Sorry for the delay, I had family visiting from out of town~
I also, apologize for this way too long post!
Hope it's...helpful?
Suggestions for How and Where to Watch Japanese Nationals
FOD (Fuji On Demand)
FOD (Fuji On Demand) Premium will be livestreaming the entire competition, including Medalist On Ice (Gala)
Unless changes are made, the FOD stream will likely look different from the other Fuji broadcasts
Benefits of FOD:
- Convenience~One livestream link per day, no need to switch channels between or during events
- No commercial or fluff breaks interrupting warmups, performances or Kiss & Cry reactions
- Prerecorded interviews and other content featuring Japanese skaters, might be shown during ice resurfacing
- New Feature Since Sectionals (iirc), the livestream is now “rewindable”
What you won’t get with FOD
- Commentary
- Post skate interviews
- A variety of camera angles, close ups
- Fancy graphics (Ice Scope, Ice Stats, PPC during 6 min warmup, elements executed vs PPC after performance)
The only graphic usually displayed on FOD livestreams is an image showing the program music of upcoming skaters during 6 min warmup
To access FOD programming you will need to purchase a subscription (976 yen per month) and use a VPN set to Japan if viewing from outside of the country
Current promotion with a new subscription~
200 yen (approx $1.40 US) for the first month, 976 yen (approx $6.85 US) from the second month on,
cancel anytime
You can purchase a subscription
here
Japan address and phone number not needed to set up an account
I will add direct links to FOD's Nationals streams as soon as they become available
Streaming service to access Japanese TV Channels
CS FUJI TV Two will be the only channel besides FOD broadcasting the Pairs (Pair
) and Ice Dance events Live
In order to watch the entire competition Live without FOD, you will need to access a combination of CS Fuji TV Two and
either Fuji TV or TVer
Unfortunately,
Muji TV does not currently offer a plan that includes CS Fuji TV TWO
Nozomi
Nozomi Standard (60 Channels) Includes Fuji TV, BS Fuji and CS FUJI TV TWO
Service not available in Japan, Mainland China or the Netherlands
3 Day Test for $3
I believe there is a 7 Day subscription for $6 or $7 however, this option did not appear until after I purchased a 3 Day Test
I was able to buy two 3 Day Tests at once
I’ve activated one subscription to test the stream quality which is excellent
Waiting to see if I'm able to activate the other 3 Day Test after the first one expires
If using on Windows PC or Mac, a video player streaming Japanese channels specific to your subscription will be installed onto your computer
You will likely have to allow the file to be installed
Himawari
Himawari Plus (97 Channels) includes Fuji TV, BS Fuji and CS FUJI TV TWO
Service not available in Japan and Mainland China
3 Day Test for $4
7 Day Plan for $8
Does not install a player onto your computer, utilizes a webplayer
Recommended for use on Android devices (Warning: Cannot be installed on Google Pixel 7 phones
)
If viewing on Windows PC or Mac, you may need to contact customer support to activate webplayer access and to receive an ID (likely starting with AADB followed by nine numbers) and a password to log in
Link to webplayer —>
http://webtv.hmfyw.net/
Kaeri TV
Kaeri TV PLus (90 Channels) Includes Fuji TV, BS Fuji and CS FUJI TV TWO
3 Day Trial for $3 (Must be purchased along with either a Monthly or Yearly Plan)
Monthly Plan for $26 (the $18.25 per month that’s shown is the cost per month if you were to purchase a Yearly subscription)
After the 3 Day Trial period is over you will automatically be charged for the Monthly (or Yearly) Plan until cancelled
High quality streams but pricey!
Like Nozomi, Kaeri TV installs a video player onto your computer
After purchasing, you may need to wait awhile to receive the Kaeri ID and default password for set up (site says it should be sent within
12 hours
)
Iirc, I received this info within maybe 20~30 minutes?...but with Nozomi and Himawari, emails containing necessary info is sent almost immediately after purchase
Tver
Free streaming service, VPN needed if viewing outside of Japan
No account needed to access streams, registering just gives you more service options
TVer Men's SP (Groups 4 & 5?) link
TVer Women's SP (Groups 4 & 5?) link
TVer Men's FS (Groups 3 & 4) link
TVer Women's FS (Groups 3 & 4) link
VPNs
Geo-blocked Japanese sites are notoriously difficult to access
I’ve been using
Express VPN for years and it’s proven to be extremely reliable (for me)
And when I did have a technical issue early on, customer support was exceptional
However, there is no free option and plans are quite expensive
They do offer a 30 day money back guarantee
Last year, quite a few people mentioned they were able to access blocked Japanese sites with the free version of
Proton VPN
I tried testing Proton (free version) but was unable to figure out how to select “Japan” without the paid plan
Anyone with knowledge and experience using Proton VPN successfully or with any other VPN suggestions, please share!
Other options for viewing the competition
Everyone's favorite, “coming in clutch”
figure skating fanstreamer usually streams this competition
If and when I see him go live, I’ll post a link
I plan to upload video of each performance by every skater/team competing (I will be recording from the FOD livestream)
At the end of each day, after all events are completed, I will compile links to video of all performances from that day into one post
I will try my best to get these videos processed and uploaded asap however, it will likely take me more than a few hours to finish
There will probably be Youtube and “X” accounts sharing videos of select skaters before I’m able to post
Videos uploaded to Youtube will most likely be taken from the TV broadcasts
If anyone has questions, suggestions or corrections regarding this post (or any other post I make) please, if at all possible reply or ask me in the thread
I'm one of those people who for some reason have an aversion to checking dms and notifications so never do unless I'm told to
I apologize if you've messaged me a question before and I've never replied
I wasn't trying to ignore you, I just didn't see your dm
www.youtube.com
please?
