a collection of photographs that focus on the "practice clothes" of Yuzuru Hanyu, who won back-to-back winter Olympic men's singles titles and leads the figure skating world as the top figure skater in the world. Quadruple Axel, a magazine specializing in figure skating, has condensed into a book the "real face" of the absolute champion who has been chasing its growth since 2008. We carefully selected the practice scenery at the home rink, off-shots at the tournament, portraits of exclusive coverage that can only be seen here, and valuable interview cuts. The body trained to the limit, the work that is beautiful to the fingertips, stands out even more only in practice clothes. - Benefits: A2 size double-sided pos About the photographers: ■ Photographer ・ Noto Nao Sunao Noto Born in 1976, born in Miyagi Prefecture. After graduating from university, he worked as an assistant photographer in a studio before 2005. In 2007, while mainly taking advertising photos with a focus on people, he began photographing figure skating in earnest. His publications include Yuzuru, Yuzuru II, and Light -Be the Light- (all by Seisha). ・Yuji Taguchi Yukihito Taguchi Born in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1973. He aspired to be a sports photographer and studied at Tokyo Polytechnic Junior College and San Francisco University of the Arts. Currently based in Japan and the U.S., he has shot major leagues, basketball, handball, figure skating, etc. MLB Japan opener and WBC official photographer. ・Joe Kobashi Was born in Tokyo in 1974. Under the influence of his father, who was a photographer, he began photography and became a teacher as his last apprentice to Akito Mizutani, a sports photography master. In addition to photographing various genres of sports, mainly skiing and figure skating, he has been involved in the development of Sony's digital SLR camera α9 since 2017." This post has been tagged by yuzuangel as [NEWS].

News (?) TV schedule for SOI 2021 On TBS 2 [a CS (Communication's Satellite) channel of SkyPerfect TV in Japan, but can be accessed by iSakura and other services that allow viewers to watch Japanese TV outside of Japan]. Times listed are Japan time. 23 Apr (Fri) Yokohama (live) CS TBS 2: 1:55-5:00 pm Will be repeated as a taped show: 8 May (9 pm - 12 am) 24 Apr (Sat) Yokohama (live) CS TBS 2: 12:55 - 4:00 Will be repeated as a taped show: 8 May (12-3 am) 30 Apr (Fri) Hachinoe (live) Special broadcast of the last show, which will include backstage scenes CS TBS 2: 1:10-4:15 Will be repeated as a taped show: 30 May (12 am - 4:00 am) Other shows: Live streaming on 25 April (Sun), not free, must get ticket on ticket PIA; probably just in Japan TBS (Kanto area only, regular TV): 26 Apr (Mon), 1:23-2:23 (doesn't look right to be because of the short duration, maybe just a highlight? Don't know if it's am or pm) Didn't know where to put this, but if there is eventually an SOI 2021 thread, would one of the kind administrators put it over there or make a copy and put this over there. Thanks! This post has been tagged by yuzuangel as [NEWS].

These are repeats of WTT, but don't know if they are longer versions or not. On regular TV, they only showed 4-5 skaters, but on the paid channel, they showed all of them.

Yuzu just finished his SP practice. It seems perfect 😃 and is looking so fine! Posted in the wrong section---will go over to the WTT thread and repost.

In the interview with Shuzo The 4 A is definitely his motivation now. He also said that he tried jumping the 4A about a 1000 times, if I heard correctly. And most of his 2 h training time is devoted to the 4A, but has not landed it yet (?). Hus interview was in frontbof a gray wall while Shuzo was innfront of a white brick wall