1 hour ago, Wyell said:

It made me laugh that they gave us 7 and a half minute of slo-mo footage and I wasn't about to let it go to waste!! So here:

 

 

This post has been tagged by Fay as [NEWS].

The slow-mo is such a good way to observe his facial expression. Since WHEN did he pick up such expression? They are so... omg..

 

32 minutes ago, Umebachi said:

 

Sadly, the Japanese government has catastrophically failed to manage the pandemic situation and its policies are the worst among the OECD countries.  The govt was too slow in getting into the fight for vaccine supplies last year - when Prime Ministers and Presidents were all speaking directly with Pfizer CEO to push for contracts, Japan only had their ministry bureaucrats following up with these companies to secure supplies.   Now at end of April Japan has only received tiny portion of supplies to vaccinate less than a fifth of health workers.  But govt insisted on starting to vaccinate the elderly now, just to meet their declared "target" from a few months ago, but it's sadly a joke: e.g., they had enough supplies to vaccinate around 2000 (yes, two thousand} elderly persons in one large ward (district) in Tokyo (12 million plus population).  Are you kidding me?  Japan's vaccination rate stands at 1 percent and barely moving each day, behind India in vaccination rate AND in testing rate!   It's unlikely Japan will start to receive large batches of vaccines until the end of summer (hello Olympics?)...  And as Japan goes into emergency status (not quite a lockdown), testing rates have NOT picked up.  Blocked by the Ministry of Health's public health authority - which wants to retain control over the testing regime.

 

So sadly there is no way Yuzu will have been vaccinated - and he will definitely not skip the queue being an ethical person that he is...   Given all the mishandling of Covid situation in Japan, I think Yuzu should go back to Canada this summer where he will definitely be able to get vaccinated.  Canada was slow at the start - but is rapidly catching up now on vaccination.  I am in BC, Canada and got my appointment for vaccination for next week.  Yay!  But I am extremely worried about my family back home in Japan...  

Thank you for letting us know the situation in Japan, that is so worrying and disappointing for you, your family, and all the people of Japan.  I suppose the government here in the UK were terrible at managing the virus in terms of restrictions and we had huge loss of life and the govt concentrated on vaccines as a way out if you like, so the vaccine programme is going quite well, but we have lost so many of our most vulnerable citizens who were not protected at all.  Japanese people, with twice the population of the UK have had a fraction of the losses, and that is down to how the people have managed it, largely putting the needs of society above individual needs which is vital for public health in these crises - in the UK, that message just is not understood in the same way.  I'd feel much happier if Yuzuru was vaccinated of course, but no he would never prioritise himself over others in such a situation. I hope your family stay safe and well.

1 hour ago, Wyell said:

It made me laugh that they gave us 7 and a half minute of slo-mo footage and I wasn't about to let it go to waste!! So here:

 

 

This post has been tagged by Fay as [NEWS].

Oh gosh thank you so much for this! and thank you Yuzuru for being so.....giving of your whole self ! It is so appreciated. And thank you TBS for all those slo-mos!!!

9 minutes ago, LadyLou said:

 

but you know what's that strikes me the most, when rewatching in HD?

That Blinding Lights might actually refer to Yuzu's shiny top (and ok, pants). Sparkles sparkling!    It looks so cool (a lot cooler than it would have with a non-sparkly outfit)

 

Also, the people sitting close to the entrance as the opening starts, sitting there with clasped hands (probably making a superhuman effort not to scream)

 

by the way, @Wyell it was you who added some day3 footage (around 5:40-6:20), or was already like this in the broadcast?

What made me notice that is that after the hydroblade there's the SE into simil besti squat with swinging edge. Today instead there was the head flick SE    (You can tell that I've rewatched the clips quite a lot. 🙈🙈 In my defense, the swinging motion is one of my fave things going on in the LMEY 3A entry, so it caught my eye)

 

 

4K is actually still processing in the background so it will be available later, and it's even sparklier then!

 

I did add Day 3 in there; out of the 3 broadcasts, I actually think Day 3's was the best, so why not?

 

 

1 hour ago, Wyell said:

It made me laugh that they gave us 7 and a half minute of slo-mo footage and I wasn't about to let it go to waste!! So here:

 

 

This post has been tagged by Fay as [NEWS].

 

Thank you SO much for this!

 

Not kidding: there was about 1 hour break at Snooker Worlds and mom and dad were playing this video in loop. I love my family so much 

57 minutes ago, Umebachi said:

 

Sadly, the Japanese government has catastrophically failed to manage the pandemic situation and its policies are the worst among the OECD countries.  The govt was too slow in getting into the fight for vaccine supplies last year - when Prime Ministers and Presidents were all speaking directly with Pfizer CEO to push for contracts, Japan only had their ministry bureaucrats following up with these companies to secure supplies.   Now at end of April Japan has only received tiny portion of supplies to vaccinate less than a fifth of health workers.  But govt insisted on starting to vaccinate the elderly now, just to meet their declared "target" from a few months ago, but it's sadly a joke: e.g., they had enough supplies to vaccinate around 2000 (yes, two thousand} elderly persons in one large ward (district) in Tokyo (12 million plus population).  Are you kidding me?  Japan's vaccination rate stands at 1 percent and barely moving each day, behind India in vaccination rate AND in testing rate!   It's unlikely Japan will start to receive large batches of vaccines until the end of summer (hello Olympics?)...  And as Japan goes into emergency status (not quite a lockdown), testing rates have NOT picked up.  Blocked by the Ministry of Health's public health authority - which wants to retain control over the testing regime.

 

So sadly there is no way Yuzu will have been vaccinated - and he will definitely not skip the queue being an ethical person that he is...   Given all the mishandling of Covid situation in Japan, I think Yuzu should go back to Canada this summer where he will definitely be able to get vaccinated.  Canada was slow at the start - but is rapidly catching up now on vaccination.  I am in BC, Canada and got my appointment for vaccination for next week.  Yay!  But I am extremely worried about my family back home in Japan...  

 

Thank you for the info on the pandemic situation in Japan. I didn't know that it's so bad there regarding vaccinations and tests. Now I'm more worried than ever about Yuzu and his health and safety and that of the other skaters and audiences in these ice shows. And the Olympic Games are going ahead in just a few months. Yikes!

 

Now I also hope even more than before that Yuzu can somehow go to Canada as soon as possible. 

 

I hope your family stays safe and healthy!

 

30 minutes ago, LadyLou said:

Would it be easy for a non-resident to book vaccination in Canada?

 

I don't think this should be an issue. After all, Yuzu lived and trained in Canada for so many years. He probably has some kind of permanent or long-term residence permit.

4 minutes ago, Yuzurella said:

I don't think this should be an issue. After all, Yuzu lived and trained in Canada for so many years. He probably has some kind of permanent or long-term residence permit.

Canada, in particular Toronto, from what I hear from my Canadian friends, is lagging behind on vaccination for non-priority groups. If he comes to the US, though, lots of states are vaccinating anyone and everyone. I guess we have some anti-vaxxers to thank for the surplus 🤨 If only he could!

1 minute ago, yuzuangel said:

Canada, from what I hear from my Canadian friends, is lagging behind on vaccination for non-priority groups. If he comes to the US, though, lots of states are vaccinating everyone and anyone. If only!

 

I wish I could get vaccinated in the US now! In the EU, vaccinations are going quite slowly, including Austria, because of a lack of vaccines. I hope I'll be able to get an appointment in the summer.

 

Regarding Yuzu and vaccinations, I think he might even be considered within a priority group because of his asthma? In my country, people with asthma are considered high-risk patients and are therefore prioritized.

Just now, Yuzurella said:

Regarding Yuzu and vaccinations, I think he might even be considered within a priority group because of his asthma? In my country, people with asthma are considered high-risk patients and are therefore prioritized.

That is true! he would be. not sure about canadian laws but where I live, people with asthma are a priority group.

1 hour ago, CiONTUw4A said:

 

 

I hope one day Yuzu will really do a world tour with his Continues with Wings ice shows. I'm sure it would become a huge hit and be sold out everywhere within a few minutes.

8 minutes ago, yuzuangel said:

Canada, in particular Toronto, from what I hear from my Canadian friends, is lagging behind on vaccination for non-priority groups. If he comes to the US, though, lots of states are vaccinating anyone and everyone. I guess we have some anti-vaxxers to thank for the surplus 🤨 If only he could!

 

I am praying for Yuzu and all the skaters to stay healthy during the show season.  The variants are exploding around Japan and although the north has been relatively spared, it is catching up.  Miyagi has been hit hard and no longer a safe haven that it was....  

 

Despite having faced distribution issues earlier, Ontario seems to be really ramping up and I would guess (@rockstaryuzu would know better) by end of July (when Yuzu would usually arrive in Toronto) Ontario might be close to herd immunity?  I expect the province will be offering vaccination to all the residents by summer time.  This assume, ofc, that there will not be further disruptions in supplies.  Also, Canada has entered into new contracts with Pfizer for the third dose which includes adaptation to the new variants, and the government is investing heavily in its own national vaccine production capacity (a bit late but still...) - positive developments in this dark times.   Meanwhile, back in Japan, the government hasn't been able to show evidence of actual contract with Pfizer regarding the delivery schedule - only promissory notes/ expression of interest so far.  Not legally binding.   Fumbling around - the responses of the Minister of Health at the parliamentary hearings is embarassing.  Really embarassing.  I have worked with Min Health bureaucrats as part of my work (health policy analysis) and I'm sorry to see that my past worries about the declining ability of their staff to undertake quantitative analysis has been justified.  Ooof.  

 

@Pammi Yes, Japan's case and death rates have been very low, around 1/10 or less of Canada and UK.  This had made the government complacent and they relied completely on citizens taking the responsibility of social distance and masking.  They had more than a year and still we don't have rapid PCR testing system in place - when other countries now have self-admin quick tests, which may not be as accurate but allows very massive rapid testing that will help to identify and reduce risks quickly.  Now they are asking for emergency measures - closing of restaurants, bars, theatres etc - once again with no end in sight and no vaccine in the near future - and what is worse, absolutely no financial assistance to any of the enterprises.   Many restaurants and stores are now declaring bankruptcy, closing shop saying that they managed to survive the last emergency period due to the very meager financial assistance offered by the govt, but now they can't hold o any more.  We have many many single mothers who losst their temp jobs and kids are going hungry.  NGOs can't keep up with the massive number of children going hungry - in Japan - where we don't have massive Food Banks like the USA. 

 

And all this suffering and misery is what Yuzu is referring to.  But what will probably bring down this government - and probably lead to cancellation of the Olympics - is the collapse of the health system and the boycott by the medical professionals.   A few days ago, around 100 nurses and doctors resigned en masse from one of the largest hospitals in Japan - protesting the cruel and abusive workig conditions.   Although Japan's case numbers have been low relative to other OECD countries, the Japanese healthcare system is already close to collapse, due to the very low number of doctors and squeeze on health care  budget over the last decade or more (this was my area of policy analysis at OECD which produces the health statistics for member states, including Japan - see OECD Health at a Glance publication).   Currently, Osaka reports more than 100% occupancy rate for ICUs and hospital beds are being repurposed for Covid only and all elective surgeries/treatments are being delayed.  Many people in Osaka are reporting that their family members dying at home while waiting for hospital beds to open.  The case numbers are definitely underestimated.  We will have to wait for the excess death rates compared to previous years in order to evaluate actual magnitude of covid-related deaths.

 

Apologies for the looong rant!  I had to get this off my chest and share.  

1 hour ago, CiONTUw4A said:

 

Thanks for sharing. I checked out the thread and I was reminded of just how smol Yuzu really was in previous seasons. I guess with the advent of the manly waist (and the muscular chest and thighs), it's now time to say goodbye to smol!Yuzu .

Oh well, all for the pursuit of Nessie 

3 hours ago, Pammi said:

Glad it's now time to move on from Yokohama where infection rates are higher and onto the less effected north of Honshu. I was disappointed in how covid security was managed in Yokohama, having generally had great trust in how Japanese people (not necessarily government) are dealing with the pandemic. It seems that fans maybe just cant resist a chance to see him....which I sort of get, but it's still not the right thing to do.  But I cant cast stones, because what would I have done if I'd had a ticket I wonder?? I do think about the issue Yuzuru raised, about unemployment, people's hardships, and that many ppl relied on these shows going ahead. He tries hard to see the bigger picture always.  He looked relaxed and happy which is always wonderful for us his fans to see. Tough decisions have to continue to be made so we wont see an end to this, just hope the best knowledge about the virus leads to effective management of each situation. I also wonder if Yuzuru has had the vaccine? It is very highly effective at preventing serious disease and hospitalisation, 100% in one of the studies done (well afaik Pfeizer and Astra Zenica have had these studies done).  My young adult daughter had her vaccine early due to asthma, maybe he will have had his too? I hope he has. I hope the athletes will have been doing regular lateral flow tests too as part of managing risk.

 

 

Unfortunately holding an ice show in a less affected reason means bringing people in from harder hit areas and spreading the virus to the local community. I think perhaps he's missing the bigger picture here, jobs are certainly not more important than health, especially when the virus can leave people permanently ill or worse. IMO a lot of people involved in this show and with competitions in Japan don't deserve to keep their jobs for creating such dangerous events, anyway. What a shame fans didn't pressure organisers to hold it without an audience. Beyond disappointing to see tens of thousands of people happily risking everyone's health to watch an ice show. Horrifying to see so many elderly people in the audience as well. 😓

 

From what I've read, people with underlying conditions may begin to receive vaccines in May/June but vaccination of the general public isn't expected to begin until July, so no one in the cast or crew nor the vast majority of people in the audience will have received even their first shot. 😓
 

23 minutes ago, SparkleSalad said:

Unfortunately holding an ice show in a less affected reason means bringing people in from harder hit areas and spreading the virus to the local community.

Are people allowed to travel when there is a state of emergency declared? Do the police enforce restrictions? Were the tickets for SOI in Hachinohe restricted geographically, or in their numbers eg reduced audience? I hope so, but I have this feeling that whoever knows the answer to my questions will say no to each...

The thing is that Yuzu and skating colleagues have all managed to stay well as far as I know for a year, it would be a terrible shame for them to become ill now as the Olympic season approaches for the sake of ice shows. Nationals and NHK seemed to be held in much better, safer conditions for them and any audience.