[2026] Notte Stellata 2026 + 15th Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

2026.03.18

Source: https://mainichi.jp/articles/20260317/k00/00m/050/081000c

(Pair Article)

 

The concept of "600 seconds" = Hitoshi Kurasawa

 

It had been about three and a half years since we last faced each other.

On the afternoon of March 10th, I found myself face-to-face with professional figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu (31). Ahead of the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, I conducted an individual interview with him in Sendai.

 

Spoiler

The moment I saw Hanyu standing by the window, I was enveloped in a level of tension that made my body stiffen, as it was a rare opportunity after such a long time.

 

Hanyu is an athlete who responds sincerely and thoroughly to whatever he is asked. Because of that, interviewing him also comes with its challenges.

 

The interview time with Hanyu was about 10 minutes. I have constantly struggled with how to use that time and how to structure the flow of questions.

 

After returning from the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics, whenever I had the chance, I would write down questions and erase them, write them down again and erase them again… repeating the process. I was doing the same thing even on the Shinkansen heading to Sendai. If you asked whether there is a correct answer, I think there probably isn’t.

 

The last individual interview had been in August 2022, when he first opened his practice to the media after turning professional. At that time, the interview lasted 300 seconds. Within that limited time, I clearly remember both Hanyu and myself exchanging questions and answers in rapid succession.

 

Although the allotted time had increased compared to back then, the flow could still change depending on Hanyu’s responses. After running through many simulations in my mind, I sat down in front of him.

 

Despite having just finished his "notte stellata" performance (7th-9th) in his hometown of Miyagi, Hanyu showed no signs of fatigue and wore a calm expression.

 

“Whether it’s the earthquake or ‘3.11,’ even for me personally, both during my competitive years and now as a professional, honestly, the kind of feelings I want to convey and the core of it haven't changed at all.”

 

He spoke at length, in his own words, about the 15 years since the disaster and his thoughts toward the affected regions. It reaffirmed the “unchanging” sentiment at his core.

 

At the same time, I asked him about something that had been on my mind. Since turning professional, I had the impression that his way of perceiving the “pain” and “wounds” he carries within himself might have changed.

 

Hanyu responded, “Ah… that may have changed a bit, actually. That’s true.” He then continued:

 

“Up until now, I think I had kind of ignored them, or put a lid on them, feeling like my personal matters didn’t really matter, that I should just leave them behind. More than that, I believed the most important thing was to skate for someone else, to keep burning something like my own emotions and soul for others. I’ve been pushing forward with that image all along.”

 

“But…,” he continued.

 

“I’ve gradually come to feel, little by little as I’ve grown older, that it's possible to acknowledge things like, ‘I’ve been through something painful,’ or ‘I have these wounds,’ while also caring for them, and at the same time pushing forward with everything I’ve got.”

 

Because he has come to be able to “balance both,” his approach to notte stellata, which he had described as something he “carried entirely on his own” during its first year, has also changed.

 

Having covered the event on-site every year, I finally understood why the sense of “hope” seemed to have grown stronger with each passing year.

 

“That was very concise. How much thought did you put into preparing those questions?”

 

After finishing the last question for the shoot, Hanyu said that with a smile.

 

There were still things I wanted to ask. Things I wanted to explore further...

 

Even so, as I brought that one-of-a-kind “600 seconds” to a close, I also felt a sense of relief at hearing those words from the person I had interviewed.

 

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

2026.03.17

 

Source: https://mainichi.jp/articles/20260316/k00/00m/050/309000c

(Paid article)

 

Exclusive interview with Yuzuru Hanyu: Unchanging feelings 15 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake

 

　Yuzuru Hanyu (31), a professional figure skater from Sendai who won two consecutive Olympic gold medals in men's figure skating, gave an exclusive interview to the Mainichi Shimbun on the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. “As for what I want to convey, the core of it hasn’t changed,” he said, reflecting on the affected regions. He also spoke about changes he has felt through his ice show Notte Stellata, now in its fourth year. He also discussed his future role and mentioned younger skaters who performed at the Milano–Cortina Winter Olympics: men’s skater Shun Sato (Aim Services / Meiji University) and women’s skater Mone Chiba (Kinoshita Group). Below is the full exchange. (Interview conducted March 10. Interviewer: Hitoshi Kurasawa)

 

Spoiler

“It’s okay to just say ‘do your best’”

 

— Thank you for your efforts with ‘Notte Stellata’ again this year.

 

◆ Thank you very much.

 

—You spoke on media day (the 7th) about your thoughts on the 15th anniversary of the disaster. Five years ago, at the 10-year mark, you released a message that included the words “Please do your best.” Now that another five years have passed and your position has changed, what message would you give now?

 

◆ That’s difficult… yeah. But it hasn’t changed, basically. Whether it’s the disaster, or “3.11,” regardless of whether I was a competitive athlete or now a professional, honestly, the kind of feeling I want to convey, and what lies at its core, hasn’t changed at all. So I don’t really think of myself as giving something through my performances, or delivering something like “this is how it is”… Rather, when people watch my skating, or when they see or hear my words, if their hearts are moved even just a little in that moment, I think that’s enough. That’s the kind of belief I hold. So… what would it be? Maybe it’s okay for it to remain simply, “Do your best.”

 

—Five years ago, it was also memorable that you ended with “I will do my best too.”

 

◆ I’m doing my best too (laughs). To the me from five years ago, I’m doing my best too!

I don’t think my feelings have really changed all that much.

 

"I realized that it's possible to balance both"

 

—Not only in “Notte Stellata,” but also in “ICE STORY,” which you produce after turning professional, themes like pain and wounds have been present. Has your own sense of loss or emptiness changed over time?

 

◆ Ah… that might have changed a bit, actually. Before, I guess I left those things alone, or put a lid on them, and that my own personal matters didn’t really matter. I thought I'd just leave them behind. More than that, I believed the most important thing was skating for someone else, and continuing to burn something like the flame of my emotions and my soul for someone else. So I kept pushing forward with that image. But now, little by little, as I've grown up, I've come to realize that acknowledging the painful things I've been through, the wounds I have, and caring for them while still charging ahead, can coexist.

 

—Is that something that’s come with doing more performances?

 

◆ Also through actually writing my own stories and creating my own choreography. I think that’s been a big part of it.

 

—With “Notte Stellata,” as you’ve gone through more performances since the first year, it feels like the brighter element of hope has been growing stronger year by year. Is that something you’ve been consciously shaping?

 

◆ I was conscious of it in the second and third years. But this year, my sense of trust in my teammates has become really strong. The skaters who perform, and the special guests as well, have all been feeling more and more strongly about the disaster with each passing year, and I’ve come to feel that I don’t have to carry everything on my own anymore. That’s been a big part of it, I think. 

 

In the first year, I was really carrying “Notte Stellata” all by myself, completely taking it on, and with “3.11” too, I felt like I had to bear it all myself and convey something, so I approached it with a very strong sense of responsibility. Even now, I still carry that with me, but this time especially, I really felt that I have teammates who can share that burden with me.

 

“Continuing to stay connected”

 

—Even during your competitive years, you carried the weight of disaster-stricken areas on your shoulders. Now that you’re a professional, have you developed your own way of engaging with them?

 

◆Honestly… I don’t really know. Right now, I feel like this is the answer I have for myself, and of course I’m still searching. But as the phrase “it hasn’t really changed” suggests, I’ve basically continued with the same sense all along. Still, you never know what might happen in life. So I think I’ll keep searching, depending on the moment, for what form support should take, how to convey my feelings, and what kind of opportunities or connections can be created.

 

—Including the areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake (2024), you’ve been exploring ways to support various disasters, and it feels like your scope as a professional has definitely expanded, hasn’t it?

 

◆ Yeah, that’s true. But speaking from my own perspective, whether it’s the Noto earthquake, the West Japan floods in 2018, or the forest fires in Ofunato in 2025, when I look at them, it really all comes back to the major disaster of “3.11.” And because of that, there’s no doubt that what was learned from it, and what has been passed on since, has helped reduce damage.

 

And if you trace it back even further, there were things like the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and in Miyagi Prefecture, earthquakes off the Miyagi coast, and the Chile tsunami, among others. Honestly, they’re from generations I don’t really know, and some even go back to the Meiji era, so I don’t fully understand them. But still, because those things happened, you get things like disaster-prevention ordinances in a city like Sendai. I think all of that is connected.

 

So yes, my scope has definitely expanded, and I’ve started thinking not just about earthquakes but also heavy rain and all kinds of disasters. But at the same time, it all feels connected. From “3.11,” it’s like everything has continued to connect, thinking about actions to protect lives, actions to protect different things, and ways of cherishing what matters. It feels like all of us have been thinking about these things together and continuing to carry them forward.

 

“I’ll definitely get better”

 

—In your new program “Happy End,” there were contemporary dance elements, and it seemed like you were exploring new possibilities as a performer.

 

◆ It’s not like I want to become a dancer. So when I dance on ice, of course I do end up being influenced quite a bit by dance movements. But then, for example in “Happy End,” I mix in spins, or that sense of speed you can only get from skating, the way you use your body, the speed of rotation, even how the air moves, those are probably things you can only really do on ice. And I think what matters more is expressing what I want to express while incorporating all of that. It’s not about breaking new ground in figure skating or being avant-garde. It’s not just about calling it contemporary, but about asking, “What do I want to express?” I think the most important thing is, “When I tried to express that through figure skating, this is the form it took.”

 

To do that, I feel like I’ve learned a lot of the necessary techniques, including during this maintenance period (since last summer). And I think there are still a lot of things I haven’t brought out yet. There’s still so much I need to learn, and so much I need to keep refining. So I want to keep using figure skating to convey my feelings, what I want to express, and the wishes and prayers I hope will reach people.

 

—You mentioned “techniques without a basis” and “practice without a basis” as insights from your maintenance period. During that time, did you also gain a sense of confidence or conviction in what you’ve been doing?

 

◆Ah, yes, definitely. I feel like I’m kind of in the middle of taking a long detour right now. In the end, I’m building up my knowledge from a zero base, bit by bit, while exploring things like, “this might work in figure skating,” or, for example, “maybe this kind of technique from dance is actually used here in skating too,” and as I try things out, I sometimes realize, “oh, I was already doing this.” That kind of thing does happen.

 

But the problem is that I’ve been continuing like that, with things like “I'm doing this,” or “I was able to do that,” or “this is one of my characteristics,” without any real basis, and without being under my control. I believe that if I can control my own characteristics and strengths, or conversely, my weaknesses and flaws, I can definitely do things better and really command them. I think it would be great if I could continue to value that and pursue it further.

 

To the two juniors who competed at the Olympics

 

—Your juniors from Sendai, who have long admired your unwavering dedication, competed in the Olympics this time. Sato won a bronze medal, and Chiba finished in fourth place. How did you feel about seeing your juniors succeed at the Olympics, a stage you once competed on yourself?

 

◆ Well, I’m really happy they’ve been working hard, or rather, it’s like a parent’s feeling (laughs). Especially with these two, I’ve known them since they were very little. I’ve seen them working hard all this time, and also when they were still wobbly on the ice. It really makes me realize how much time has passed, and I feel deeply moved.

 

For Shun, I think he probably experienced both moments of joy and moments where he was hit with the realization, ‘this is the extent of my ability right now.’ Watching the team event, the free skate, and his interviews, that’s what I felt.

 

As for Mone as well, I think she must have felt both the frustration of thinking, “this is my level,” and the frustration of not being able to win, of wanting a medal but not quite being able to take it even though it was right there. I think both of them have now gained new experiences that will help them grow even further. After that, it’s up to them whether they can use those as fuel or not. Whether they can do it is entirely up to them. I also want to keep watching over them for a long, long time. Honestly, I’m not the type to instruct others or to say things like, ‘just watch my back,’ or anything like that…

 

—The juniors are all looking up to you.

 

◆ I’m fine with people watching me however they like (laughs). If they have time to be thinking about things like that, I just think they should use that time to get better. So for me, I just keep improving myself in my own way. But their growth is their own, and I want to keep going while really looking forward to seeing how they develop.

 

 

 

Yuzuru Hanyu

Born in Sendai. He achieved back-to-back Olympic victories at the 2014 Sochi and 2018 PyeongChang Games, the first time in 66 years this was accomplished in men’s figure skating. He was also the first Japanese athlete to win consecutive Olympic titles in an individual event at the Winter Olympics, earning him the People’s Honor Award.

 

In 2020, he won the Four Continents Championships for the first time, becoming the first men’s skater to complete the “Super Slam,” winning all major international titles: the Olympics, World Championships, Grand Prix Final, World Junior Championships, and Junior Grand Prix Final.

 

In 2016, he became the first in the world to successfully land a quadruple loop. At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where he placed fourth, he attempted the first quadruple Axel in Olympic history. He turned professional in the summer of 2022 and has since performed in numerous ice shows, including the first-ever solo performance at Tokyo Dome in skating history.

 

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

2026.03.07

 

Source: Notte Stellata 2026 Official Pamphlet

 

Yuzuru Hanyu 2025>>26 - Special contribution to "notte stellata 2026" by Megumi Takagi (Hochi Shimbun)

 

“A dance of the soul.” It’s a phrase often used, but when it comes to Yuzuru Hanyu, it is neither metaphor nor exaggeration. It is the very phenomenon that undeniably occurs on the ice. His body moves across the rink, changing colors from red to blue to orange. The sound of blades carving ice, the rhythm of breath, the tremor at his fingertips. The audience find themselves present at the very moment his soul rises on the ice.

 

Spoiler

In July 2022, Hanyu announced his transition to professional skating. He raised the bar for himself and moved onto a new stage of expression that transcends scores and wins or losses. Music selection, costumes, choreography, lighting, every element carries meaning. Beneath his fluid, beautiful movements, there are moments when glimpses of the pain, loneliness, and inner conflict he has carried in the past quietly surface. Holding and accepting them, he continues to move forward with the will to step into the future.

 

Carrying his hopes for the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, the ice show “Yuzuru Hanyu notte stellata,” held in Miyagi, will mark its fourth edition in 2026. Last year, Hanyu spoke candidly about how his approach to “Yuzuru Hanyu notte stellata” has evolved.

 

“In the first year, I felt like I was carrying it as a weight. In terms of what it means to be close to it, I approached it in a way that was close to sorrow. But in the second year, precisely because I felt I could be close to that sorrow, I thought I had to be the one smiling, and I pushed myself to do so.” By the third time, it seems he had progressed to a stage of drawing close to the soul itself, a stage of prayer. The emotions that arose while performing “MANSAI Boléro” with kyogen performer Mansai Nomura played a major role. “By the third year, it was almost like a sacred rite. I became much stronger in terms of connecting with the soul and with prayer.”

 

Once a year, companions who share the same aspirations gather. At the rehearsal venue, voices of joy at reuniting and warm embraces mingle. As the show’s lead, Hanyu demonstrates strong leadership. “A precious show where I can skate alongside people who truly give their all to skating.” As his words suggest, from rehearsals onward they share a sense of resolve, coming together with the same spirit.

 

In 2025, his collaboration with Mansai came to fruition. A performer who has continuously inherited and carried forward Japan’s traditional arts at the forefront. Hanyu’s free program “SEIMEI,” performed at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics where he achieved back-to-back gold medals, used music from the film “Onmyoji,” in which Mansai starred. The two had met once before in 2015. Ten years have passed since then. Hanyu, now having accumulated countless experiences as both a competitor and an artist, stood on the same stage as Mansai. From the rehearsals onward, it was a serious, no-holds-barred exchange. With Mansai portraying Abe no Seimei and Hanyu taking on the role of a shikigami under his control, they refined their performance together through dialogue and exchange of ideas.

 

The second half of the show began with Hanyu’s six-minute warm-up, followed immediately by “SEIMEI.” He landed a quadruple Salchow and a quadruple toe loop, completing a new version of “SEIMEI” while successfully executing these high-difficulty jumps. After the opening day’s performance, Hanyu revealed, “I was extremely nervous. I felt a kind of presence, almost like a sense of dignity behind me, and with the pressure that I absolutely couldn’t make a mistake, I skated with the kind of tension I’d normally feel at the Olympics.” It was the resolve to face, head-on, the person he had long admired. Pouring in all his physical and mental strength, never letting his focus waver for even a moment, he skated through with wishes and prayers. Mansai spoke of Hanyu with a sense of admiration, saying, “He truly has a deep understanding of the world of Onmyoji. He even remembers things that I myself had forgotten.”

 

The climax of the first half was “MANSAI Boléro,” which Mansai first premiered at the Setagaya Public Theatre in 2011, the year of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Centered on Ravel’s dance music and the kyōgen piece “Sanbasō,” the work carries themes of “mourning” and “rebirth.” Because it was performed in a place where many victims of the disaster had been laid to rest, its meaning resonated all the more deeply and powerfully. Mansai danced on a specially constructed stage at the center of the rink, surrounded by six skaters gliding on the ice. Kyōgen and figure skating, the two forms of expression blended together.

 

Hanyu handled his own direction, while the six skaters’ parts were choreographed by world-renowned choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne-Turok. The first time all of them skated together on the rink was just two days before opening night. The choreography evolved day by day, with refinements continuing right up until the final moments. Aiming to create “a skating performance and show structure worthy of accepting the presence that is Mansai Nomura,” they completed the work without compromise. The final pair’s jumps, symbolizing "soaring from death to the next life," left a lasting impression. Living human beings performing with all their might, and those watching coming to feel a sense of “life” itself. Sharing emotion within the same space. Together with Mansai, they conveyed the preciousness of life. Mansai reflected, “A magnificent show in which will, ideas, and the drive that go beyond skating are truly condensed.”

 

The words Hanyu spoke to the audience during the second day’s finale capture the essence of this show: “Even if it’s just a little, I hope you can become so happy that you can share joyful and happy memories with those who are suffering right now. I wish this circle of happiness will spread throughout Japan and across the world.” He hoped that each person's small happiness would eventually form a large circle and gently spread throughout the world. The sight of Hanyu on the rink, pressing his hands together in prayer and embracing his fellow performers, was hope itself.

 

July 2025. For his fourth year as a professional, he described his aspiration as “a continuation of a continuation.”

“My ideal vision is constantly changing. It’s not about whether I can achieve it or not, but rather about what kind of vision I’m creating. Since I’m at that point now, simply reaching out may not mean much. But when I unexpectedly reach out and something, something like my ideal, happens to touch my hand, I want to be able to properly grasp it. I think it’s precisely because I’ve spent my life as an athlete, constantly working to grasp something in that way, that I’ve become this kind of accumulation of thought that is Yuzuru Hanyu.”

 

Three years have passed since he turned professional. The spirit at his core remains unchanged. He continues to push himself to the limit and skate from the soul. That stance is unmistakably still that of an athlete. In August, he announced on his X account that he would take a maintenance period “to further evolve.” He went on to say, “So that everyone can truly feel, ‘That was great!’—and even more than that. Aiming for around next spring, I will study a lot, work on physical conditioning, and continue to push myself further, so please look forward to it!” He concluded with the words, “I will give my all in the time called ‘now,’ for the sake of a ‘future’ that is still unseen.”

 

To keep skating, to keep delivering. This was a forward-looking decision for the future. His passion to become stronger and better remains unwavering. Although it may seem like he is constantly giving, Hanyu says, “In fact, there are more moments when I’m the one receiving.” The voices of fans, the feelings of his fellow performers. He receives these and gives back. Within that cycle, Hanyu continues to perform. His return after almost a year's absence begins here in Miyagi, accompanied by prayer. Fifteen years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake. As the show’s lead, he will once again skate with his whole soul this year. Yuzuru Hanyu’s performance continues to move beyond the “continuation” and toward what lies ahead. (End)