General Yuzuru Chat

[wingman]

But you see, the problem is he's not in Toronto to go out. He's there to train. He had the opportunity to do all the touristy stuff ages ago, and he didn't. Can't see why he would do that now. 

Still, I hope that he can continue being somehow anonymous in Toronto and get some peace. 

[GraceAndPower]

1 hour ago, wingman said:

He had the opportunity to do all the touristy stuff ages ago, and he didn't.

 

That's exactly it. If he wanted to, he could: just stick him in a face mask and baseball cap, and he's invisible! I imagine that's how he travels undetected all the time. Don't we call him a ninja?

He can do those things. He just has no interest in doing them. There's no need to be making excuses for him, he himself is completely unapologetic about it. From the ESPN article:

 

Quote

in six years of living in Toronto, Hanyu has never been downtown or to nearby Niagara Falls, he told Japanese television ahead of the Olympics.

About that quote, personally 1) I don't understand how it's even possible that he's never been to downtown Toronto, I would hope that's hyperbole, but who knows... 2) And I understand even less why he would volunteer that information, which makes him look, at best, odd.

 

I know this'll be an unpopular opinion. I'll go hide now!

[Fay]

I’ve lived in Moscow for over 18 years. There are parts I’ve never been to...

[Neenah]

16 minutes ago, GraceAndPower said:

 

That's exactly it. If he wanted to, he could: just stick him in a face mask and baseball cap, and he's invisible! I imagine that's how he travels undetected all the time. Don't we call him a ninja?

He can do those things. He just has no interest in doing them. There's no need to be making excuses for him, he himself is completely unapologetic about it. From the ESPN article:

 

About that quote, personally 1) I don't understand how it's even possible that he's never been to downtown Toronto, I would hope that's hyperbole, but who knows... 2) And I understand even less why he would volunteer that information, which makes him look, at best, odd.

 

I know this'll be an unpopular opinion. I'll go hide now!

If he is odd then I am odd to. I find it very normal because I live the same way, and like Yuzu, I have been criticized to death because of it. People (my mother included) have been lecturing me about going out and doing things ( stuff they like to do) because they can't accept that I am perfectly happy the way I live and don't really care 

 

Basically everyone is thinking of their own interests and apply it to Yuzuru. They think that he must be missing something important because they would feel that way if they were in his place. This is understandable behaviour because we usually judge things based on our own experiences, but I sure hope he won't be nagged about it because it is certainly annoying to be constantly told how you are living wrong and what you should do to be happy (as if you can't decide that for yourself )

 

[GraceAndPower]

39 minutes ago, Fay said:

I’ve lived in Moscow for over 18 years. There are parts I’ve never been to...

 

I imagine you've been to the city centre, though. I doubt there's anyone on this forum who's lived somewhere for six years and has never been to the city centre...
For it to be true, he'd have to not be curious about it at all, let his mom buy all his clothes, buy all his tech gadgets when he's in Japan, get his mom's birthday presents from the internet, decline all invitations, including more "formal" ones like maybe TCC Christmas parties, or meals at restaurants with JSF type people when they're in town... I don't see how that's possible. He's probably been, honestly. How could he not have been?!

 

ETA:

15 minutes ago, Neenah said:

If he is odd then I am odd to. I find it very normal because I live the same way, and like Yuzu, I have been criticized to death because of it. People (my mother included) have been lecturing me about going out and doing things ( stuff they like to do) because they can't accept that I am perfectly happy the way I live and don't really care 

 

Basically everyone is thinking of their own interests and apply it to Yuzuru. They think that he must be missing something important because they would feel that way if they were in his place. This is understandable behaviour because we usually judge things based on our own experiences, but I sure hope he won't be nagged about it because it is certainly annoying to be constantly told how you are living wrong and what you should do to be happy (as if you can't decide that for yourself )

 

 

I can relate, I'm an introvert, don't go out that much, do focus on my work too much and get criticized for it by the people in my life as well! But I can recognize that by most standards, I *am* odd.

 

It's just, in that particular case, it seems a bit extreme not to know your own city at all, like I explained in my answer to Fay. I know he has people who do a lot of things for him, but still, I doubt he's never set foot downtown, even if it wasn't "for fun"... He probably had to go to the Japanese consulate himself, for example? I just don't understand how it would be possible!

 

My comments also come from a place of worry, I guess. I hope he'll let more stuff in his life at some point, and that he won't regret doing it - relatively - late...

[Fay]

1 minute ago, GraceAndPower said:

 

I imagine you've been to the city centre, though. I doubt there's anyone on this forum who's lived somewhere for six years and has never been to the city centre...
For it to be true, he'd have to not be curious about it at all, let him mom buy all his clothes, buy all his tech gadgets when he's in Japan, get his mom's birthday presents from the internet, decline all invitations, including more "formal" ones like maybe TCC Christmas parties, or meals at restaurants with JSF type people when they're in town... I don't see how that's possible. He's probably been, honestly. How could he not have been?!

Well, it’s pretty hard to avoid the centre of Moscow unless your work is on your doorstep. But if it were... I’d avoid that hassle and the crowds for as long as I could. 

Toronto is a workplace for Yuzu, that’s clear. So he seems to prefer to keep it that way. 

[Yatagarasu]

If Yuzuru had wanted to go to downtown Toronto, a baseball game, Niagara Falls, or wherever in Canada, he would have gone by now. I am sure he does the things he wants to and if it is learning every corner of Canada or reading, studying, listening to music in his flat, then it's all good. It's his life and he should make himself happy.

 

Don't think it's odd if he doesn't go, just because the majority of people desire to do these things. Conforming to social pressure to do the "normal" things, when your own normal is something else would suck to high heaven.

Live your best life Yuzuru. Even if you never see downtown Toronto. 

[Old Cat Lady]

Personally, one of my favorite things about Yuzuru is that he's a bit eccentric - actually, a lot of the things he gets criticized for are my favorite things about him.

 

I think it's believable that he's never gone downtown.  I can be more of a hermit than he is and generally get bored going out by myself so if a friend doesn't convince me to go, I don't (and even when they try, they usually fail even if it's something I like doing.  I lived in a town for many years without really seeing anything and when I finally did, it was because a boyfriend wanted to go.  I find my hermit tendencies get exponentially more powerful when I'm immersed in something that I'm interested in - my friends are currently complaining about me not drinking with them for many months(apparently it was a big topic of discussion at the most recent social event).   I was obsessed with a game for several months then saw Yuzu at the Olympics.  I haven't really socialized with anyone other than my boyfriend except for game nights at my house, work, and my friend's birthday (and only because it was his birthday).  And when I went to New York, I had no interest in seeing the Statue of Liberty or any of the other tourist traps - I find a lot of these things are a big hassle to get to and are underwhelming when you get there.  

 

Between the fact that he said he has no close friends in Toronto, has never dated anyone, has said he's always been uncomfortable in public settings, likes to do indoor activities, seems to get a lot of social interaction in his workplace (i.e. TCC, galas, commercials, interviews, etc.), and his all consuming passion for skating, it's not all that surprising to me that he doesn't really get out much.

[MrPudding]

 

[Sombreuil]

 

It isn't compulsory to do these social things and if he doesn't choose to, why should he?  Everyone I know in their early 20s does exactly what they enjoy, from the hermit to the social butterfly with no space in their schedule.  I really don't see why he should give up any details at all about how he likes to relax and I certainly don't think the bits he does let out should be the focus for fans to 'encourage ' him to sightsee or go to games or do any 'social' thing unless he wants to.

He has his own life - he knows how he wants to spend his downtime. Let him have it.

[valkyrie]

to be honest, as a person who isolated themselves heavily in the past and in retrospect wishes that someone had insisted that i get out and experience things so that i wouldn’t have had to deal with the mental/emotional consequences, i do kind of worry about yuzuru when he talks about never going out and pretty much having nothing social but skating going on in his life. i struggled a lot with admitting that i was unhappy because it seemed so normal to me, so i’m cautious about implying that everyone who acts like a hermit just needs to be left to their own devices because they know what’s best for themselves. obviously i’m just projecting though... and it’s not like i’m a two time olympic champion either, lol. i just have to hope that he’s genuinely content.

[Whee1000]

My casual thought: He knows he’s got a rabid fan base, so if he’s says he goes nowhere then people aren’t trying to find him. I bet if he said he liked a particular pastry there would be people trying to research what shop sold them, the opening hours, the bus routes from his practice site to each shop, etc.  I don’t think he’d like that, he’s not  a Kardashian.   

 

 

 

[Sombreuil]

We all hope he's genuinely content.  But it isn't our business to make sure that it is so. Do you think that on top of everyone watching his every move on the ice, in press conferences, CMs, interviews, charity events etc etc he really needs/ wants his fans to start querying how he spends his leisure time - it's not our business. 

[PapiandPooh422]

Well, he also expressed that he wants to visit some places like the castle in Kanazawa and the famous "Pooh Forest" in England so maybe it's not really a case of he doesn't want to go out but other factors making it difficult for him to go out such as time and security constraints. And he recommends some tourists attractions in Sendai every now and then and maybe he has already been there that's why he recommends it. So, yeah, maybe it's more of a choice of avoiding to go out and not that he doesn't really have an interest to visit places. And it's true that his team can pull some strings to make his visits in the places he mentions possible but he has the personality of not wanting to inconvenience others so maybe that's another factor. 

[Sombreuil]

Let me be brutal - I think he knows he has the rest of his life to visit those places/ go to a game etcetc but only a few years in which he can do what he hopes to on the ice in competition.  So he's focused on that and at 23 I'd say it's his choice.