[2023.06.24] Toyo Keizai - SOI2023 Yuzuru Hanyu's show has a huge effect on regional development

[yuzurujenn]

*Machine translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

 

2023.06.24

 

Source: https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/679669

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20230624010549/https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/679669

 

 

Yuzuru Hanyu's show has a huge effect on regional development

"Stars on Ice" held in Oshu City is a huge success

 

Yuzuru Hanyu won two consecutive Olympic gold medals in Sochi in 2014 and Pyeongchang in 2018, and attempted a quadruple axel at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Since announcing his intention to turn professional and retiring from the sport in July 2022, he has further expanded the scope of his activities, and his new challenges continue to revolutionize the conventional wisdom of figure skating. He was the final performer at all performances of the Stars on Ice Japan Tour 2023. 

 

The "Stars on Ice Japan Tour" brings Olympic and World Championship medalists and stars of the figure skating world to Japan. This series explores the efforts of the host region and supporting companies behind the scenes of this world's premier ice show.

 

Spoiler

"Sorry to have kept you waiting." The announcement echoed through the hall, eliciting a particularly loud round of applause. "A living legend who always surpasses imagination, his challenges are endless." The day's biggest cheers rang out as his elegant silhouette entered the still-dark skating rink.

 

The "Stars on Ice Japan Tour 2023" featured many world-class figure skaters, including Shoma Uno, who won two consecutive World Championships, Kaori Sakamoto, and the "Rikuryu" pair of Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, who became the first Japanese pair to win the World Championship. The Japan Tour has been held since 2005, and this year, 10 performances were held over 11 days from March 30 to April 9.

 

The final act in all of these performances was Yuzuru Hanyu (28), who became a professional skater last year. At the Yokohama performance I attended, he met the audience's expectations with a high-quality performance. The piece was "The Phantom of the Opera." Hanyu used this piece in competitions in the 2014-15 season, and over time his technique and expressiveness have improved.

 

The performance, which included high-difficulty jumps and was structured like a competition routine, created a thrilling atmosphere in the audience. Jumps like "4T+2T" and "3A+3T" were landed beautifully, while conveying the Phantom's inner turmoil, love, and emotional nuances.

 

The applause and cheers for Hanyu after his performance shook the atmosphere of the venue. Many in the audience gave him a standing ovation in admiration.

 

[Unprecedented Enthusiasm at the Performance in Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture]

 

This year's Stars on Ice included Oshu City in Iwate Prefecture as one of its venues, alongside Osaka and Yokohama. The venue was the "Oshu City General Gymnasium Z Arena."

 

Large-scale ice shows typically take place in major cities such as Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Yokohama, Chiba, Sendai, and Niigata, with a set pattern of locations. However, this was the first time an ice show had been held at the Oshu City General Gymnasium, which surprised many figure skating fans.

 

But once the event began, it was a huge success. In front of the venue, local traditional performances such as "Esashi Shishi odori" (a traditional deer dance) were showcased for the visitors, and food trucks offering local cuisine were bustling with activity. Even local residents without tickets to the show gathered around the venue, creating an unprecedented situation. The atmosphere was described as feeling almost like a "festival."

 

[Failure Could Damage the City's Reputation]

 

The project was a success thanks to the generous cooperation of the local city of Oshu. However, according to Tatsuya Chiba, head of the Oshu City Collaborative Urban Development Department, who was in charge of the project, there were some concerns.

 

"When it was confirmed that Yuzuru Hanyu would be performing, we received information that ticket requests were increasing, and it seemed that 4,000 to 5,000 people might attend each day. While it was great to have so many people coming, I also thought, 'This could be problematic.' If there were any issues with access to the venue or other areas, it could damage the city's reputation. We needed to make sure we prepared thoroughly to welcome everyone."

 

What helped with the preparation was Oshu City's experience with hosting large events, such as the Iwate Oshu Kirameki Marathon (the 7th edition took place on May 21, 2023). With about 6,000 participants, including staff and volunteers, the marathon had accumulated significant knowledge about organizing large-scale events.

 

On the other hand, organizing a marathon and an ice show have many differences. "When you have 4,000 to 5,000 people moving at once in the few hours before and after a performance, there were concerns. And this would happen three days in a row. This was the first time in my career at the city office that I had to manage something like this," said Chiba.

 

On the day of the performance, a paid shuttle bus service was provided between Mizusawa-Esashi Station and Z Arena for a one-way fare of 500 yen. Multiple parking lots were also set up for attendees arriving by car. During the event period, temporary toilets were installed at Z Arena to address potential shortages. The city had to go through a process of trial and error, as there were no precedents to follow.

 

[Welcoming Guests with Local Performances and Cuisine]

 

One of the special attractions for the Oshu performance was the Shishi Odori (Deer Dance), which was presented as part of the "Special Oshu Performance Project." The dancers were members of a local folk performing arts group. The event took place from April 3 to 5, which coincided with the beginning of the fiscal year and was on weekdays, making it a challenging time for working adults. However, despite their busy schedules, everyone managed to find time to participate.

 

The dance performance was held three times over an hour and a half starting at 12:00 PM before the ice show began. Wearing heavy costumes weighing about 15 kg, dancing and jumping around while beating drums, even one performance was enough to make the dancers drenched in sweat. On a hot day in April, their energetic dancing under the sun touched the hearts of the audience. The positive reactions from the audience, who had come from various regions, seemed to be a source of joy for the dancers, who take pride in preserving and valuing their local traditional arts.

 

The idea for the Shishi Odori performance was born when a representative from the Stars on Ice planning company paid a courtesy visit to Oshu City Mayor Jun Kuranari. "Since many skaters from overseas will be performing, we thought a local performing art like the Shishi Odori would be refreshing," he said, and the idea came up naturally in the course of the conversation.

 

[The city council also asked, "How should we respond?"]

 

At the city council meeting, a question was asked about "how to deal with Stars on Ice." Mayor Kuranari and Director Chiba responded to this question.

 

"We have visitors from all over the country, including the Kanto region. If we don't treat them well, it will be bad PR for the rest of the country. I answered that the city needs to do whatever it can to support them and work together with them," said Director Chiba.

 

Although there was a limited time for preparation, they held joint meetings with the organizers and made repeated adjustments with various departments of city hall, the local chamber of commerce, and Shishi Odori dance group, and managed to get everything ready in time for the day.

 

Particularly, they focused on providing information to the event organizers. For example, there were many things that would be difficult to know without local knowledge, such as which companies needed to be contacted for transportation and other things, and the specific information that needed to be shared with those companies.

 

The promotion of Oshu City's charm was not only done by the city government but also by private businesses. Around the venue, booths selling Nambu ironware and Iwayado chests were set up. The local food trucks offering Oshu cuisine had long lines, and local sweets and bread sold well.

 

Although all performances took place on weekdays, according to the organizer, the Kinoshita Group, more than 3,500 people attended per day. In addition to the attendees, local residents came to enjoy the food trucks, merchandise, and local dance, creating a festival-like atmosphere around the venue.

 

"While ice shows may not be a rare event in Osaka or Yokohama, holding one in Oshu City carries a different significance. It was the first time that such a large-scale event, with over 10,000 people attending in just three days, took place. As we thought about how to welcome everyone to the best of our abilities, it ended up taking on the form of a festival. The ice show and the rural festival became one, and it was also an opportunity to promote Shohei Ohtani's hometown, as well as our local traditional crafts," said Director Chiba.

 

Tickets for ice shows aren't cheap. For this edition of Stars on Ice, the cheapest seats were 8,000 yen and the most expensive were 24,000 yen (excluding "front row special seats," commentary seats, beginners' seats, and other seating options).

 

Even so, fans are willing to pay for the tickets, along with transportation costs and sometimes even accommodation, to attend the event. This is because a figure skating performance is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You can never see the exact same performance live twice. There is also a limit to how long a skater can be active. For fans with various emotions, it is extremely important that the seats they sit in provide a good view.

 

"The arena isn't as large as those in major cities, so the distance to the skaters is very close. I've heard from people sitting in the second-floor seats that it was quite an impressive and thrilling view," said Yoshiaki Senda, assistant section chief of the Lifelong Learning and Sports Division, which oversees gymnasiums and other facilities, including Z Arena.

 

The performance at Z Arena, where the seats allowed for a close view of the rink, surely left many attendees satisfied.

 

Given the success of the show, Senda mentioned that the event also provided insights into future use of Z Arena. "With this success, I wonder if ice shows might be held here again in the future," he said.

 

["Hayabusa Special Train" Became a Valuable Experience]

 

Another highlight was the special Hayabusa Shinkansen service. JR East, anticipating the needs of Stars on Ice attendees, arranged for a 17-car Hayabusa train to stop at Mizusawa-Esashi Station, the nearest station to the venue, for the three days of the event.  Mizusawa-Esashi is usually not a station where the Hayabusa stops. Many fans were thrilled by the "Hayabusa Special Service."

 

According to a public relations officer at JR East's Morioka branch office, special services are often scheduled for large-scale events and are not particularly unusual.

 

On the other hand, for fans, it means a lot that the Shinkansen stopped for their favorite idol or for an event that is important to them. For some people, the mere act of riding that train was a special memory.  On social media, there were posts featuring photos of the train interior and the electronic signboard of the special train.

 

Many passengers also commented that "the service at the station was polite and good." When inquired about this, Mizusawa-Esashi Station explained that, during the three-day event, they had gathered additional staff and increased the number of station employees to more than double the usual number. With hundreds of people boarding and alighting at once, Mizusawa-Esashi Station could become overcrowded, so they had made preparations to prevent confusion and ensure smooth operations.

 

The Oshu performance also served as an opportunity for local residents to attend an ice show.

 

"When it was announced that the famous Yuzuru Hanyu would be coming, the local community immediately got excited, thinking, 'We might finally be able to see him live for the first time.' There are local skating fans, but they usually go to Tokyo or Yokohama to watch skating, so they were like, 'I can't believe I can see him at Z Arena,'" said Director Chiba.

 

[The audience was mostly elderly people, couples and families.]

 

According to the Kinoshita Group, the organizers of the Oshu performance, the audience was in fact different. "The impression I got was that the Oshu performance was mostly attended by couples and families. Usually, most of the visitors to ice shows are women, but Oshu seemed a little different from Osaka and Yokohama." (Kinoshita Group PR)

 

The Oshu performance was sponsored solely by the Kinoshita Group, known for Kinoshita Construction and other companies, with local support from IBC Iwate Broadcasting.  A spokesperson for the Kinoshita Group explained the significance of this Oshu performance as follows:

 

"Ice shows are often thought to be difficult to host outside major metropolitan areas, but holding them in regional areas provides an opportunity for nearby residents to see the show live. The local community fully supported the event, and I believe it became an ice show unlike any before. The kind of excitement seen at the Oshu performance is something unique to regional performances."

 

The success of the Oshu performance shows the importance of building a relationship of trust and cooperation between the organizers and the local community. This collaboration allows the host city to use the show as a platform for regional promotion, while the organizers can provide an opportunity for local spectators to become familiar with figure skating. Both the organizers and the local community must handle various aspects with care and attention.

 

Oshu City had taken on several promotional activities related to Stars on Ice as part of its city promotion efforts. Considering the costs incurred by the host city, the event will be sustainable if both sides pursue a mutually beneficial approach.

 

Attracting audiences from both other regions and local area is not easy, but when well-known and popular skaters participate in the show, the significance of holding regional performances becomes clear. While the local community faces a heavy burden when welcoming many people, providing a pleasant experience and places for attendees to spend money reasonably will benefit the host city in return. The Oshu performance demonstrated this potential.