2021-22 Japanese Men's Figure Skating

[surimi]

I've read that the last Japan Open spot went to Sena Miyake. Koshiro must have declined. That must mean he currently has no scheduled competitions except for regionals? I hope he's okay.

ETA, I was so sure Hanyu would go to Asian Open, and instead Yuma and Shun are entered I'd never have guessed Shun, with him competing at SA shortly after. But it makes sense.
I can't say the same of the choice of Sena as 2nd alternate, I'm afraid. I personally don't have anything against Sena, and it's likely he won't get to compete at AO - but come on, he was 10th at Nationals, surely *not* an OG favorite in need of trying out the venue, plus it seems he'll be in Cup of Austria... I mean, I know JSF loves its junior podium finishers, but I think they're being a tad too generous here. There are more deserving men with bigger (tiny, but still) Olympic Team chances, like Koshiro (who has no CS so far, and no GP) or Keiji (4th at Nats and two-time GP medalist, why wasn't he picked?). It's a minor thing, but JSF aren't making any sense to me here.

 

[gsk8]

Thank you @cohkaix for setting up the Regional threads!

 

[Sai Bon]

Lovely article on Sota Yamamoto. Sorry, don't have time to translate now, but I didn't know that he was coachless for a while before joining Machiko Yamada and "fluffy" Mihoko Higuchi's team. If nobody beats me to it, I will post a translation tomorrow: https://4years.asahi.com/article/14...MJkQGLpR_utW1GDMH8O-1smW6yVYGv08toIrEqHuVyWbc

 

[surimi]

Lovely article on Sota Yamamoto. Sorry, don't have time to translate now, but I didn't know that he was coachless for a while before joining Machiko Yamada and "fluffy" Mihoko Higuchi's team. If nobody beats me to it, I will post a translation tomorrow: https://4years.asahi.com/article/14...MJkQGLpR_utW1GDMH8O-1smW6yVYGv08toIrEqHuVyWbc

for sharing! Yes, Sota was coachless for over half a year, and his fans were worried. I am happy he's picked a base now.
I was surprised to read (using google translate) he needs fan funding now, and is considering a part-time job. I guess his Yamaha grant for 2021 was just enough to cover his moving back to Nagoya from Osaka And I think I've heard he cannot get any sponsorships until the Yamaha grant period runs out?
All the best to him this season.

*********

As far as Challengers are concerned, JSF has decided to send Sena Miyake and LT Honda to Cup of Austria, while Sota and Koshiro are going to Warsaw Cup. Sumitada Moriguchi and Taichiro Yamakuma are going to the Universiade. Good luck to the boys!

 

[figureskatingandrainbows]

Sota had a great short at Regionals: clean 4S, 3A, and 3F+3T, but had an invalidated spin

Plus, Lucas landed a beautiful quad toe!

And Japan has confirmed that the skaters for SkAm have visas to enter, and the skaters returning from AO don't need to quarantine since it's held in a bubble. I'm assuming this means all of the senior skaters are vaccinated, which is great news.

 

[KiraraChin]

Sota won Chubu regionals with two solid skates and seems very happy with his new coaching team, I think he could be one of the top contenders this season. I was really curious to see Keiji, but he got a bye from his regionals because he's competing at JO next week, so we'll have to wait a bit longer to see what kind of shape he's in. I hope he's fully recovered from last season's injury

 

[Sai Bon]

Just a quick summary of the Sota Yamamoto article, published in 4 Years (digital media devoted to university sports)
Figure skating: "Yesterday" a piece of music that reflects Yamamoto's life
Coach tells Sota that she wants him to skate to it

Sota Yamamoto (age 21), a fourth year student at Chukyo University, began training with Machiko Yamada and Mihoko Higuchi, known as the former coaches of Mao Asada and Shoma Uno.

Struggled Training by Himself
The pre-Olympic season was a struggle for Yamamoto, who took a year off university to devote himself to skating, and changed coaches to train in Osaka. However, his competition results were disappointing. He moved back to the Chukyo University rink in December 2020, training on his own while he looked for a new coach.

Moves to Grand Prix Tokai Club after 6 Months in the Wilderness
For 6 months, Yamamoto could not make up his mind where to train. In July 2021, he chose the prestigious Grand Prix Tokai Club, where Mao Asada and Shoma Uno used to train. His coaches are Machiko Yamada, Mihoko Higuchi, and Yuko Hongo. Yamamoto wanted Higuchi to choreograph for him. When he asked her to be his coach, she surprised him by asking if he was sure. He thought it was cool that Higuchi never approaches skaters, but waits for them to approach her.

He was initially unsure of the club's training environment and coaching methods, but began to feel more positive after training there for a while. He now thinks that Higuchi is an excellent coach and wished that he had gone to her earlier. Higuchi immediately reviews videos of jump practice and run-throughs to music. She references performances of Yuzuru Hanyu, Patrick Chan, and Han Yan, and sometimes Yamamoto's own quads when he is in good form, when suggesting how he can make improvements. Higuchi learned coaching methods and quad jumping technique from Ghislain Briand, which she passed on to Yamamoto. Putting this knowledge into practice has cleaned up Yamamoto's form. He is increasing his success rate with quads while paying attention to the position of his hip and body angle before takeoff and how to handle his axis when airborne.

Yesterday a Gift from Higuchi
Higuchi choreographed both the SP and FP for Yamamoto this season. Yesterday by the Beatles was specially chosen for Yamamoto, who was a top junior until breaking his ankle in 2016 and suffering multiple subsequent injuries. He is now back in the elite ranks after years of arduous rehab. Higuchi wanted Yamamoto to skate to the song, because his life story resonates with the lyrics.

FP Showcases a New Yamamoto
The FP is "Io Ci Saro" by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, chosen by Higuchi from a list provided by Yamamoto. Both liked the song, because of the beautiful melody and piano accompaniment, which Yamamoto feels is a good fit for his skating. A highlight is the choreo sequence in a part where the vocals build up, full of dynamic moves like eagle, Ina Bauer, and butterfly that is his strength. He feels that the program shows a new side of him, especially his skating skills.

Yamamoto debuts the programs will debut in the Chubu regionals. He will also skate in the Japan Open the following week. His goal for this season is to perform well enough at his GP Skate Canada to gain ranking points and pave the way to the Olympics and Worlds. He aims to peak at Japan nationals.

 

[rRainbow]

ISU announced that Japan as the host country will be granted one wild card entry for men and for women in the 2021-22 JGPF.
Hana Yoshida is likely to be chosen by JSF, but Kao, by far the top skater among Japanese juniors, is already assigned to the NHK which is a senior GPS event, and he is therefore ineligible to enter the Junior GPF. Will Kao WD or keep the NHK spot? If he WD from NHK to compete at the JGPF, I wonder who will take his place in NHK?

 

[surimi]

I wonder if Tatsuya can have a breakthrough season and grab that spot. The results of Kinki will show how likely that is. With his new coaching team (Kaori's coaches I believe), I'd say his chances are higher.

 

[cohkaix]

I wonder if Tatsuya can have a breakthrough season and grab that spot. The results of Kinki will show how likely that is. With his new coaching team (Kaori's coaches I believe), I'd say his chances are higher.

So is it confirm that Tatsuya is switching coach? He's one of the skaters that came to my mind as a possible candidate. The other is Lucas Honda. I know Honda is skating in Sr. level, but he doesn't have any GP assignment?

 

[surimi]

So is it confirm that Tatsuya is switching coach? He's one of the skaters that came to my mind as a possible candidate. The other is Lucas Honda. I know Honda is skating in Sr. level, but he doesn't have any GP assignment?

I'm probably not the right person to ask as I can't read Japanese all that much, and rely for the most part on Japanese blogs and my friends who are native speakers. But I have been told weeks ago that Tatsuya has left Howa and Nagoya because he relocated to a university in Kyoto. I hope I remember correctly. And I think Kaori's coaching team were mentioned as his new coaches. I hope I remember correctly.
I'd say LT Honda is in the mix too, as well as Sumitada Moriguchi, Shunsuke Nakamura and Nozomu Yoshioka - sheer guesswork on my part though, as I don't know if all of them are Jr. eligible.

 

[cohkaix]

I'm probably not the right person to ask as I can't read Japanese all that much, and rely for the most part on Japanese blogs and my friends who are native speakers. But I have been told weeks ago that Tatsuya has left Howa and Nagoya because he relocated to a university in Kyoto. I hope I remember correctly. And I think Kaori's coaching team were mentioned as his new coaches. I hope I remember correctly.
I'd say LT Honda is in the mix too, as well as Sumitada Moriguchi, Shunsuke Nakamura and Nozomu Yoshioka - sheer guesswork on my part though, as I don't know if all of them are Jr. eligible.

That's okay! Thanks~ I think there was news early on about Tatsuya moving to Kobe (that's Kobe, I think) to go to university there. I was wondering about the coaching arrangement then. But there was no further news about the coach. It's good that Tatsuya is joining Kaori's coaching team to train with Coach Nagano. (And now I'd be wondering about what's happening at Howa...)

And yes, all the mentioned jr. skaters are the possible candidates, and most of them will show up in the Kinki blog starting tomorrow. So it's going to be interesting. The only thing is that LT Honda and Sumitada Moriguchi will be in the Sr. level, and the others Jr.

 

[rRainbow]

According to Tatsuya's bio, his current coaches are Sonoko Nakano, Mituko Guraham & Sei Kawahara, the same coaching team as Kaori and Mai.

About JGPF host spot, my guess is that Lucas will get it, if JSF looks for a quick and easy answer. Lucas was the last year's Junior Nationals champion and Kao came in second. If JSF doesn't want to wait for the results of this season's Junior Nationals, they will give the slot to Lucas before the NHK. Then JSF doesn't have to deal with the selection of Kao's replacement, and case closed.
Just my gut feeling. Ideally all junior boys should be given a chance for the JGPF slot, but I'm not sure if JSF is enthusiastic about it.
Lucas is competing as a senior this season, but I think he can still aim for the Junior Worlds. I believe Kao is also qualified to compete at the Junior Worlds if he is selected, despite his participation in the senior NHK.

 

[yuumagical]

I recall being impressed by Kosho Oshima a while ago, but I wonder what his chances are at the wild card slot. Is it safe to assume he's a longshot? Admittedly don't know much about him.

 

[Holy Headband]

I recall being impressed by Kosho Oshima a while ago, but I wonder what his chances are at the wild card slot. Is it safe to assume he's a longshot? Admittedly don't know much about him.

I'm not an authority on Japanese men's skating, but it seems to me he'd be jockeying for 2nd behind Miura among Japanese juniors (with Tsuboi as his main competition, Honda having moved up to the senior circuit this season). I included him in my initial list of candidates for the JGPF spot, but it all depends on how JSF plan to make the selection.

If they don't withdraw Miura from NHK to send him to the JGPF, I expect them to do the simplest thing and use junior nationals as the skate-off for both singles spots.

 

[Skatesocs]

I support withdrawing Miura from NHK and letting him do JGPF! #KaoMiura2022JWC #Agenda

 

[Holy Headband]

I support withdrawing Miura from NHK and letting him do JGPF! #KaoMiura2022JWC #Agenda

I would be for it if only because Japan has plenty of other young male skaters who could go to NHK, gain some international experience and achieve the same respectable but middling result as Miura presumably would, but Miura is the only Japanese skater who's still junior-eligible and has the potential to contend for the JGPF podium this season (unless someone else has made huge strides during the pandemic, which is always possible).

But Miura himself might be hungry for the experience and not want to go back to junior, especially if his camp have spent the last several months preparing for his first senior competition.

 

[cohkaix]

Yuzuru Hanyu will WD from NHK, due to foot injury. It will be interesting to see if there will be a sub.

 

[Winnie_20]

Deja-vu all over again.

 

[Arbitrary]

Deja-vu all over again.

Again and again the same
Yuzuru heavily URed his 4Ax attempt in practices recently and his right foot practically collapsed.