General Yuzuru Chat

ZuCritter · November 27, 2022

17 hours ago, Geo1 said:

2019 AUTUMN CLASSIC INTERNATIONAL IN OAKVILLE

Our third live competition with Yuzu was the 2019 Autumn Classic International in Oakville, Ontario.

First, I would like to say that we really enjoyed meeting other satellites from the Planet and having a couple of dinners with them.

REUNITING WITH GHISLAIN

We attended the 2019 ACI with Jason. On the Thursday practice day, we saw Ghislain and went to speak with him.

On the following day, Ghislain came over with his youngest son to where we were sitting and chatted with us.

On Saturday, as we were approaching the free skate, I spoke to Ghislain again. As our conversation was drawing to a close, I told him that we were going to go shopping in Toronto on Monday and wondered whether we could visit him at the Cricket Club. Ghislain agreed and gave me his business card with the Cricket Club contact information on one side and his personal contact information on the other. He asked me to email him to work out the details.

ORIGIN 2.0 COSTUME REVEAL

Again, a major highlight was the purple Origin 2.0 costume reveal and the audience reaction.

Again, as in the previous year, we were in the wheelchair section directly across from the Kiss and Cry and the area where the skaters entered and exited the rink. We were in the perfect position to watch Yuzu’s manic lip-synching routine before the 6-minute warm-up.

WE VISIT THE CRICKET CLUB

On Monday morning, I sent an email to Ghislain to confirm the visit. He replied almost immediately. He said that the best time to visit was around 12:30 PM because he had a break between 12:45 PM and 1:15 PM. To our delight, he added, “Yuzu will be in for a short practice at 2 PM.”

We arrived at the TCC at 12:30 PM and entered the front doors. When we arrived, the security person at the front desk told us that we were expected and that we could go directly to the rink which was straight down the hall. He showed us the wheelchair ramp which was located beside him. We went down the ramp into the hallway which had displays of trophies and other memorabilia. The Cricket Club seemed almost familiar as we went down this hallway towards the rink probably because we had seen it so many times in videos. At the end of the hall, there is a door leading to the rink with an “EXIT” sign beside it. Immediately to the right is the lounge with the large windows looking onto the ice rink. My wife opened the door and Jason pushed me into the ice rink area. Ghislain and Brian were standing right there close to the exit door. I called to Ghislain and he smiled and waved, saying, “Hi George!” Brian looked our way with a nod of acknowledgment. Ghislain ushered us back through the door that we had just come in and set us up in the lounge in the booth closest to the door. We had a great view of the area where the coaches and choreographers were standing as well as the ice rink. After making sure that we were well settled, Ghislain asked us to sit and enjoy the practice until he was finished with the class. He said that he would join us in a few minutes time.

WE SEE JAVIER FERNANDEZ, EVGENIA MEDVEDEVA, JUNHWAN CHA AND JOSEPH PHAN PRACTICING AS WELL AS CHOREOGRAPHERS DAVID WILSON AND JEFFREY BUTTLE

When I looked on the ice, I immediately noticed Javier Fernandez. Apparently, it was his first day back at the TCC since PyeongChang and he was there to practice his free skate for the Japan Open with his choreographer, David Wilson. I also saw Evgenia Medvedeva and Junhwan Cha going through their paces. Jeffrey Buttle was on the sidelines looking intently onto the ice. During breaks, I saw Javi come into the lounge and sit with a friend a couple of booths away from us. Whenever Evgenia took a break, she would come into the lounge and sit with her mother and her mother’s female companion. Joseph Phan was also practicing. He had recently started at the TCC to be coached by Brian.

A SHORT TOUR OF THE CLUB

At around 12:45 PM, the practice ended and the skaters cleared the ice. Shortly afterwards, Ghislain came into the lounge and took us on a short tour of the club’s facilities, including a view of the cricket field, swimming pool, weight training room and the dance room where we have seen a young 17-year-old Yuzu doing hip-hop with an even younger Nam in the NHK documentary, “Spirits of the Athletes”.

WE MEET BRIAN AGAIN

Following the conclusion of the brief tour, I told Ghislain that we had gifts and he took us back to the lounge where we sat down at our former place. Jason went out to the vehicle to retrieve the gifts. After we had given Ghislain his gifts, I told him that we had gifts for Brian, Tracy and Erin d’Eon, the skating coordinator, as well. He said, “Let’s go down to see Brian,” and led us down the hall to the small “Skating Office” that Brian shares with Tracy. Ghislain popped his head into the office and asked Brian to step out. Ghislain introduced us and Brian asked whether this was the first time we had been to the Cricket Club. I laughed and said that this was the first time we had been inside the Cricket Club. I told him that we had been to the Cricket Club the year before, but we had only seen it from the outside. I said that the only souvenir we had from last year’s visit to the Cricket Club was my wife, Emiko, getting stung by one of the wasps in the garden! I also reminded Brian that we had met previously at the 2017 ACI in Montréal outside the restaurant and because he had implied his availability for dinner, I had followed him around at the competition venue to the point that by the third or fourth encounter, I was afraid that he was going to call security on me! Both Brian and Ghislain had a good laugh.

Tracy had not arrived so Brian said that he would accept the gift on her behalf and keep it for her in the office that they shared.

Ghislain then took us down the hall to introduce us to Erin d’Eon with whom I had exchanged a number of emails in the past. We gave her a gift and chatted briefly.

PICTURES WITH GHISLAIN

Ghislain then took us back to our original booth in the lounge where we had some pictures taken with him. This is one of them.

Ghislain then asked us to relax and enjoy the practices of the other skaters until Yuzu arrived at 2 PM. He then went back to the rink for the next practice session which included Javi, Evgenia and Jun.

YUZU ARRIVES AND WE WATCH HIM PRACTICE

At 2 PM, Yuzu walked in wearing a cap and dressed all in black pulling his gold hard-shell carry-on case. He walked past beside us and into the bench area behind the rink where we could not see him from the lounge. He reappeared a few minutes later greeting Brian and Ghislain by the rink. We had the honour and privilege of watching Yuzu practice for an hour, all from the comfort of a warm lounge. Almost all of his jumps and jump combinations were started from the other end of the rink so that they were landed right in front of us, just several feet away. It was all very breathtaking. As Brian Orson has said, "I have no words."

At some point, Tracy Wilson joined Brian and Ghislain on the sidelines. I noticed her speaking with Ghislain and Ghislain pointing in our direction. I surmised that Tracy had asked Ghislain about the gift that we had left for her in the office that she shared with Brian and that Ghislain was explaining to her that it was from us.

After the practice was over, Yuzu hugged Brian and Ghislain and bowed to Tracy Sailor Moon style. Ghislain came into the lounge and sat down with us. He told us that Yuzu would join us shortly. While I chatted with Ghislain, Jason noticed that Yuzu removed his Under Armour top revealing his bare back to anyone who might have been watching from the lounge as he changed into his street clothes.

WE MEET AND CHAT WITH YUZU

After a few minutes, Yuzu joined us. He was not wearing his cap. He was very slim and looked like the teenaged boy next door. He presented a totally different image from the superstar that we are used to seeing in the rink. Ghislain smiled as Yuzu and I greeted each other in Japanese, “hajimemashita” (pleased to meet you). I introduced myself, my wife and Jason. I asked my wife to give Yuzu one of our cards. I asked him in Japanese whether it was all right to call him “Yuzu” and he replied, “Hai yoroshidesu”. I am relatively fluent in spoken Japanese as I am a third-generation Japanese-Canadian born in Japan and raised in Canada since I was two and half years old. Furthermore, my wife is Japanese and the language we use at home is mostly Japanese. In fact, my Japanese improved 1000% after I married her! Unfortunately, Emiko’s English has not had the same degree of improvement because I accommodated her by speaking Japanese.

Emiko shook hands with Yuzu and she later said that his hand was very soft and smooth. Since he could see that I was paralyzed and unable to use my arms and hands, Yuzu bowed to me and I bowed back with my head. In retrospect, I should have asked Yuzu for a hug! I am sure that he would have obliged.

I have heard Yuzu’s voice countless times in videos, but I have never heard him speak as softly as he did when he spoke to us that day. It was as if I was hearing a totally different person. And, he was ever so humble, polite and respectful. Since I was in a wheelchair, he immediately got down on one or both knees beside my chair to my left so that we were side-by-side, facing the same direction, just inches apart, with him being at a lower level than me.

We chatted for several minutes in Japanese. I asked him how his right ankle was doing and he smiled and replied, “daijobudesu”. We had gone shopping for gifts on Sunday and one set of gifts we had bought were two of the largest boxes of chocolates available at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store for Yuzu and his mother. I showed Yuzu the gift wrapped boxes, explained that they were chocolates, and pointed out that my wife had labeled his “Precious Son” (in Japanese) and his mother’s “Precious Mother”.

I explained to Yuzu that we had chosen chocolates for him because we had seen his Lotte Ghana chocolate commercials and knew that he really did like chocolates. I said that we had noticed in the “making of” videos, he was always taking bites out of the chocolate bars in between and after takes. I said I noticed that when the director told him that the commercial was finished, he expressed disappointment because he was not going to be able to eat any more chocolate. When I told him this, I was rewarded with a Yuzu scrunchy-face smile-laugh.

We also gave him and his mother chocolate balls that had been decorated to look like various kitten faces. When my wife produced these chocolates, Yuzu’s eyes widened and he unabashedly exclaimed “Kawaiii!!!” – (So) cute!!! – in the most adorable voice.

PICTURES WITH YUZU

After chatting, I asked Yuzu whether it was okay to get a picture with him. Of course, he said. As the four of us – Ghislain, my wife, Yuzu and I – were lining up for the picture, Tracy came running up to me and said with a big smile, “Thank you very much for the lovely gift!” Realizing that we were in the midst of taking a picture, she immediately started to back away. I called out to her and said, “Tracy, come back and get in the picture!” She joined us and Jason took multiple shots of the five of us.

After the pictures were taken, we thanked Yuzu in English and Japanese with bows and he left to go home. We thanked Ghislain and he gave Emiko a hug. Since I am unable to shake hands, Ghislain gave me a pat on my shoulder. I said, “Ghislain, give me a hug, man!” Ghislain laughed, leaned over and gave me a big hug. We said our goodbyes to Ghislain and said that we would see him at Skate Canada in Kelowna. On the way out, Tracy saw us and called out, “See you at Skate Canada!”

When I checked my watch, it was past 3:30 PM. We had been at the TCC for over three hours and had spent an hour and a half watching Yuzu practice, chatting and taking pictures with him.

Jason took multiple shots and each one is slightly different from the others. These are three different sizes of one of the pictures. Yuzu looks like the boy next door.

PS: Emiko obviously did not get the memo regarding the colour of footwear. Everyone except her is wearing black and white footwear. Even Ghislain has white blade covers with his black skating boots. LOL!

Although this took place over three years ago, except for close friends and a handful of satellites, I have not spoken of or posted about our visit to the TCC and meeting Yuzu. I have never posted the pictures that appear here before. I have chosen to do so now because Yuzu is no longer competing, Brian, Tracy and Ghislain are no longer his coaches and Yuzu is no longer associated with the Cricket Club.

I wish to emphasize that I have not disclosed any confidential information.

PS: I want to give credit to @yuzuangel for figuring out why I was unable to upload the picture of us with Ghislain and the pictures of us with Ghislain, Yuzu and Tracy using Imgur. @yuzuangel deleted the “#” from the title of the picture and Imgur allowed uploading. Apparently Imgur doesn’t like the “#” in the titles of images being uploaded! I have not tested it, but Imgur may not permit the uploading of images with titles including special characters of any kind.

Thank you so much, George, for sharing these precious memories. What a wonderful experience! I especially appreciate your sensitivity and respect for Yuzu and his coaches, keeping this to yourself all this time. That shows more restraint than I’m sure I could have mustered.

I hope both of us will see him live again!

:nod2:

Geo1 · November 27, 2022

14 hours ago, Perelandra said:

You look great in the photos with Yuzu, Emiko and the TCC coaches.

Thanks @Perelandra! I was just over 68 ½ years old when those pictures were taken on September 16, 2019.

Anni · November 27, 2022

On 11/26/2022 at 3:37 AM, Pammi said:

I like the @prologue39 YT handle (39 in Japanese sounds like "thank you" in English I believe?)

Perelandra has already explained this :agree: . Taichi Kaizuka wrote at the time, why he published 39 Yuzu pictures. :67638860:

[NEWS]

Swanyu :heartpound:

EisElle · November 27, 2022

16 hours ago, Pammi said:

Shun is in the GPF final!! It's relevant in this thread because he loves Yuzu, was wearing the pendant Yuzu gave him, and is a Sendai boy like Yuzu (is that enough reasons??!}

I'm not following the season closely because toxicISU and me parted ways, but it moves me a bit to see that in Men's final there will be 3 Jpn skaters (+Daniel, I guess) who were deeply inspired by Yuzuru as kids (and not only as kids. Who was recently who said was studying sharepractice warmup? Shun iirc? 😆)

like obviously it's not about searching an "heir" to Yuzu or his skating, that won't happen and would be a great underestimation of just how unique Yuzu is both as an athlete and as a person (plus, each skater should pursue their own skating)... but it's a powerful reminder of how he inspired generations of skaters :tumblr_inline_n2pjcwwxgn1qdlkyg:

Anabel · November 27, 2022

11 minutes ago, EisElle said:

I'm not following the season closely because toxicISU and me parted ways, but it moves me a bit to see that in Men's final there will be 3 Jpn skaters (+Daniel, I guess) who were deeply inspired by Yuzuru as kids (and not only as kids. Who was recently who said was studying sharepractice warmup? Shun iirc? 😆)

like obviously it's not about searching an "heir" to Yuzu or his skating, that won't happen and would be a great underestimation of just how unique Yuzu is both as an athlete and as a person (plus, each skater should pursue their own skating)... but it's a powerful reminder of how he inspired generations of skaters

And imagine what figure skating and its competitions could be like now if ISU, JSF and company had only been fair to Yuzu...

LAY · November 27, 2022

11 hours ago, ZuCritter said:

Thank you so much, George, for sharing these precious memories. What a wonderful experience! I especially appreciate your sensitivity and respect for Yuzu and his coaches, keeping this to yourself all this time. That shows more restraint than I’m sure I could have mustered.

I hope both of us will see him live again!

Dear George, you are an amazing person (like Yuzu) so as your wife Emiko👏👍

Soleil88 · November 27, 2022

1 hour ago, Anabel said:

And imagine what figure skating and its competitions could be like now if ISU, JSF and company had only been fair to Yuzu...

We together with other satellites would be at Torino next month cheering for Yuzu if they had been fair. sigh... :campfr:

Perelandra · November 27, 2022

15 minutes ago, Soleil88 said:

We together with other satellites would be at Torino next month cheering for Yuzu if they had been fair. sigh...

That is true and possibly there might have been a clean sweep of the podium for Japan, in a fair world.

Was hoping for this as my birthday wish, but it cannot come to pass now. :sadPooh:

Perelandra · November 27, 2022

11 hours ago, Geo1 said:

Thanks @Perelandra! I was just over 68 ½ years old when those pictures were taken on September 16, 2019.

Still young then, or very much young at heart. Perhaps you have also been partaking of Sendai mizu !!

We will sit together at an ice show one day.

Pxx

Beatrice · November 27, 2022

13 hours ago, Geo1 said:

. . . . I was just over 68 ½ years old when those pictures were taken on September 16, 2019.

You definitely look younger than 68! :flowers:

Thank you, again and again, for sharing with us all these lovely memories and photos :thanks:

5tarfruit · November 27, 2022

3 hours ago, EisElle said:

I'm not following the season closely because toxicISU and me parted ways, but it moves me a bit to see that in Men's final there will be 3 Jpn skaters (+Daniel, I guess) who were deeply inspired by Yuzuru as kids (and not only as kids. Who was recently who said was studying sharepractice warmup? Shun iirc? 😆)

like obviously it's not about searching an "heir" to Yuzu or his skating, that won't happen and would be a great underestimation of just how unique Yuzu is both as an athlete and as a person (plus, each skater should pursue their own skating)... but it's a powerful reminder of how he inspired generations of skaters

Not to mention Daniel who became a fan of Yuzu's when he saw him on TV when both of them were still very young. (This was in 2008, I believe. Please correct me if I'm wrong)

Remembering Daniel's genuine and heartfelt post on his Instagram stories still makes me smile Daniel, one of the OG Fanyus :68468287:

Geo1 · November 27, 2022

4 hours ago, Anabel said:

And imagine what figure skating and its competitions could be like now if ISU, JSF and company had only been fair to Yuzu...

There would be no competition. Yuzu would win every time in a fair world.

4 hours ago, LAY said:

Dear George, you are an amazing person (like Yuzu) so as your wife Emiko👏👍

Thank you @LAY! I wish that all satellites could meet Yuzu and see him skate live!

Madita · November 27, 2022

On 11/26/2022 at 8:18 AM, Geo1 said:

2019 AUTUMN CLASSIC INTERNATIONAL IN OAKVILLE

Our third live competition with Yuzu was the 2019 Autumn Classic International in Oakville, Ontario.

First, I would like to say that we really enjoyed meeting other satellites from the Planet and having a couple of dinners with them.

REUNITING WITH GHISLAIN

We attended the 2019 ACI with Jason. On the Thursday practice day, we saw Ghislain and went to speak with him.

On the following day, Ghislain came over with his youngest son to where we were sitting and chatted with us.

On Saturday, as we were approaching the free skate, I spoke to Ghislain again. As our conversation was drawing to a close, I told him that we were going to go shopping in Toronto on Monday and wondered whether we could visit him at the Cricket Club. Ghislain agreed and gave me his business card with the Cricket Club contact information on one side and his personal contact information on the other. He asked me to email him to work out the details.

ORIGIN 2.0 COSTUME REVEAL

Again, a major highlight was the purple Origin 2.0 costume reveal and the audience reaction.

Again, as in the previous year, we were in the wheelchair section directly across from the Kiss and Cry and the area where the skaters entered and exited the rink. We were in the perfect position to watch Yuzu’s manic lip-synching routine before the 6-minute warm-up.

WE VISIT THE CRICKET CLUB

On Monday morning, I sent an email to Ghislain to confirm the visit. He replied almost immediately. He said that the best time to visit was around 12:30 PM because he had a break between 12:45 PM and 1:15 PM. To our delight, he added, “Yuzu will be in for a short practice at 2 PM.”

We arrived at the TCC at 12:30 PM and entered the front doors. When we arrived, the security person at the front desk told us that we were expected and that we could go directly to the rink which was straight down the hall. He showed us the wheelchair ramp which was located beside him. We went down the ramp into the hallway which had displays of trophies and other memorabilia. The Cricket Club seemed almost familiar as we went down this hallway towards the rink probably because we had seen it so many times in videos. At the end of the hall, there is a door leading to the rink with an “EXIT” sign beside it. Immediately to the right is the lounge with the large windows looking onto the ice rink. My wife opened the door and Jason pushed me into the ice rink area. Ghislain and Brian were standing right there close to the exit door. I called to Ghislain and he smiled and waved, saying, “Hi George!” Brian looked our way with a nod of acknowledgment. Ghislain ushered us back through the door that we had just come in and set us up in the lounge in the booth closest to the door. We had a great view of the area where the coaches and choreographers were standing as well as the ice rink. After making sure that we were well settled, Ghislain asked us to sit and enjoy the practice until he was finished with the class. He said that he would join us in a few minutes time.

WE SEE JAVIER FERNANDEZ, EVGENIA MEDVEDEVA, JUNHWAN CHA AND JOSEPH PHAN PRACTICING AS WELL AS CHOREOGRAPHERS DAVID WILSON AND JEFFREY BUTTLE

When I looked on the ice, I immediately noticed Javier Fernandez. Apparently, it was his first day back at the TCC since PyeongChang and he was there to practice his free skate for the Japan Open with his choreographer, David Wilson. I also saw Evgenia Medvedeva and Junhwan Cha going through their paces. Jeffrey Buttle was on the sidelines looking intently onto the ice. During breaks, I saw Javi come into the lounge and sit with a friend a couple of booths away from us. Whenever Evgenia took a break, she would come into the lounge and sit with her mother and her mother’s female companion. Joseph Phan was also practicing. He had recently started at the TCC to be coached by Brian.

A SHORT TOUR OF THE CLUB

At around 12:45 PM, the practice ended and the skaters cleared the ice. Shortly afterwards, Ghislain came into the lounge and took us on a short tour of the club’s facilities, including a view of the cricket field, swimming pool, weight training room and the dance room where we have seen a young 17-year-old Yuzu doing hip-hop with an even younger Nam in the NHK documentary, “Spirits of the Athletes”.

WE MEET BRIAN AGAIN

Following the conclusion of the brief tour, I told Ghislain that we had gifts and he took us back to the lounge where we sat down at our former place. Jason went out to the vehicle to retrieve the gifts. After we had given Ghislain his gifts, I told him that we had gifts for Brian, Tracy and Erin d’Eon, the skating coordinator, as well. He said, “Let’s go down to see Brian,” and led us down the hall to the small “Skating Office” that Brian shares with Tracy. Ghislain popped his head into the office and asked Brian to step out. Ghislain introduced us and Brian asked whether this was the first time we had been to the Cricket Club. I laughed and said that this was the first time we had been inside the Cricket Club. I told him that we had been to the Cricket Club the year before, but we had only seen it from the outside. I said that the only souvenir we had from last year’s visit to the Cricket Club was my wife, Emiko, getting stung by one of the wasps in the garden! I also reminded Brian that we had met previously at the 2017 ACI in Montréal outside the restaurant and because he had implied his availability for dinner, I had followed him around at the competition venue to the point that by the third or fourth encounter, I was afraid that he was going to call security on me! Both Brian and Ghislain had a good laugh.

Tracy had not arrived so Brian said that he would accept the gift on her behalf and keep it for her in the office that they shared.

Ghislain then took us down the hall to introduce us to Erin d’Eon with whom I had exchanged a number of emails in the past. We gave her a gift and chatted briefly.

PICTURES WITH GHISLAIN

Ghislain then took us back to our original booth in the lounge where we had some pictures taken with him. This is one of them.

Ghislain then asked us to relax and enjoy the practices of the other skaters until Yuzu arrived at 2 PM. He then went back to the rink for the next practice session which included Javi, Evgenia and Jun.

YUZU ARRIVES AND WE WATCH HIM PRACTICE

At 2 PM, Yuzu walked in wearing a cap and dressed all in black pulling his gold hard-shell carry-on case. He walked past beside us and into the bench area behind the rink where we could not see him from the lounge. He reappeared a few minutes later greeting Brian and Ghislain by the rink. We had the honour and privilege of watching Yuzu practice for an hour, all from the comfort of a warm lounge. Almost all of his jumps and jump combinations were started from the other end of the rink so that they were landed right in front of us, just several feet away. It was all very breathtaking. As Brian Orson has said, "I have no words."

At some point, Tracy Wilson joined Brian and Ghislain on the sidelines. I noticed her speaking with Ghislain and Ghislain pointing in our direction. I surmised that Tracy had asked Ghislain about the gift that we had left for her in the office that she shared with Brian and that Ghislain was explaining to her that it was from us.

After the practice was over, Yuzu hugged Brian and Ghislain and bowed to Tracy Sailor Moon style. Ghislain came into the lounge and sat down with us. He told us that Yuzu would join us shortly. While I chatted with Ghislain, Jason noticed that Yuzu removed his Under Armour top revealing his bare back to anyone who might have been watching from the lounge as he changed into his street clothes.

WE MEET AND CHAT WITH YUZU

After a few minutes, Yuzu joined us. He was not wearing his cap. He was very slim and looked like the teenaged boy next door. He presented a totally different image from the superstar that we are used to seeing in the rink. Ghislain smiled as Yuzu and I greeted each other in Japanese, “hajimemashita” (pleased to meet you). I introduced myself, my wife and Jason. I asked my wife to give Yuzu one of our cards. I asked him in Japanese whether it was all right to call him “Yuzu” and he replied, “Hai yoroshidesu”. I am relatively fluent in spoken Japanese as I am a third-generation Japanese-Canadian born in Japan and raised in Canada since I was two and half years old. Furthermore, my wife is Japanese and the language we use at home is mostly Japanese. In fact, my Japanese improved 1000% after I married her! Unfortunately, Emiko’s English has not had the same degree of improvement because I accommodated her by speaking Japanese.

Emiko shook hands with Yuzu and she later said that his hand was very soft and smooth. Since he could see that I was paralyzed and unable to use my arms and hands, Yuzu bowed to me and I bowed back with my head. In retrospect, I should have asked Yuzu for a hug! I am sure that he would have obliged.

I have heard Yuzu’s voice countless times in videos, but I have never heard him speak as softly as he did when he spoke to us that day. It was as if I was hearing a totally different person. And, he was ever so humble, polite and respectful. Since I was in a wheelchair, he immediately got down on one or both knees beside my chair to my left so that we were side-by-side, facing the same direction, just inches apart, with him being at a lower level than me.

We chatted for several minutes in Japanese. I asked him how his right ankle was doing and he smiled and replied, “daijobudesu”. We had gone shopping for gifts on Sunday and one set of gifts we had bought were two of the largest boxes of chocolates available at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store for Yuzu and his mother. I showed Yuzu the gift wrapped boxes, explained that they were chocolates, and pointed out that my wife had labeled his “Precious Son” (in Japanese) and his mother’s “Precious Mother”.

I explained to Yuzu that we had chosen chocolates for him because we had seen his Lotte Ghana chocolate commercials and knew that he really did like chocolates. I said that we had noticed in the “making of” videos, he was always taking bites out of the chocolate bars in between and after takes. I said I noticed that when the director told him that the commercial was finished, he expressed disappointment because he was not going to be able to eat any more chocolate. When I told him this, I was rewarded with a Yuzu scrunchy-face smile-laugh.

We also gave him and his mother chocolate balls that had been decorated to look like various kitten faces. When my wife produced these chocolates, Yuzu’s eyes widened and he unabashedly exclaimed “Kawaiii!!!” – (So) cute!!! – in the most adorable voice.

PICTURES WITH YUZU

After chatting, I asked Yuzu whether it was okay to get a picture with him. Of course, he said. As the four of us – Ghislain, my wife, Yuzu and I – were lining up for the picture, Tracy came running up to me and said with a big smile, “Thank you very much for the lovely gift!” Realizing that we were in the midst of taking a picture, she immediately started to back away. I called out to her and said, “Tracy, come back and get in the picture!” She joined us and Jason took multiple shots of the five of us.

After the pictures were taken, we thanked Yuzu in English and Japanese with bows and he left to go home. We thanked Ghislain and he gave Emiko a hug. Since I am unable to shake hands, Ghislain gave me a pat on my shoulder. I said, “Ghislain, give me a hug, man!” Ghislain laughed, leaned over and gave me a big hug. We said our goodbyes to Ghislain and said that we would see him at Skate Canada in Kelowna. On the way out, Tracy saw us and called out, “See you at Skate Canada!”

When I checked my watch, it was past 3:30 PM. We had been at the TCC for over three hours and had spent an hour and a half watching Yuzu practice, chatting and taking pictures with him.

Jason took multiple shots and each one is slightly different from the others. These are three different sizes of one of the pictures. Yuzu looks like the boy next door.

PS: Emiko obviously did not get the memo regarding the colour of footwear. Everyone except her is wearing black and white footwear. Even Ghislain has white blade covers with his black skating boots. LOL!

Although this took place over three years ago, except for close friends and a handful of satellites, I have not spoken of or posted about our visit to the TCC and meeting Yuzu. I have never posted the pictures that appear here before. I have chosen to do so now because Yuzu is no longer competing, Brian, Tracy and Ghislain are no longer his coaches and Yuzu is no longer associated with the Cricket Club.

I wish to emphasize that I have not disclosed any confidential information.

PS: I want to give credit to @yuzuangel for figuring out why I was unable to upload the picture of us with Ghislain and the pictures of us with Ghislain, Yuzu and Tracy using Imgur. @yuzuangel deleted the “#” from the title of the picture and Imgur allowed uploading. Apparently Imgur doesn’t like the “#” in the titles of images being uploaded! I have not tested it, but Imgur may not permit the uploading of images with titles including special characters of any kind.

Thank you very much @Geo1 for sharing these precious memories and photos

SomewhereYuzu · November 27, 2022

Apologies if this has already been mentioned, but I just noticed today while looking at the Prologue online store that four more images of the White Legend blanket have been added to the listing: https://axelstore.jp/prologue/detail.php?goods_id=3473

Anabel · November 27, 2022

2 hours ago, Geo1 said:

There would be no competition. Yuzu would win every time in a fair world.

I was saying it mostly because of the kind of skaters and competitions that we would have experienced and would be seeing today if they hadn't turned FS into a boring jumping contest. But the past cannot be changed, so now it's time to fully enjoy the wonderful stage of professional athlete Hanyu Yuzuru :10636614:

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