June 9, 20251 yr Yuzuru Hanyu – “The Discovery of the 2-6-2 Rule” Written by: Yuzuru Hanyu, Professional Skater 2025/06/09 Media: Bungeishunju Plus, Monthly Magazine Source: https://bunshun.jp/bungeishunju/articles/h10052 (paid article) More information: @YUZURUOfficial_ "If you'd like, please take a look, even just part of it! I hope it can become even a tiny hint for anyone feeling suffocated!"
June 9, 20251 yr Author *Machine translation, Japanese to English, inaccuracies exist* Paid Article [1] Yuzuru Hanyu – “The Discovery of the 2-6-2 Rule”[2] Yuzuru Hanyu, Professional Skater 2025/06/09 We now live in an era where both the information we seek and the information we don’t seek are easily visible. The internet has rapidly spread, and social media has made it so that anyone can share information. On the other hand, fake news overflows, and during disasters, misinformation spreads. Precisely because we can easily “connect,[3]” I think the world has become one where it’s hard to know what to trust. Spoiler When we feel “I don’t want to connect,” the root of the problem might not be the act of “connecting” itself, but “connecting too much.” Perhaps more and more people feel anxious, being swayed by information and others’ evaluations, and end up losing sight of themselves. That’s not a theme I’m unrelated to, either. This summer marks three full years since I became a professional skater. I truly feel that I’m taking on challenges in a world completely different from before. The 18 years I spent as a competitor were, in a sense, years of being elated or dejected by scores. The “quality” of a performance was determined by numerical scores that reflected technical elements like jumps and spins. But on the stage I stand on now, the judgment of good or bad is left to the values of the people watching. The “freedom” of not being bound by rules or scores further stirs my creative drive—but it also comes with fear. The content of evaluations has shifted from scores to people’s words and feelings, and I’ve come to ask myself more and more: “Am I really delivering something good?” “Am I meeting expectations?” One of the principles I arrived at through facing this anxiety is something called the “2-6-2 Rule.” Simply put, if you think of the people around you as ten parts, two of them [20%] will be people who understand and trust you deeply, six will be people who feel moderately positive toward you [60%] , and the remaining two will be people who don’t understand you at all [20%] . That’s how the distribution tends to go. It’s a rule I hold dear in my heart. From that perspective, my role becomes first to earn the trust of that two-tenths, and to deliver good performances to the six-tenths as well. Of course, if I let myself wish, I’d want to reach the remaining two-tenths, too. But even if it doesn’t reach them, by continuing to create something that I can be proud of—something that reaches eight-tenths—I’ve found that I can maintain my confidence. Similarly, when it comes to public opinion or slander on social media, if you’re properly doing the work of “knowing yourself,” and if you’re clear about what you want to do, then those things shouldn’t bother you that much. In this world where waves come and go in an instant, there’s no need to be shaken or to waver along with them.[4] If I have time to waver, I’ll use it instead to keep striving to create performances that can stir the hearts of those watching—that’s what I’ve resolved in my heart. Come to think of it, the means of “knowing yourself” aren’t necessarily lying around within your daily life. “The self” probably isn’t something you can find by shouldering everything alone and agonizing over it. In my case, I find myself when I immerse in music, dive into the world of a work, or encounter scenes in nature. Just as we can only see our own form through a mirror, I think we can only truly know our essence when it’s reflected through the mirror that is another person.[5] Once I’m connected to the world, have come to know myself, and can grasp what it is I want to express—then, when it comes time to think about a story or choreography, I deliberately cut off those connections and throw myself into the work. But as a performer, it’s meaningless if the work doesn’t reach people. So I keep checking, through repeated dialogue with my team, whether what we’ve created is truly something that communicates. There’s No Such Thing as a Special Person If many people today feel inside that they “don’t want to connect,” I feel that one of the reasons might be that people shown in the media seem to shine too much. But as someone who’s been featured in the media, what I think is this: there really is no such thing as a “special person.” I’m honestly just an ordinary person—I like games, and there are days when I spend all my time just watching gameplay videos. But what’s always shown are just the highlights of my life. The origin of my work as a performer lies in the Great East Japan Earthquake. When I visited disaster-stricken areas, what I was taught by the people there was this: behind the “thousands” or “tens of thousands” of lives reported in the news, each and every “1” carries the full weight of a life. Each person has their own story, and every life is equally precious. Even if something isn’t reported on, things like “winning two Olympic golds” or “attempting a quadruple Axel” truly exist in each person’s life. Lately, I’ve started to feel that the figure known as “Yuzuru Hanyu” is also a medium that reflects the thoughts and feelings of those who support me. I don’t think humans can live without connecting to others. If that’s the case, rather than reject connection, I want to cherish the version of myself I come to see through the connections I’ve made. And ultimately, I believe that will lead to not “over-connecting,” either. NOTES: [1] This is the monthly magazine Bungeishunjū, not the weekly Shukan Bunshun. Bungeishunjū is one of Japan’s most prestigious monthly magazines, founded in 1923 by writer Kan Kikuchi. It has a circulation of approximately 500,000–600,000 copies (as of recent estimates), making it an influential platform for intellectual and cultural discourse. Its readership includes politicians, business leaders, academics, and cultural figures, reflecting its status as a "serious" magazine for the educated elite. The magazine covers politics, economics, society, and culture, often featuring essays by prominent figures (e.g., former Prime Ministers, Nobel laureates, artists). It is known for its highbrow commentary, investigative journalism, and literary contributions (e.g., serialized novels by authors like Haruki Murakami). In terms of editorial line and readership, Bungeishunjū is like Harvard Review. The magazine doesn’t have Open Submissions, contributors are usually invited. Other people who have published there include Film director Hayao Miyazaki, musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. [2] Initially, the "2-6-2 Rule" is a concept that describes how people generally react to new information or changes in an organization, often seen as a bell-shaped curve. It suggests that 20% of people will be eager to learn, 60% will be fence-sitters, and the remaining 20% will be resistant. This rule has been used as a framework by educators, managers, or anyone implementing new ideas or processes. Interesting how Yuzuru turns this somehow statistical approach into an emotional coping tool (very Yuzu to fuse rationality and feeling). [3] Yuzuru uses “つながる” (and related words) to talk about connections. Interestingly, he chooses to use the hiragana version instead of the kanji (繋がる). Writing in hiragana gives a softer, more emotional or reflective nuance. In the article, Yuzuru is discussing emotional closeness, vulnerability, and human relationships. In a way, we could interpret that the use of hiragana makes these ideas feel warmer and more personal/approachable. [4] 「波があっという間に来て、あっという間に去っていくこの世界では、その波にブレる必要も揺らぐ必要もない。」 波 (nami): Yuzuru uses “waves” to describe the information environment — sudden, overwhelming, transient. 「ブレる必要も揺らぐ必要もない」: “No need to be shaken. No need to waver.” The repetition of similar verbs creates a quiet rhythm, suggesting calm in the face of external turbulence. Interesting choice in the context of Bunshung, as it’s the type of media that create those waves. For interpretation purpose, it seems as if Yuzuru were saying “Let them come. Let them go. I’m anchored (I know myself).” [5] 「自分の本質も、他者という鏡に映して初めて知ることができる」Reference to “mirror,” (鏡, kagami) which he has use many times before (him as a mirror, giving a role to those who see themselves reflected on him). Interesting that he is also including this in this article published in a magazine that once distorted his image. It’s like a soft call to see one another clearly.
June 9, 20251 yr Once again I bow in front of my King. His wisdom swept away my rage in defense of Him and made me increasingly proud of Him. We want to protect Him, but once again He protects us. Such a MAN.
October 24Oct 24 2026.02.12 Sotoku Gakuen, a private secondary school in Hiroshima, featured Yuzuru Hanyu's 2025 essay in its high school entrance examination. Subject: Japanese LanguagePassage 1: Yuzuru Hanyu - "Discovery of the 2-6-2 Rule"Source: https://www.sotoku.ed.jp/high/wp-content/themes/sotoku/files/high/admission/kakomon/r8/ippan/kokugo.pdfReiwa 8 (2026) Academic Year High School Entrance Examination Questions - Japanese LanguageInstructions for Examinees• Time: 45 minutes• Write all answers in the answer spaces provided on a separate answer sheet.• Where a word or character limit is specified, punctuation marks, quotation marks, and other symbols are also counted toward the limit.Part 1: Read the following passages I and II, and answer the questions that follow.Passage IWe live in an age in which both the information we seek and the information we do not seek easily catch our attention. The internet has spread rapidly, and anyone can now share information through social media (SNS). At the same time, fake news is overflowing, and during disasters, false rumors spread widely. I think we have entered a world in which it is difficult to know what to believe precisely because it is so easy to “connect” with others.When we feel that we “do not want to connect,” the root of the problem seems to lie less in “connecting” itself than in “connecting too much.” Perhaps more and more people are being tossed around by information and other people's judgments, developing anxiety about losing sight of who they really are. This is certainly a subject that concerns me, too.It has been three full years this summer since I became a professional skater. I feel that I am taking on challenges in a world completely different from the one I knew before. In a sense, the eighteen years I spent as a competitive skater were an era in which my emotions rose and fell with the scores. The “quality” of a performance was determined by scores reflecting technical elements such as jumps and spins. On the stage where I perform today, judgments about what is good or bad are left to the values of the people watching. This “freedom,” unconstrained by rules or scores, inspires me to create even more, but it also comes with a sense of fear. Evaluation is no longer expressed in scores; instead, it takes the form of the words and emotions of the audience. As a result, I find myself asking more and more questions such as, “Am I truly delivering something good?” and “Am I meeting people's expectations?”As I faced my anxieties, I arrived at one principle that has helped me: the “2–6–2 rule.” To put it simply, if the people around you are taken as a group of ten, the probability is distributed such that 20% are people who understand us and with whom we can build mutual trust, 60% are people who feel moderately positive toward us, and the remaining 20% are people with whom mutual understanding is completely impossible. This is a principle I hold dear in my heart.If so, my role is first to earn the trust of that 20% and to deliver good performances to the 60% as well. Of course, ideally, I would want to reach the remaining 20% too. However, even if my performances do not reach them, I have become able to maintain my confidence by continuing my activities in a way that allows me to take pride in having created something that reaches 80% of people.Criticism from society and abusive comments on social media should not bother us too much, provided that we have properly done the work of “knowing ourselves” and have a clear idea of what we want to do. In this world, where waves of public opinion arrive in an instant and disappear just as quickly, there is no need to be swayed or shaken by them. I have resolved in my heart that, rather than spending time being shaken myself, I will continue striving to deliver performances that move the hearts of those who watch me.I think that, surprisingly, the means of “knowing oneself” are not readily found within the sphere of our everyday lives. One probably does not discover the “self” simply by keeping one's troubles to oneself and worrying over them alone. In my case, I discover myself by engaging with music, getting lost in the world of a work, or encountering scenes of nature. Just as we can see our own appearance only through a mirror, I believe that we can come to know our true nature only by seeing it reflected in the mirror of others.Once I have connected with the world, come to know myself, and grasped what I want to express, I then cut off those connections and immerse myself completely when thinking about a story or choreography. However, as a performer, there is no meaning if what I express does not get across to others. My team and I repeatedly engage in dialogue to determine whether what we have created truly communicates what we want to convey.If many people today feel that they “do not want to connect,” I feel that one reason behind this may be that other people on the media appear too dazzling. However, as someone who has frequently been featured in the media, I have come to believe that no one is a special human being. I am truly an ordinary person. I like games, and there are even days when I spend all my time doing nothing but watching gameplay commentary videos. Yet what the media shows is always the highlights of my life.The Great East Japan Earthquake is at the root of my beginnings as a performer. As I travelled around the disaster-stricken areas, what the survivors taught me was the weight of the lives contained within each individual represented by the figures of several thousand or tens of thousands reported in the news. Every person has a story, and every life is equally precious. Even if they are never reported, “winning Olympic gold medals in consecutive Games” and “the quadruple Axel” certainly exist within each person's life.Recently, I have also come to feel that the person known as Yuzuru Hanyu is a medium through which the feelings of the people who support me are reflected. People probably cannot live without connecting with others. If that is the case, rather than rejecting connections, I want to cherish the version of myself that I have come to see through those connections. And ultimately, I believe that will lead to not “over-connecting,” either.(Yuzuru Hanyu, “A New Way of Life Without Connecting,” Bungeishunju, July 2025 issue)Question 1The underlined passage says, “This is certainly a subject that concerns me, too.” Choose the most appropriate explanation of why this subject concerns him from options A–D below, and answer with the corresponding letter.A. Because so many people evaluate him that it is impossible to accept every evaluation.B. Because his life up to now has been one in which he was evaluated by scores, he can evaluate himself only by scores.C. Because he cannot give performances that move people unless he listens to the evaluations of everyone watching.D. Because leaving the standards of evaluation to the values of those watching may lead him to lose sight of who he is.Question 2The underlined passage says, “a world completely different from the one I knew before.” Choose the most appropriate explanation of how it has changed from options A–D below, and answer with the corresponding letter.A. The standard of success has shifted from the originality of expression to skating technique.B. The nature of evaluation has changed from numerical scores to the words and emotions of the audience.C. What people believe in has changed from widespread information to individual judgment.D. Connections with other people have changed from relationships of trust to natural laws.Question 3The underlined passage refers to the “2-6-2 rule.” What does the writer believe will happen by valuing this rule? Choose the most appropriate explanation from options A–D below, and answer with the corresponding letter.A. By continuing to make efforts to reach the 20% of people with whom mutual understanding is impossible, he will eventually be able to understand them.B. He will become able to completely ignore the 20% of people with whom mutual understanding is impossible.C. He will become able to distinguish the 60% of people who feel moderately positive towards him from the 20% who regard him favourably.D. By being able to think that it is enough to create something that reaches 80% of people, he will be able to maintain his confidence.Question 4The underlined passage refers to “the means of ‘knowing oneself.’” The writer figuratively describes what one should use in order to “know oneself.” Extract that expression from the passage, using between five and ten Japanese characters.Question 5The underlined passage says, “‘Winning Olympic gold medals in consecutive Games’ and ‘the quadruple Axel’ certainly exist within each person's life.” What are “‘winning Olympic gold medals in consecutive Games’ and ‘the quadruple Axel’” concrete examples of? Extract eight Japanese characters from the passage.**Questions 6-8 refer to a different passage (Passage II)Question 9The following is a discussion that took place in class after the students read the two passages. Read the dialogue and answer the questions that follow.Dialogue Teacher: These two passages are excerpts from a feature in a well-known magazine titled “A New Way of Life Without Connecting.” They are presented as “Advice from 16 Extremely Busy People for Those Who Are Fed Up with ‘Instant Replies.’”Student A: It’s true that staying connected with other people can be quite mentally taxing. If replying instantly is this exhausting, there are times when I feel it might actually be better if social media didn’t exist at all.Student B: However, Hanyu seems to regard connections with other people as important, saying, “[a].” Kakuta also seems to suggest that connections with others cannot be ignored, even if not directly, when she says, “Sometimes I couldn’t resist and replied.”Student A: With that in mind, Hanyu adopts an approach in which he maintains his sense of self while accepting that there are people with whom he cannot understand one another at all. Kakuta, on the other hand, thinks that [b].Teacher: Precisely because we live in a convenient world where we can connect with anyone instantly, incorporating these two perspectives may indeed be valuable advice for us.(Q1) Extract a 22-character expression from Passage I that fits in blank [a]. Give the first five and last five characters of that expression.(Q2) What does Kakuta, the author of Passage II, say one should do to maintain a “way of life without connecting”? Write an expression of 30 Japanese characters or fewer that fits in blank [b], using the word ‘ふつう’.”
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