Sure, I'll do it in bits, and will gradually add it to this post.
May not be able to do it all tonight, but over the next day or so, I can translate it. It will not be pro-level, and there may be errors, I'm always happy to hear comments on the translation and corrections if I have gotten anything wrong. Please say so.
First of all. What a lot of talk about onigiri. Now I'm hungry for one...but it's too late. Maybe tomorrow.
Pre-competition rituals
--Are there things you always do before competition?
Tomono: What I do is that I have a certain food
--Oh?
T: Two Sea-chicken mayonnaise Onigiri (rice balls) (Seachicken is Tuna, usually canned)
--Two? Without changing the flavor?
T: I like sea-chicken mayonnaise. (I’ve been doing it ) For a long time, and it’s not possible to eat a lot before competition.
--I suppose so
T: --Therefore, I eat Sea-chicken mayonnaise onigiri (laugh)
--Two
T: If I’m full I adjust to one but in any case, I buy Sea chicken mayonnaise onigiri and eat it.
--If you say this, you know, fans will really…
T: Sea-chicken Mayonnaise. (laugh)
--There may be a lot
T: I’ll have to eat a lot. (laugh) I do a lot of adjustments according to circumstances, but sea-chicken mayonnaise is a must-have. In any domestic competition, I eat it.
--What do you do in international competition?
T: Internationally, I still want to eat rice, so I eat ‘gomoku gohan’-like things by adding hot water. (Japanese mixed rice)
--You should buy sea-chicken and mayonnaise then.
T: but Sea-chicken is a raw food so…
--But they sell it at supermarkets
T: That is difficult, but I can endure (not having it) for internationals and it doesn’t have to be seachicken then, I don’t think.
--That’s right
T: Well, at domestic competitions, I like sea-chicken mayonnaise so I eat that, and internationally, in the end, rice.
--Getting carbohydrates
T: Getting energy
--So to say, ‘I love Sea chicken mayonnaise onigiri’
T: I love it (laugh) of the kinds of Onigiri.
--The supply will come rolling in! There are some wrapped in seaweed and some without…
T: I don’t necessarily eat it by choice. Before competition.
--You eat the onigiri before the competition. When are you in competition mode?
T: Once I eat. Through eating I can feel ‘the competition is starting from now’.
--So the cue is the sea-chicken mayonnaise?
T: Yes. Amongst the kinds of onigiri that’s what I like the most –I guess. I don’t eat it all the time but when it’s competition time I think I’ll eat this so I invariably get 2, eat it, and think “Today’s taste is the same as ever” (laugh)
--You warm up slowly?
T: I listen to music while warming up, and begin to get into it a bit, like, “Let’s Go!”
--Like a DJ? (laugh)
T: Like that. (laugh)
--During that point, what music are you listening to?
What music do you listen to?
T: I listen to a lot of genres, but I don’t have a favorite. There are, but listening to a variety of music, there are sometimes many artists within a genre that I like.
--Which artist do you like?
T: For example, during stretches, I listen to traditional music, do you know of Suchmos?
--Suchmos, right?
T: (laugh) Suchmos, and similar Naravarich and such. Also Motohiro Hata. Something that is trying to be too cool, or something that would be cool to have playing in a room.
--You listen to while you stretch
T: Well, also guitar and people singing solo too.
--At those times of course you do air-guitar?
T: (laugh) well, to relax.
--What about when you need to warm up?
T: To warm up, I listen to traditional music, rock, and I guess, western music too.
--Western music, who do you listen to?
T: For western music, I put in all the top charting Billboard songs on itunes, whether I like them or not, and listen to all the popular songs.
--You must know a lot of songs
T: I like music appreciation.
--Is that so, same as me.
T: (laugh) if you skate, you will come to like it. Changing music according to mood, listening to certain music in one’s room.
--What song do you want to listen to now?
T: Hmm…Jazz? Something stylish, with spoken word? (not sure about this bit)
--Stylish… I think, now, some jazz will begin to play.
Coach Hiraike chose the Exhibition music
--When speaking of expression, Exhibitions are often for people’s enjoyment. Some to make people laugh, are you particular about this?
T: I, um, my coach chooses it. (laugh)
--Oh really? But when he was competing he never did that. (talking about this style of performance?)
T: That’s right.
--Will he get mad if I say this? (laugh)
T: When I was little, one does the Yaugdin steps right? I did that a lot, and was made to do it, that and pretty fun skates. Coach would bring a lot of that kind of music.
--I always watch and it makes me laugh. The nunchaks… (I don’t remember seeing this performance…anyone have a link?)
T: Well, to be honest, when one becomes a highschool or university student, …as an elementary student I was into it, (but later) became reluctant
--a little embarrassed
T: There is certainly a feeling of embarrassment
--There was for that performance?
T: Yes, but if I’m standing in front of an audience, if (I) am embarrassed, (they) will feel embarrassed too I think. So, on the rink I throw away shyness and try my best to throw myself into the performance.
--I think you are discarding your shyness.
T: Especially in the Police Dog. (laughs)
--The Police Dog…was that also Coach Hiraike’s idea?
T: That was my current choreographer, Sato Misao-sensei, told me to do it. It was choreographed during public skating time. The Higashikanagawa, Yokohamaginkou folks didn’t know me at all and I was doing this (dog pose).
--What, what?
T: ‘Woof!’ (dog pose) like that. When that was choreographed, at the time, I was Junior Champion.
--is that so
T: The kids skating at the rink said “Oh it’s Tomono-kun” I thought “oh, I’m starting to get a little attention” but I was like Huh?
--It would be like that (laugh)
T: Even Misao-sensei could sense it.
--At the core, would you rather be normal than funny?
Do you actually want to do a normal performance?
T: From the time I was small till now, I’ve been doing impactful performances. Even when I didn’t have the skills, the federation remembered my name and the skating fans too; I think I left an impression since I was small and they remembered, I think that helped me raise my profile.
--That’s true
T: That was a really good thing, but, there’s part of me that wants to do a ‘normal’ performance.
--(laugh)
T: Last year, I did American in Paris, it was the first time there wasn’t a gimmick, though to say that is a bit funny. (laugh)
--Because you’re an athlete, it is funny.
T: For the first time I was able to do my ideal kind of skating performance. Until now, I had had pretty striking costumes as well, the white shirt, neck tie and vest (was simple) I thought (laugh). When I asked Coach Hiraike what he thought of the costume, he said “You have a figure skating costume at last”. But, they all have been…(laugh)
--You were the one who made me wear them (laugh)
T: I said it’s you! (laugh)
Memorable Programs
--So amongst them, which is the most memorable program?
T: Last year’s American in Paris, I really loved and the first one I wanted and was eager to do. It was exactly suited to me. When it was chosen and they said let’s do this one and I heard it I really looked forward to it, it was one that I could really enjoy skating to. I loved last year’s American in Paris, but one that left an impression on me that others may not know about is my last year as a Novice, at the Novice Nationals, I placed 3rd, and I went to Junior Nationals, and it was there, the fateful Air-guitar Version.
--I recall seeing that
T: I used the same song for the short and the free, I’d been doing that for about 5 years, through novice. I was invited to Junior Nationals as a Novice and used that song, short and free, the same song, I did the Yagudin steps while playing the air-guitar. (laugh) That left quite an impression and people remembered it.
--Yes, I remember it.
T: ‘That air guitar kid’ they said, lots of coaches, officials and skate fans, I really feel lots of people remembered it. I think that may have been the most impactful.
--Do you have a favorite pose from choreography?
T: The aforementioned air-guitar playing. That is the most profound memory from my childhood, that was what everyone remembered.
--‘I remember, I remember, who was that kid.’
