Ryuju Hino

[surimi]

Thanks a lot for letting us know what the interview is about!
Ryuju is such a polite and supportive senpai, it makes me happy to read of how he encouraged Mori and Kajita. I see most of the LOL's in the conversation are Ryuju's, which doesn't surprise me in the least ^ ^
Out of curiosity, when he says '[I wanted to learn from others] as everybody has their strengths', is there actually a possessive pronoun there in the original version, or is it something vague like 'jibun'?

 

[rRainbow]

Out of curiosity, when he says '[I wanted to learn from others] as everybody has their strengths', is there actually a possessive pronoun there in the original version, or is it something vague like 'jibun'?

He said "周りをちゃんと見てみんな良いところがあるからそれを見て学びたい。みんながみんなどっか突出したところがあるから。” which means "I wanted to watch closely the skaters around me to find their good points and learn by watching them. Each skater has his forte." Ryuju didn't think it's a good idea to give advice from a superior position. Rather, he wanted to give advice to his kohai as their peer who was also learning from them.

Does this answer your question, surimi?

 

[rRainbow]

https://youtu.be/LVXUvVgBF_Q?t=767
12:47
R: I watched Kajiken (Kento) at the Nationals on YouTube and noticed he had only a few crossovers.
M: True.
R: I thought, “How can he do that?”
M: Even now I still think he was incredible.
R&M: [looking at Kento] Was he good, or what?
M: When I watch him skate at the Nationals on the video, I’m reminded how skillful he was.
R: [making a semi circular motion with his hand] Every time you glided away from the corner, your crossover count was one time fewer (than others). When I thought he would do three, he only did two.
K: Ahhh, I never thought about it.
R: After gliding like that he then launched a jump, and his jump, taking advantage of his skating skills, especially his loop jump was so big.
M: Agree.
R: The distance was big.
K: I was jumping like a long jump on land.
M: His jump was awesome when he nailed it.
R: I assumed he hated morning practice.
K: Yep, yep. (LOL)
M: He was that kind of skater? (LOL)
R: He is that kind. (LOL) His jumps were high and wide, so his clean jumps were gorgeous, and these types of skaters tend to hate morning practice.
M: I see.
R: They have a fear of jumping in the morning practice.
K: You understand very well.
R: You were like, “What? Am I supposed to jump?” (LOL) in the morning.
K: There were times I couldn’t hit jumps at all (in the morning). I lost control of my jumps.
R: After morning practice, you were able to control your body better in the evening practice.
K: I’d rather skip morning practice. I would have preferred evening practice only. (LOL)
M: You sound like you simply didn’t like to practice. (LOL)
K: I was afraid that the more I practiced in the morning, the more tired and in worse shape I became.
R: So you went to the morning practice just to gain experience. (LOL)
M: I totally get it. (LOL) I wish they had given us a stamp on a card proving we were there. (LOL)
R: Going to the morning practice was like a part time job we were required to work.
M: It sure was tiring!
14:39
R: After moving to West Japan I realized that practicing a lot doesn’t always lead to a lot of improvement.
K: I changed my home rink to Fushimi (in Kyoto) from Citizen (in Tokyo) because I was in the third year of middle school at that time and in my childish stupid mind I figured I could practice more hours in Fushimi. But I came to realize that it didn’t really matter how much time I spent on ice.
R: Right. You don’t need to practice long hours.
K: If your practice is high quality, that’s okay.
R: Rather, short, quality practice may be better.
K: Even more so, after you become a college student.
M: We were maturing when we were in college.
R: The last year in college was when I felt strongly that I was able to strike the best balance between off-ice and on-ice in my skating life. I didn’t strain myself. I was in a favorable skating environment, so I was able to practice a lot. In that situation some skaters might have had a hard time managing off-ice activities. I tried to practice for a reasonable amount of time, but when a reserved time slot was over and another time slot opened, I wondered if I should have stayed on the rink or not.
K: I absolutely know how you felt. It was a bad idea to stay.
R: Yeah, bad judgement, indeed. You were better off going home.
K: You had to skate at your own pace.
M: In our generation, we were unable to skate exclusively. We were supported by people around us so that we could study in college as well. In high school we were student athletes and we had to go to school to study. When we practiced too hard we got worn out mentally and physically, affecting school life. So we had to learn how to juggle the two. It was hard to balance skating and study.
R: If you find a good balance, your skating will be better.
M&K: That’s so true..
R: Some skaters managed both very well.
M: There are many in East (Japan), for example, Jun (Suzuki) and Hiroaki (Sato). They were the smartest and the best skaters as well among us. In a way they showed us we needed to use our brains to skate.
R: They did well because they followed the logic of skating and practiced after performing self-analysis.
K: They had time management skills. They stayed focused and organized and allocated their time to skating and studying optimally. They knew how to set priorities. If you keep practicing long hours just because you have time, you will end up too tired to do anything else.
R: But these two skaters were successful in both skating and academia. They made sure they would be fine one way or the other. In the past I had a hard time deciding whether to practice some more when the next reserved slot was available.
K: I know.
R: Most of the time I stayed and skated some more, but I now think I would have been better off going home. (LOL)
K: I felt pressure to conform. I was afraid of others looking at me like “Huh? How come you’re the only one not staying?”
R: Now I would be able to argue against staying in that situation.
K: True.
R: I would say, “Why are you guys still skating?” The idea that “The more you get tired, the better,” is not right.
K: Of course, if you are building stamina or pushing yourself to get prepared for the upcoming competition, it’s necessary at times though.
R: Sometimes.
K: But it doesn’t work all the time.
R: In terms of motivation, overtraining makes you feel down. When you feel you’ve trained enough for the day, you should go home. Take a bath and take time to recover from fatigue. That works better for you because your energy is restored for the next day.
M: Good point.
R: These days the difficulty levels of skating techniques have gone up. Technical rules are getting harder for skaters to meet the guidelines and I’m worried about injuries. I hope everybody is careful not to get injured.
K: If I had known what I know now when I was in elementary and middle school, I would have done much better. But I’ve become what I am, having drawn on many past experiences.
R: Hindsight is 20/20, so that’s why it’s interesting to reflect on ourselves in the past.
K: The same applies to other situations.
M: Our past experiences are valuable at work as well.
R: You have to get fresh air and relax at times.
K: You have to plan for your next career.
R: There were times when I only focused on skating, but now I think I should have done differently.
M&K: [nodding] Yeah.
M: In retrospect, that was a bad idea.
K: Skaters tend to push themselves hard, because they believe that they have no other choice but to skate.
R: That’s why they often force themselves to work hard.
K: But that’s not true at all.
R: No, not at all.
K: They might say, “Without skating, I’m nothing,” but it’s a complete misunderstanding.
R: Their behavior simply puts themselves in a box. Having a hobby is good, and anything is fine. Just do something else. It’s okay to spend a day doing nothing.
M&K: Yeah [nodding]
R: They may come up with some fresh ideas.
K: We would like to invite Fey-kun as our guest again in our next show, and we want to talk about his favorite programs and skaters.

- End

 

[surimi]

Thanks for the rest of the translation! I hope these three can impart their knowledge on young skaters. The thing they mention about balance between skating and non-skating life makes a lot of sense.

About the language question, sorry to have hijacked Ryuju's thread like that - I was simply interested to see if there was a pronoun for 'their strengths' as it's well-known that Japanese avoids personal pronouns. And it didn't disappoint

 

[rRainbow]

Ryuju's interview: https://jisin.jp/sport/1986769/ (June 4)

-The retired skater talks about his skating life reflecting on the days he spent with Yuzuru Hanyu who was of the same age group.

“I ended my skating career without experiencing the moment when I felt I had done enough. But as an athlete, as a skater I felt fortunate to be able to finish my career when I felt like I could still keep going. I don’t think Yuzu will be 100% satisfied when he retires someday, either,” said Ryuju Hino senshu (26) who retired from figure skating in March this year. He is the same age as Yuzuru Hanyu (26), and together with Keiji Tanaka senshu (26) the three skaters had been rivals since childhood. We asked Hino senshu about Hanyu senshu.

“We are the same age and we are friends. Yuzuru is a funny guy [laughter]. He was important to me as a skater of my generation. There was a period in the past where I won the competition sometimes and he won at other competitions, but regardless of which one of us won, we encouraged each other to do the best next time too. During the last half of my skating life, I was definitely running after him, but his presence was valuable to me because I got motivated by him.”

-Hino-san met Hanyu senshu for the first time when you were in elementary school.

“We were in the same summer camp when I was a fourth grader. That was the time we talked to each other face to face. We stayed in different rooms, but Yuzu came to our room. It was when my two roommates and I were arguing about which TV show to watch. The four of us debated whether to watch “Hexagon,” a quiz show or a soccer match in which Japan's national team was going to play. I remember wondering why Hanyu was also in our discussion [laughter].

Yuzu didn’t care which one to watch, and he listened to both sides. He asked everyone for the reason why he preferred to watch one of the two, and asked all kinds of questions such as what time each program would end. I guess he just wanted to be in our discussion [laughter]. When we decided on the program to watch, he went back to his room without watching it. “Hmm, he has gone,” I thought [laughter]. My impression of him was that he was indeed very bright, cheerful, and talkative.”

-All of the skaters of the same generation got along well, but they mainly interacted with each other at the competitions.

“We all lived in different regions, so usually we couldn’t hang out. I have fond memories of eating out together and things like that when we went to overseas competitions together. I don’t have any memories of us going out together in private, but I want to go somewhere with them in the future.”

-Hino senshu has just retired recently, and he will be a corporate employee from July. He deliberately chose a career other than skating coach.

“Only those who are dying to coach should do it, and I didn’t want to become a coach as a natural consequence of my long competitive skating career. Besides, since I had been living in a skating bubble, I had always wanted to go out there and face real life’s challenges, so I didn’t have ”skating related jobs” among the options. That said, after going through a lot of work experiences, I may be doing something related to skating. Never say never.”

-Until he came to a decision to retire, there were times he felt lonely to see some skaters of his generation quit. He sometimes felt he had reached his physical limit. Hanyu senshu, who is his age, might have gone through such trying times.

“I think Yuzu has been through tough times. Skaters of the same age mentally support each other, and now that I’m retired, Keiji (Tanaka) and Yuzu, just two of them have to keep encouraging each other, and I feel bad for them. My thoughts toward them are, ‘Sorry for retiring before you,’ and ‘Please do your best on my behalf,’ as well.”

-Do you think Hanyu senshu will go to the Beijing Olympics? Do you think he can win against Nathan Chen?
“Of course he will enter the Olympics. There is no reason for him not to go for it. If Yuzu brings out his best in competition, he can win.”

-Have you talked about retirement with Hanyu senshu before?

“No. Therefore I don’t know until when Yuzu continues competing. Anyway, I’m hoping he will take care of himself and stay injury free. I enjoy his skating and I want to see more of his skating, but at the same time, I want him to rest because he is too stoic. I want him to take a break at some point and relax, but he may keep going year after year if he thinks he can.

All in all, I will be happy if he does what he wants to do. He may hang up his boots next year or the year after next, or any year after that. If he decides to quit after figuring out the right timing, until the last day of his career I will continue to give my best to support him.”

-The message Hino-san wants to give to Yuzuru Hanyu senshu.

“I bet he has been given words like “Do your best” thousands of times, millions of times, or millions of millions of times, so I will rarely say “Do your best” to him. He does his best anyway without being told to. Yuzuru and Keiji (Tanaka) as well do their best. I don’t know how many years later the day will come, but on his final day of career, I would like to say to him, “Thank you for your hard work.”

 

[rRainbow]

Interview with Ryuju:

「フィギュア離れて自分を知りたい」引退後の意外な職／日野龍樹の回顧・中 - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

マネジメントを委託する吉本興業の東京本社（新宿区）に、元フィギュアスケーター日野龍樹（26）は上下紺のスーツ姿で現れた。勤務先からの帰り道。20年間の現役生活… - 日刊スポーツ新聞社のニュースサイト、ニッカンスポーツ・コム（nikkansports.com）

www.nikkansports.com

Translation: Part 1 of 2

A Look at the Skaters Who Said Goodbye to the Ice

Former figure skater Ryuju Hino, 26, shows up at the Tokyo headquarters of Yoshimoto Kogyo (Shinjuku Ward), the talent agency he belongs to, wearing a navy blue suit. He was on his way home from work, smiling calmly as he said, "I found a job this March after 20 years of active competition.

★ I Want to Watch Over Skaters From Outside.

“I didn't get a job at Yoshimoto (laughs). There were rumors about that, though. Even after I retired, they agreed to continue taking care of me at times like this. Thanks to their kindness, I continue to be taken care of.” He smiled and continued.

"My job title is System Engineer (SE)."

From Nagoya, where he had spent more than half of his skating life, he returned to his parents' home in Tokyo and became a system engineer.

“I looked for a job in Tokyo. I wanted to be with my family (laughs), and after 11 years of being away from my parents in Aichi, I wanted to work in Tokyo. I was looking for a job in Tokyo on the condition that I would not be transferred.”

He announced his retirement at the Japan National Championships at the end of last year, and started looking for a job at the beginning of the year. "I hadn't made up my mind whether I wanted to continue skating or retire until the Nationals. I thought it would be rash to start job hunting at that point. I decided that I would start after I quit competing."

Another thing he had decided was to have a job other than skating. In January this year, at the Winter Kokutai in Aichi, the last national competition of his career, he said, "I'm leaving figure skating because I want to know what kind of person I am. I'm sure I'll be flat on my back when I go into the workforce, but I want to work in a new world.”

He clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "I'm sounding so cool, aren't I? But it's true. I didn't want to fill my life with just skating, and I really wanted to go into something else. I'd be overdramatic if I said I wanted to know what possibilities I had. I wanted to find out what kind of person I was. My friends were in sports or instructors. There are a lot of people who join federations or become coaches, but I don't have the confidence to coach my students well, so I want to watch over skaters from the outside.

“I was referred to a number of companies through Mynavi, where my best friend from junior high school worked. In this day and age, we communicated with each other via zoom, phone, and LINE as we proceeded with the hiring process. The SPI (aptitude test) showed that I was most suited for ‘sales,’ and I was recommended to work in real estate, sports gyms, and BtoB (business-to-business where one business makes a commercial transaction with another) industries, but I said, "Wait a minute (laughs). I'm not an outgoing person by nature, and I thought someone who is more of a jock and aggressive should do this job,” he said. He didn't have any interviews for sales positions.

“Of course, figure skating is a sport, but it's a competition where you're evaluated by others, and it’s tough if you have to worry about every little thing, so you learn to let it go, to worry about it, to overcome it, and to have a kind of rebellious spirit. But it's true that since it's a more unusual sport than baseball or soccer, people in the same company often talk to me. Huh? Am I suited for sales (laughs)? When I mention figure skating, they all talk about Mao-chan (Asada), and Yuzuru Hanyu.”

In the end, however, he narrowed it down to SE, a job that seemed the most remote. "In the past, I would have avoided SE because I thought it would be too difficult, but I decided to give it a try. I've only been with the company for four months, but I feel like it's the best fit for me." The image of the company is that advanced science skills are required, but he says, "It suits me." Indeed.” His older brother, Kojun, is a highly educated graduate of the prestigious University of Tokyo and studied at the Graduate School of the University of Tokyo. Kojun is currently a rakugo storyteller who performs under the stage name of Kokontei Kikuichi. (Having a very smart brother) he must be naturally intelligent.

“I'm proud of having studied hard at Chukyo High School and Chukyo University, but I chose those schools to improve my figure skating. I never thought that math and arithmetic were too difficult, but it's not like I went to Chikkoma (Komaba, affiliated with Tsukuba University) or Kaisei (t/n: these are some of the top-tier schools). I can't really compare to my brother (laughs). But I certainly didn't think that all I had to do was skate when I was a student.”

 

[rRainbow]

Part 2 of 2 of translation:

The place of employment is a general company that undertakes the design, development, and maintenance of the computer system infrastructure that supports the business of companies and organizations. The company is extremely busy due to the increasing demand for telework. He joined the company on July 1. ”I was told that I would be joining the company in July due to a project while I was taking the employment test," he said. The reason was that his retirement competition was the Aichi Championship in late March. "It would have been difficult for me to retire and then suddenly start working on April 1 (laughs), so I was given three months to study SE, to rest, and to do nothing."

What is SE work really like?

“I'm still in probationary period, so I'm still learning how to install software. I'm being taught how to create documents, what do you call it? It's not a specification... Oh, it's a manual, so that people who don't know much about IT can understand. I'm also doing some programming, and I'm being taught how to write designs, definitions, specifications, and many other things. A really friendly company. I think you usually have to go to a technical school and get a certification before you can enter a company, but they said, "It's totally fine if you have no experience." I feel like I have to gradually work my way up to the next level.”

“At first I didn't know what I didn't know. The president says, 'Ask me anything,' but you cannot really say, 'I don't know what to ask' (laughs). I just try things myself and then ask, ‘What should I type when I enter a command? What is the meaning of this command?’ I only go and ask when I don't understand something even after looking it up. I feel like I'm finally starting to understand what I don't understand.”

For three years after graduating from university, he worked part-time at Howa Sportsland, where he was based and trained.
"Before I started writing procedure manuals, I worked at the skating rink as a receptionist for the general public (laughs). I also worked as an innkeeper at a lodging facility called Seminar Plaza, and worked at an adjacent golf driving range."

Currently, he commutes to work at a scheduled time by train. "I had a regular life and practice until high school, and then my time became a little more flexible in college, and then after graduation...I had too much freedom. Waking up early every morning is still hard to get used to. I'm sleepy," he said, touching his head. In his spare time, he watches figure competitions on video, although, as a new member of society, feeling tired which he has never experienced before.

“I also heard about Sota's transfer to the Grand Prix of Tokai FSC (after more than half a year without team affiliation). When he was having a hard time, I wanted to talk to him. I also kept in touch with Haruya Sasaki, Shunsuke Nakamura, Tatsuya Tsuboi, and Kimichika (Wada). Lucas (Takeshi) and Kazuki Kushida, too. I first got to know Lucas at the West Japan Championships, but we started talking when we were together at the Japan Open. He's very mature, so it's easy to talk to him. His face is also very mature (laughs). Kushida is (Keiji) Tanaka's kohai, so we started talking before I knew it. When I was in the Meiji Jingu Gaien FSC (in Tokyo), I asked my senpais for advice, and when I was in Nagoya, Ryuichi Kihara (who is currently paired with Rirai Miura) used to treat me to yakiniku. So I should do the same for my kohais. I invite them to dinner and talk to them about their performances as much as I can without being a bother.”

★Curious About Former Peers

In the fall, he got in touch with his old skating mate, Keiji Tanaka. It was around the time of the Japan Open in October, when the season started in full swing. "I was still curious about the skaters of my age. Oh, speaking of which, let's talk about my peers here, shall we? What you want to ask is about Yuzu and Keiji, right?" In a joking manner, he put his mouth close to the IC recorder. (To be continued)

 

[rRainbow]

Sorry, I messed up the order of the article. After posting the translation of the online story about Ryuju, I realized that the above is the second of a series of three articles. No. 1, No. 2 & No. 3
Here's the first article. https://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/202112020001213.html?mode=all

Part 1 of 2 (Ryuju story No. 1)

It was a sudden announcement of his retirement.

"I had decided that it would be my last time. I didn't care what would happen, but I also felt that I couldn't give a bad performance. After all, there are great guys in my generation.”

December 26, 2020, at the Japan National Figure Skating Championships (Nagano), Ryujui Hino (26) suddenly told me in the interview area, right after the men's free skate.

He was born in 1994, in the same year as Yuzuru Hanyu (27) of ANA and Keiji Tanaka (27) of Kokusai Gakuen. Hino and Hanyu shared the top spot in Japan twice each in the Novice (mainly elementary school) age group, and all three had won the Japan National Junior Championships from junior high school to high school. They were the big three of the golden generation.

In a world where most skaters leave the ice after graduating from high school or college, three of them continued to compete even though they were over 25 years old. The rest of their peers have gone on to new careers as coaches, choreographers, or company employees. Hino has been around long enough, but he was the first of the three to hang up his boots. His expression was soft.

He said, "I decided to retire after the short program, and on the morning of the free skate. It's like this, when you quit. I didn't have the strength to continue next year, and I lost weight one week before the competition. I thought, 'If I'm going to feel like this again next year... then I should definitely quit here' (laughs)."

He had been skating for exactly 20 years. After informing his coaches, Yoriko Naruse and Miho Kawaume, of his decision to retire from competition at this milestone, he bid farewell to his 12th consecutive Japan National with a message to the press.

★Competing in the Triple Jumps

He started competing when he was six years old. He was born to a Russian father and a Japanese mother, and stepped on the rink in Takadanobaba (in Tokyo). At the age of nine, he met Hanyu, Tanaka, and others at the Japan Skating Federation's training camp in Nobeyama, Nagano (discovery and training camp for promising children across the country). In practice, they competed in the number of triple jumps they could land, and when it came to competitions, the three of them dominated the podium at the national championships, vying for the top spot.
　　　　◇　　　　◇　　　　◇
He was born in Tokyo, but spent more than half of his skating career, 11 years, in Nagoya. The turning point came in his third year of middle school, when he asked his parents to let him go to high school in a different school district, as he admired Coach Hiroshi Nagakubo, who had trained Shizuka Arakawa, the women's gold medalist at the 2006 Torino Olympics, and Hanyu, the two-time men's champion at the Winter Olympics.

“Nagakubo sensei was originally in Sendai. He had been coaching me since then, and even after he moved his base of coaching to Nagoya, I was taken into the team and he helped at training camps. He was the best coach in Japan, or even the world, at coaching jumps. If I had gone to Aichi, I would have had a chance to learn from him every day. I couldn't miss it. I begged my father and mother to let me go.”

He went on to Chukyo High School in Aichi and left his parents. His grandfather accompanied him and supported him in his life.

"Now that I've retired, I can look back and say it was the best decision I ever made. I have nothing but gratitude."

It was a time when the National Training Center (NTC) was not the current Kanku Ice Arena in Osaka, but Chukyo University. Hino, who had a bright future ahead of him, started going to Aichi on weekends in his first year of junior high school, where he was under the guidance of coach Nagakubo. It was fate.

 

[rRainbow]

Part 2 of 2 (Ryuju story No. 1)

“In the first year of junior high school, I started training the triple axel (three and a half rotations). I started working on the triple axel once or twice a week with Nagakubo sensei. Then, in the third year, I was able to land it. There's nothing better than being able to learn from a coach who makes sure you improve, not only on weekends, but every day. I had no hesitation in leaving my parents' house.”

In high school, he won the Japan National Junior Championships twice in a row, and at the Junior Grand Prix (GP) Final, he stood on the podium and placed a bronze medal around his neck. When he retired, he was inevitably asked, "What was the most memorable competition of your career?" He answered in just three seconds, right after saying, "Please wait, I'll answer in 30 seconds."

“It was the Junior GP Final where I came in third. To tell you the truth, I wasn't in perfect condition at all. I had been pushing forward since August, when the season really started. I raced through the Junior GP series, and won the Japan Junior National Championships second time in a row. After that, my body got tired, and I couldn't jump at all. I was happy to be among the final six for the second year in a row, but then I thought, "What if I can't jump any jumps in the competition?" I was a little skeptical, but the result was...when the competition came, I performed amazingly, both to myself and to the people who supported me. I was glad that I had done what I had to do, relying on Nagakubo sensei. My body remembered what I had done.”

★In Admiration of Yagudin

He always liked to jump. "When I jump three and a half rotations, I feel like I'm on top of the clouds," he said. Alexei Yagudin (Russia), the men's gold medalist at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, is a master of the triple and a half jump, which has been described as the most beautiful and highest in the world.

“I didn't think about it when I was a kid, but maybe it was in my subconscious that I had the same Russian roots. Anyway, I was fascinated by his skating, and I wanted to be like him. I wanted to jump the triple and a half as high as him, and I wanted to float the death drop (spin) as high as him.”

"But my dream was to do a quadruple. I started practicing toe loops with Nagakubo sensei in my second year of high school, and in the summer of my third year of high school, I still remember the excitement I felt when I landed my first toe loop. This time, it was as if I was on TV, not on a cloud. I felt like I was in the scene where I saw the quad for the first time."

"I'm glad I've been skating," he thought, as he landed a quadruple toe loop, the only one quadruple Yagudin could jump. He had to wait until his senior year at Chukyo University, Japan Intercollegiate Skating Championships, to land it in an official competition. But he couldn't help smiling at how he did it his way, "I stayed on one foot, having rotated, and managed to land it." It was two years after Hanyu had won the gold medal at the Sochi Olympics. His skating friend had already made his third quadruple jump, a loop, for the first time in the world, following a toe-loop and a salchow.

“But now he's going for a quadruple and a half. He's a beast (laughs).” Two years later, Hanyu won the PyeongChang Olympics for the second straight time, and Tanaka competed there for the first time. Although the gap between Hino and his peers, who he had been in friendly competition with since he was nine years old, has widened, he can say, "They were always there to give me strength, and they were also my peers. I wanted to get as close to Yuzu and Keiji as possible.” The stage he arrived at was the NHK Trophy of the GP series in 2016.

"Can I give you one more answer to your question about my most memorable competition? The NHK Trophy is the one you can't forget, isn't it?”

It was the first and last senior international competition where Hino, Hanyu, and Tanaka were all together.

"But since you're going to ask me about my peers later, let's talk about it then, shall we? I'll start with my 'now' first."

On the first day of July this year, a new member of society changed out of his glittering costume into a suit and tie, and got on the train. It was his first day at work. The job he chose was an unexpected one. (To be continued)

 

[surimi]

Thank you so much! I always enjoy reading Ryuju's insightful interviews. It makes me happy to read he is still interested in skating (it's obvious he likes discussing it), and supports his former colleagues. It's so sweet how he wants to stay with his family to make up for those 11 years in Nagoya ^ ^ I didn't know his grandpa was taking care of him in Nagoya.
wow, he is multitalented! System engineering sounds super difficult, but if challenging himself makes him happy, why not? Pity that he can't exist in two personae, because his language talents are also extraordinary and I feel he'd do really well in a job where he could use the languages he knows, no matter if skating-related or not.
I have at times visualized Ryuju as a FS commentator, and come to the conclusion he'd be just perfect for the job. He has deep knowledge of being an elite skater, both on Jr and Sr level, he's kind so he'd be like Ted Barton I imagine, and on top of that all, he'd know how to pronounce all those names.
I agree with Ryuju about him likely not being the right type of person for sales. He strikes me as very gentle, and I can't imagine him having this ruthlessness and persuasive powers that these types of people need.
I hope he'll be eventually able to telework too, and get some rest. I can very well relate to his aversion to getting up early.
In the part about Sota, I wonder what Ryuju meant by "When he was having a hard time, I wanted to talk to him." Is he refering to Kokutai, or did he mean to cheer him up wile he was coachless in the spring, but it didn't happen for some reason?
I wonder what career paths his friends Keiji and Yuzuru will eventually take. :]

 

[rRainbow]

Ryuju Story No. 3 https://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/202112030001266.html?mode=all
Translation: (1 of 2)

Former All-Japan Junior Figure Skating Champion, Ryuki Hino (26), said with a smile on his handsome face.

"I'm afraid I'll never forget that disappointment."

The PyeongChang Olympics was held in 2018. Two people born in the same year (1994), who had been vying to be the best in Japan since they were children, competed at the same time. Yuzuru Hanyu (27, ANA) became the first person in 66 years to win two consecutive titles. Keiji Tanaka (27, Kokusai Gakuen) skated on the dream stage, although he finished in 18th place. Hino was cheering for them on TV from Japan.

He said, "Of course, I was very happy that they were chosen to participate, and I told them, 'Good luck!' But it was frustrating. I wish I could have gone. I'm sure I'll think about this for the rest of my life. My frustration didn't change during the competition. I was watching on TV, and of course I cheered for them, but I think my frustration was more than anything else. That's the reason why I was still active (until March 2021). It made me think that I couldn't stop, and that I still wanted to do my best."

Hino is a two-time Japan champion in Novice and Junior. Although he never made it to the Olympics, he had been at the top of his generation. He first met Hanyu, Tanaka, and others in his fourth year of elementary school at the age of nine in Nobeyama, Nagano. The memory of the national figure skating training camp for promising children remains strong in his mind.

"I'd seen Yuzu at the Sendai training camp before that, but I'd never talked to him. The first time I talked to him was at Nobeyama. That was also the first time I met Keiji. After the summer training camp, Yuzu was the first to win the All-Japan Novice Championship B held every year in late October. To be more precise, I was 6th, Keiji was 8th, Jun Suzuki was 2nd, and Kentaro (Suzuki) was 3rd. I didn't make any mistakes, and I did what I could do and finished 6th. Keiji made a mistake and came in 8th. I remember thinking to myself as a child, "I don't know what to make of it" (laughs). That was the first time we competed together. Yuzu, he was so good."

★Fight Over What TV Program to Watch

He had a strong impression of the two of them. ”It was already 17 years ago, wasn't it, at Nobeyama? They were energetic, both of them. It may be a little different from the image we have now. Yes, they were naughty (laughs). They were much more energetic and lively. Of course, I don't mean that they got into trouble or did something wrong.”

At the Teisan Lodge in Nobeyama, he had different rooms, but they were always together.

"We were divided into two rooms according to our birth dates. Keiji whose birthday was in November and Yuzu whose birthday was in December were in the same room, and mine was in February and I was in a different room. Hehe, I have fond memories of the time when we argued over what TV to watch in our room. My roommates got into a fight over whether to watch 'Quiz! Hexagon' or the match of the Japan national soccer team (coached by Zico), and before I knew it, Yuzu, who was in the next room, was there (laughs). I was an observer, but Yuzu was listening to the arguments, saying, 'Yeah, yeah.' Then, once the channel was decided, he just left (laughs). I was watching TV thinking, 'There's this guy doing something interesting'."

As for his memories of Tanaka, "He spoke in a strong dialect," he jokingly recalled. “He is from Okayama, so he ends his words with 'ken'. But Keiji started practicing in Osaka on weekends, and I remember that his dialect gradually weakened. It became a mix of Okayama dialect and Kansai dialect. It's like Chidori (comedian)," he recalled laughing.

In the meantime, when he was on the ice, his achievements were among the best in Japan and abroad.

【All Japan Novice B (9-10 years old as of June 30)】
▼2004: Hanyu (KSC Izumi) 1st, Hino (Meiji Jingu Gaien FSC) 6th, Tanaka (Kurashiki FSC) 8th
▼2005: Hino 1st, Hanyu (Katsuyama Figure Club) 2nd, Tanaka 3rd.

【All Japan Novice A (11-12 years old)】
▼2006: Hino1st, Tanaka 2nd, Hanyu 3rd.
▼2007: Hanyu (Miyagi FSC) 1st, Tanaka 2nd, Hino (Musashino Gakuin) 3rd

【All Japan Junior Championships】
▼2008: Hanyu 1st, Tanaka 6th, Hino not participating
▼2009: Hanyu 1st, Hino 4th, Tanaka 6th
▼2010: Hino (Chukyo Univ.) 3rd, Tanaka (Okayama Univ. of Sci.) 9th.
▼2011: Hino 1st, Tanaka 2nd
▼2012: Hino 1st, Tanaka 3rd
▼2013: Tanaka (Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts) 1st, Hino (Chukyo Univ.) 3rd
※Hanyu (Tohoku High School) turned senior in 10-11.

On the world stage, Hanyu won the Junior Grand Prix (GP) Final and the World Junior Championships in 2009-10, while Tanaka finished 2nd in the World Junior Championships in 2011. Hino was third at the Junior GP Final in 2012. They were a trio of renowned competitors of the same age.

 

[KiraraChin]

Thank you so much, rRainbow! I saw some of my Japanese mutuals commenting this interview on Twitter, and I even checked it out but the Google translation was really messy. Really appreciate the opportunity to read a proper translation, such heartwarming stories

 

[rRainbow]

No. 3
Translation: 2 of 2

He said, "Yuzu won, I won, and with Keiji, we went back and forth and up and down in a friendly rivalry. There was no need to say, ‘I'm not going to lose.’ If I won, the guys who lost would practice like crazy. The moment I won, I was honestly happy, but it's not like 'Yay! I did it!' I had to practice harder because they would practice harder. When I thought that I might lose if I let my guard down even a little bit, I was so anxious. Even when I returned to Nagoya from the Nationals, I was scared when I thought about them (laughs).”

There were many others. Many of them became choreographers and coaches, and some entered the world of ice shows, and they were around his age.

"Kohei Yoshino, whom I asked to choreograph my last two seasons, is the same age as me. He does very good choreography. He choreographed the short program (SP) 'With Organ' and the free program 'Carmen' and 'Truman Show'. I believe he also choreographed Keiji's exhibition (in 19-20). Kohei is on Coach Utako Nagamitsu's team. Kazuki Kushida, and Kohei also takes care of Sena Miyake.”

“The ones who went to Prince Ice World are Masaki Nakajima, Hiroki Honda, and Keisuke Kodaira. Also, Kota Tadano, who works as a doctor in the emergency department at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center, after graduating from the Nagoya University School of Medicine. Isn't that amazing? There were a lot of male skaters in my generation, and I was really grateful to all of them.”

The highlight was five years ago, at the NHK Trophy in Sapporo, Japan, in 2016. It was the first and last international competition where they were all together as seniors.

“I was substituting for the injured Sota (Yamamoto), so I had mixed feelings. But I remember preparing for the trip with the joy of participating in the GP series for the first time, and the deep emotion of knowing that two of my peers would be there.”

★"Come Closer, Hino Senshu!"

The results were Hanyu 1st, Tanaka 3rd, Hino 9th.

"When I asked someone about Yuzu afterwards, he said, 'Compared to usual international competitions, Yuzu seemed to be calm. I thought that was true. Of course he was concentrating, but I wondered if he was this calm in every competition. On the bus ride from the hotel to the venue, I thought he would be more absorbed in the competition, but instead he was smiling and talking to me. Someone told me, 'Normally, he's more intense.' There was a time when he walked over to me with a huge smile on his face, and I was so embarrassed that I said to him, 'What?' He said, ‘I'm simply happy.’ I was like, ‘What the hell! (laughs)’’.”

Hanyu also said at the time, "I'm really happy" for Tanaka's 3rd place,” and for Hino's 9th place, "I feel like, 'Come closer! Hino senshu!’ It was truly fun,” and so on. In the hotel room, they talked endlessly.

Yuzu moved up to the senior level before me, and he moved to Canada (where he has been based since 2012), so we didn't get to see each other very often. Keiji and I met at the West Japan (Championships) and Japan Nationals, but we never got together. Oh, we didn't fight over the TV channel (laughs). We hadn't seen each other in a while, so when we got together in a room, we wanted to talk instead of watching TV.　The three of us were able to communicate with each other, saying, 'We're all working hard.' Compared to when we were 9 years old in Nobeyama, we were 21 or 22 years old in Sapporo. Rather than getting wildly excited, we talked calmly since we were already adults. I asked him about the training environment in Canada, and we talked about many things. I have fond memories of that time.

He remembered one of the words from that "class reunion."

"Let's go to the Olympics together."

The promise was not fulfilled. His best finish in the Japan Nationals was 4th place in 2016. In 2017, the year after the NHK Trophy, which served as the final qualifying round for the PyeongChang Olympics, he finished 7th.

“I was really sorry that I couldn't live up to his words. Of course I wanted to compete in the Olympics. But after I became a senior, many things were difficult. I did my best, but I guess that's the way it was. It's frustrating, but I have no regrets. It's the same Chinese character for 'regret,' but that's how I feel."

However, Hanyu’s words gave him the motivation to continue skating, and gave him a defiant spirit in his heart. Because he followed his peers, he was able to put all his energy into his skating, into his steps.

On December 26, 2020, after finishing the men's free skate, Hino announced his retirement.

"The presence of my peers gave me strength." It was after the fact, but he told the two of them too.

"Keiji seemed to have heard about it during the competition and I told him at the Nationals arena. I contacted Yuzu later. It's actually a long message, but to put it simply, I sent him a message saying, 'I'm quitting first, but keep up the good work.' He replied, 'Thank you for everything you've done, and really appreciate your hard work.' At the last Winter Kokutai (in January), I received a collection of messages on a board from my colleagues. Yuzu said something like, 'You haven't changed since then.' I don't know how long Yuzu and Keiji will continue to skate but I can tell you this. I think we've made it this far because we were all together."

It's the Olympic season again. Hanyu has not said whether he will compete in Beijing, where he might win a third consecutive title. Tanaka is aiming for a second consecutive participation. In the meantime, the Japan National Championships (Saitama Super Arena), held in the Olympic season once every four years, will start again from the official practice on the 22nd of this month.

"I'm sure thousands or tens of thousands of people have already told Yuzu to do his best, and he's doing his best without needing to be told. I don't think there is any need for me to give him a shout out or anything. If Yuzu is going to compete in the Nationals, then there's Keiji, Shoma (Uno), Yuma (Kagiyama), Sota, Kazuki Tomono, Shun Sato.... How many people will be competing for the three slots in Beijing? It looks genuinely interesting. Tickets...I'll never be able to get them (laughs)."

To Hanyu, who celebrated his 27th birthday, "Happy birthday! I'll keep rooting for you!"

And he believed that Hanyu would succeed in his goal of an unprecedented quad axel (four and a half rotations).

"I think Yuzu can do it," he said. He's already done 3A (triple axel = 3.5 rotations) with a lot of ease. I also took the triple axel very seriously, but it (4A) is a new dimension. It's an unknown world, but I can't help thinking, 'Yuzu can do it!'" (End)

 

[surimi]

Thank you so much, Rainbow! It must have been so hard for Ryuju to be torn between happiness for his friends during OG 2018, and frustration that he had lagged behind a few spots at Nationals, and couldn't join them. But it is what it is, and most Japanese boys can't be mega stars. Mura also experienced this unhappy feeling, being so close, just one spot from the OG team. I recall he cried in the KnC when he realized the spot slipped away from him, and I wonder if Ryuju's tears at the end of his performance were because he felt his result wouldn't be enough, or because he'd just skated so well. It sounds like Ryuju has this regretful OG memory, but has moved on, and now is enjoying the other fun things in life. Good for him, and I hope the upcoming year brings him further happiness.

Aww, it's obvious from Ryuju's recollections how much the NHK 2016 meant to Yuzuru; to be with his friends, just enjoying their presence and chatting. I wonder if they will meet up from time to time when Yuzuru and Keiji retire. I bet Yuzuru in particular would love it.

Ryuju's interviews read so easily and contain interesting an insightful info. If he publishes an autobiography one day and it happens to be in eigo, I will definitely buy it

 

[rRainbow]

Interview with Ryuju on Apr. 25: https://sportiva.shueisha.co.jp/clm/othersports/figure/2022/04/25/post_39/index.php
Translation:

Former figure skater Ryuju Hino was Yuzuru Hanyu's age and his friend. We asked him, who now lives as a company employee, about the skaters who left a lasting impression on him at the Beijing Olympics, his memories of Hanyu, and Hanyu's attempt at the quadruple axel.

Athletes From Around the World Who Impressed Him at the Beijing Olympics

It has been about a year since I started working now. At work, I write programs and create procedure manuals and specifications for these programs. I went from skating to working in a totally different field (IT company), so it's tough, but every day I keenly realize how hard it must have been for the senpai skaters who went on to become employed. When I was in college, I didn't have classes from the first period every day, and in my case, I was a skater for several years after graduation, but now I have to be at work at 9:00 every morning. Being sleepy in the morning is the hardest part [laughter].

I recorded and watched the videos of the Beijing Olympics because I was working on weekdays. The skater who left a particularly strong impression on me was Adam Siao Him Fa of France. I watched his steps a lot. I wondered how he could do that [laughter]. I looked up the choreographer's name, and found that it was Benoit Richaud, with whom Kaori Sakamoto is working. I think there are many programs by him this season. I also know that Ekaterina Kurakova of Poland is also choreographed by Benoit. I watch the European Championships very carefully every year, and I was impressed by Kurakova's skill.

I also liked Aleksandr Selevko of Estonia, though he failed to qualify after the short program. His dancing was so natural. My ideal is to dance in such a way that your body moves naturally with the music, like "I'm going to play music now, so you just dance."

I think it is wonderful to refine a predetermined choreography, but personally, I think it is ideal to dance naturally to the music. If you can do that, there is no going off the note. I felt he was able to do that. Also, Alexei Bychenko from Israel, I was surprised that he can still jump quadruple at 34 years old! I was surprised. It is amazing, isn't it?

Speaking of the Olympics, I've been told that I look like (the face of) Mark Kondratiuk of Russia. I had skated in the free skate to "Jesus Christ Superstar," and I was watching it, feeling nostalgic. As I recall, his previous year's free skate was "Swan Lake. So when I saw that he was performing "Jesus Christ" this year, I was certain that this was a better fit for him.

Kondratiuk is a kohai of Alexander Samarin, who is also from Russia. I thought the country is developing good young talents. I also like Andrei Mozalev's free. At the end, his pose is like a portrait of Columbus, isn't it? Russian choreographers have detailed themes in their poses. I was often told (by Russian choreographers), "Do it with this image here." Each piece of choreography has a very deep meaning. It is tiring to make them absorb into your body, but if you can do it, I think it will become more profound.

Russia is strong in both pairs and ice dance. Speaking of pairs, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan were also very good. I was very impressed. Ryuichi seems to be still working hard, so I am really looking forward to their future.

"It Is Nice to Be the Same Age"

As for the Japanese Men, I was also paying attention to the challenge of Yuzu who is my age. I felt that this competition might have been also for him to challenge quadruple Axel. I don't know because I haven't heard about it, but since he has won consecutive Olympic titles, I think he would be thinking about the progress of the sport itself next. I can only say that his mistake in the short was unlucky, but I think it is really amazing that he was able to do everything so beautifully without a hitch after that.

His axel has always had distance and height. I think you have seen his jumps in competitions, and you feel that his Axel is high, but in practice, it is even more amazing. In competitions, he may focus on stability, but in practice, he jumps with all his might. He can jump a triple Axel from a standstill without a set up gliding.

His jumps are really amazing. I often asked him for advice on my jumps. When I told him that my axel was not going well, he would tell me, "I think it should be like this." Anyway, he told me that it was important to swing up the leg. He said to swing the free leg forward as far as you can.

Since it was like that with Keiji (Tanaka), I felt it was nice to have a peer group with whom I could easily talk about things that were difficult to talk about with my seniors and juniors. We were the generation that originally had many peers, many of whom had been around competing for a long time. However, we all grew up together without getting into unpleasant rivalry. We would take pictures together after each competition [laughter]. Since these competitions went on for a long time, our relationship only deepened in a positive way.

I met Yuzu for the last time at All-Japan when I retired, so I would simply like to meet him. It's not that I have any particular thing I want to talk about when I see him, but I would like to spend some time together.

 

[surimi]

Thank you, Rainbow! I'm glad that Ryuju still gets contacted by the media for interviews. He's always insightful.

I can relate to the misery of getting up early. I know this is Japan and morning commutes are a tradition, but it's still surprising that an IT company isn't among the first to push for teleworking in order to reduce the number of commuters and thus reduce their carbon footprint. I'm sure Ryuju, like many others, would welcome a flexible office/telework schedule.

Eh, I don't think Ryuju resembles Mark. In some features, maybe, but Ryuju's face is more delicate & with bigger eyes. Just my impression.
This is the first time I hear of Ryuju having had a Jesus Christ Superstar program. Maybe he had it while in juniors?

With two of the Keiji-Ryuju-Yuzuru trio now retired, I wonder when they can meet up for a meal and a chat. ^ ^ If I had to guess, then when Yuzuru retires, he'll eventually get in touch with his two friends, and invite them as the first ^ ^