Kazuki Tomono | Page 23 | Golden Skate

Kazuki Tomono

So, the Autumn Challenge Ice Show and Masterclass with Kazuki seems to have been a success! There are several reports on Twitter from people who went there and enjoyed it very much.

Apparently he did New Cinema Paradiso first, and then Riverdance later. Users said that he was a really nice and kind teacher and told his students to always have fun while skating!

Some of the reports (in Japanese, I used Google Translate):
https://twitter.com/Maika_poo/status/1069139741218496513?s=19

https://twitter.com/girasole_agosto/status/1069097161453854721?s=19

https://twitter.com/ReturnOfKing217/status/1069113764518092802?s=19

https://twitter.com/mei0_y/status/1069092101437108230?s=19

https://twitter.com/rainsakura/status/1069120563845558272?s=19

https://twitter.com/ReturnOfKing217/status/1069109235466690560?s=19

https://twitter.com/girasole_agosto/status/1069099250821226496?s=19

ETA: Oh, and some other reports said he opened the doors of the rink to the fans himself and at one point seemed to be controlling the music with his phone? Seems he was very hands-on! I would LOVE to see him producing and hosting his own ice show one day!
 
I really love how Kazuki is so supportive of Japanese junior skaters and keep following and updating about their competitions in his IG stories. Today he posted congratulating Koshiro Shimada on his Bronze medal in JGPF (congrats to him :thumbsup:), he is such a sweetheart.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dt3E1HyUcAABcGN.jpg:large

We know he and Kashiro were quite close during their junior days together, I am happy they will come to see each other again in senior nationals since this might have been hard now with Koshiro training in Switzerland.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrEkyG8hGuu/

It is less than two weeks to nationals and with every day closer, I am getting quite anxious for him. Wish him the best :pray:
 
I agree his IG story congratulating Koshiro was really sweet!

College Athlete TV made a 20-min segment on Kazuki, as part of a series called "The Stars". It looks so fun and amazing, if only a kind soul would add English subtitles so the international fans could fully appreciate it as well :pray:

Kazuki's tweet about it: https://twitter.com/naniwatomono/status/1071301225772081157?s=19
Full segment link: https://sportsbull.jp/p/437832/

I couldn't understand much of it, but it was cool seeing him interacting with the kids at his rink and his friends at uni! It seems his mates call him 'kawaii' in order to tease him :p
 
KiraraChin said:
College Athlete TV made a 20-min segment on Kazuki, as part of a series called "The Stars".
Click to expand...

I had some time to waste today, but it's quite long to put the whole translation here at once and I don't know how to attach a subtitle file to the vid itself, so I'll write down translation here in a few(2 or 3?) parts.
(Mind you, it may contain some errors or mistranslation and I'm not English native. Please feel free to correct them.)

***

<skipped the first introduction part> (just general info of his profile and that Doshisha Univ Figure Skating Club started in 1932)

~At 7:30 AM, in front of Nankai-Nanmba Station (in Osaka)

Reporter(R): Good morning. Nice to meet you and thanks for your cooperation today.
Tomono(T): Nice to meet you too.
R: What time did you wake up this morning?
T: I woke up at six today.
R: Usually this early?
T: Yes. But I have an exam today and I stayed up late studying last night. So I’m very sleepy today. [laugh] I have a morning practice before classes.
R: Did you eat breakfast?
T: This morning...(I didn’t.) I usually eat rice and fried eggs(medama-yaki/sunny-side up) with bacon. I eat such breakfast every morning. I like fried eggs and bacon.

T: I came back to Japan yesterday, rested all day, and today is the first day of training (since the last competition). [laugh] So, I’m not sure if I can control my body well today.
R: So, I see that people are already training this early.
T: That’s right. They start at 6 (in the morn). I usually join them at 8. Many kids start trainining early in the morning.

-Tomono starts stretching in the hallway.

R: You do your warm-up here in such a place? Aren’t there some rooms for that?
T: I do it here every day. All I need is a bench to put skates on. And it's a lot warmer here anyways.
R: So you always do your stretching here before practice?
T: Yes.

T: I don’t often rent a rink privately, and I think I tend to give more weight to morning practices. There aren’t many late evening sessions and my training time is limited. So, I often go to the National Training Center on weekends for training.
R: Why did you choose Doshisha University?
T: The major reason is that they have Faculty of Health and Sports Science. I can learn what I really like to study about. How should I put it… I thought I’d be more motivated to study about what I like. Not many universities have one, and I was kinda interested in it.

T: Yesterday, I watched #6 of this series(The Stars) on Kosuke Hori (another athlete interview uploaded previously, shown on the bottom-left window) and was wondering this interview would be something similar (but it isn't and a lot more casual). [laugh]
R: You know Hori-kun in person?
T: Yes, he’s my friend. He talked to me on the very first day, when we had our university entrance ceremony, and we became friends. Since he does rhythmic gymnastics, we have a lot in common. This university has many celebrated athletes and Kosuke-kun is one of them, you know. I get to see many great results of big competitions by others and that inspires me a lot.

-Tomono giving souvenirs to his rink mates.

Girl: Kawaii! (Cute)
Woman: Thank you! Ah, that’s great for you!
Girl: Matryoshka!
Everyone: Congrats!
Tomono: Thanks.
Woman: Thank you for the souvenir.
Girl: We were all watching you!
Girl: I was cheering for you in front of television.
Girl: I was shouting like, jump! jump! jump!
Tomono: These are not from Russia, but here you go. (gives them candies)
Girls: Thank you!
Girl: What about Masaru? (No idea what she meant by Masaru, but possibly Zagitova's Japanese puppy?)
Tomono: Ah, I’m sorry, forgot to bring Masaru back.

-back to the interview

T: Always like that.
R: Good friends.
T: Right. Little kids or big kids, we’re together everyday, so we’re like a family.

R: You care about fashion too, correct?
T: Yes. My choices are limited, though. I enjoy checking out clothes on internet, like I check around fashion sites and say “I like this one,” but I have to try it on before buying anything to see if it fits. Most of the times, I find something nice online, go to the shop and try it on, only to get disappointed and go home. Not many shops have clothes that fit me in terms of size, so I end up going to the same shops. When I find something that fits me in size, I just instantly go, “I love this shop!” [laugh]
R: What about your shoe size?
T: Very small. 24 cm. My feet are small. Skates are available and not a huge issue, though. Of course, sometimes I have to place a custom order (for skates), but I have a real trouble finding shoes like running shoes for men. It’s so sad. Someone should start a new business in small size products.

T: Some top athletes are really picky with their skates, like changing the position of the edges all the time and everything, but I’m not. I’m more like trying to accommodate myself to the edges instead. I don’t mind much unless they are too ill-fitted. That said, when I wear a new pair, I notice a big difference in skating, to my surprise, even when other people don’t notice I’m wearing a new pair. Then I realize how sensitive our bodies are. It’s amazing every time.

-Tomono goes on the ice

to be continued
 
Tsurara, you're an angel! Thank you so much for this! I'm eagerly awaiting the continuation of the translation :love:

On a side note, poor Kazuki, I had no idea he would struggle to find clothes his size even in Japan! I guess he is very small, even for Japanese standards...
 
He really is so tiny, even by the Japanese men's standards...
 
A bonus pic from Fuji TV Skate, broadcasting All Japan Nationals on 20th this month.
https://twitter.com/online_on_ice/status/1071668489268551680

***
<Part 2 of "The Stars" #9 translation>

From 7 mins in, Tomono on the ice (I'm not really sure what the lady said when Tomono went on the ice, sounds like some advice about changing his skating course, maybe.)


-Tomono having a break

T: Sometimes it hurts a little bit after a couple of days of not wearing skates.
T: Now, I’m practicing jumps!

-Tomono back on the ice

T: I always start with axel jumps first. Those jumps I did in the beginning was 3A, and what I was trying later were the jumps I’m not very good at, combination jumps of triple-triple which I’m practicing right now.

T: My favorite jump is 3A and I’m supposed to be good at it. But, to the contrary, I often find it harder to land a clean one at a competition as I tend to be careless because it’s easier, and end up making small mistakes like overturn and such. My landing isn’t constantly smooth enough yet, so currently that’s what I need to work on. Now, I’m going to practice quads.

-Tomono back on the ice.

~9:00 AM

T: I’m getting off earlier today because I have an exam.
R: Don’t you get sleepy (after all the practices you did)?
T: To be honest, I do get very sleepy! I’m fighting against sleepiness every day.

T: Now I’m leaving for the exam. I’ll go do my best!
R: Good luck and see you later!

~12:00 PM, Doshisha University Campus (cafeteria)

T: I did okay…(regarding the exam) [laugh]
Friend(F): It was a piece of cake!
T: In fact, it was! [laugh] It was a piece of cake!
R: What’s on the menu today?
T: 'Nira Moyashi Itame' (stir-fry veges of Chinese chive and bean sprouts) with chicken, 'Sasami Cheese Katsu' (breaded and deep-fried chicken breast strips with cheese), 'Tonjiru' (miso soup with pork and veges), and plain rice I brought from home.
R: Do you always bring cooked rice from home for lunch?
T: That’s right. It’s a waste to buy rice.

-His friend, Yasuhiro Tsuchida, 2nd year student, Faculty of Health and Sports Science

R: Tell me, what is Tomono-san like?
F: Gap. A man of a gap. He’s just an average university student, or a typical guy from Osaka. He loves hilarious stuff and shows us funny things all the time. But when I see him on TV, he looks so different, he’s got this neat and cool expression on his face. I seriously suspect multiple personalities. (joking)
T: No way, no multiple personalities.
F: I’m sure it makes girls 'moe'.
R: So, he is popular among girls as expected?
F: But... he’s usually just an ordinary guy, so… just ordinary, right?
T: I’m shy when I’m shy, I can be friendly when I can be friendly.
F: [laugh] You actually demonstrate your unsocial character too, sometimes.
T: Myeah, but, but, it’s a lot easier for me to talk with girls who play sports and not so much with those who don’t. Those shiny girls scare me and I kinda shy away.
F: That’s a great way to put it, shiny girls.
T: That’s right, you know what I mean, shiny girls!
F: A great way to put it, really!
T: I just can’t help myself balking when they’re too shiny.

-Another friend arrives.

F: There you are, join us for the vid.
Friend2(F2): What? Why?
F: You too join us now.
R: Did you watch the competition the other day?
F2: I did, I did!

-?(first name) Ikegami, 2nd year student, Faculty of Health and Sports Science

R: How did you like it?
F2: It was like, “He’s so kewl!” Yeah, he’s so kewl! (teasing Tomono)
T: Man, you’re sick!
F: Darn disgusting.
T: You, nasty!
F2: Watching him on TV, I went like, “Kazuki-sama!”
R: What was the best part?
F2: All I see here (in Tomono) in general is him behaving silly and kidding around, but on TV, he’s got this serious expression on his face that I never ever see, and…
R: Everyone says the same.
F: Everyone feels the same, it’s a cliché.
F2: Kazuki is usually grinning and all, but when he’s serious, he’s like this! (mocks Tomono)
F: Not bad. That face was not bad at all.
T: But it’s easy for me because they separate 'me as usual' from 'me as a skater' and look at me accordingly, so I appreciate it. You know, like, they treat me as a classmate in a normal way when I’m back on campus.
F2: What we do after every competition is to collect “accidental” photos (that went horribly wrong).
F: Yeah, yeah. [laugh] We definitely do that.
T: They send me loads… You know, like when a photographer shoots a photo of a skater doing a spin, it looks like this. (makes a funny face) They love sending me those pics.
F: We look for such pics, send them to Kazuki and say, “We had a lot of fun at this competition too!”

To be continued (again)...

***
Reminder: Tomono and his friends talk in Osaka/Kansai dialect, and they enjoy teasing a lot.
Please let me know if any words/phrases didn't make sense or confuse you.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the translation, that was adorable :laugh:
Poor tiny Kazuki, I didn't realise he was that small even by Japanese standards. I wonder if Shoma has similar problems.
Also, 'shiny girls scare me' :rofl:
 
Weetos said:
Also, 'shiny girls scare me' :rofl:
Click to expand...

You're very welcome :)
That line really bugged me. He actually blurred that sentence, but I had to spell that out to get the meaning across.
What he actually said was "キラキラし過ぎてると、ああっ！ってなっちゃうから", literally put, "Because, when they are too shiny (sparkling/glittering), it makes me go like 'Ahhh!'"
If any of you have a better way to translate it, please tell me!
 
Tsurara, I really cannot thank you enough for this. It's such a treat to have an insight of Kazuki's daily life, and his interactions with his friends! He seems such a sweet, laid-back, sensible boy. I can't get enough of him!

A few comments:

- LMAO at him bringing his own rice to university! I also laughed with his friend's accusation of 'multiple personalities' :rofl:
- I guess what he meant by 'shiny girls' would be the model types, or really dolled up girls? It would make sense if he's more comfortable talking to sporty girls. Anyhow, he really doesn't have any reason to be shy, but I guess it's easier said than done ;)
 
Thank you so much for the translation, Tsurara!
This is such a fun interview. I couldn’t help but smile and chuckle while reading, particularly at the moe part, where his friends tease his skating persona and jumping/spinning faces :laugh:
They seem really close, it’s really nice to know Kazuki can wind down from practices and competitions with his friends.

—————
Kazuki really is small. My height and shoe size are exactly the same as him, and I typically wear a woman’s S size, rarely M. I’d imagine it would be hard for him to find things in the men’s section thar fits him well.
 
<Part 3 of "The Stars" #9 translation>

13 mins in...

-Tomono walking on campus along with his friends

F2: You really have a great student life.
F: You know, what you need is like…
F2: At least it’s better than faking who you are.
T: You’re right.
F: Absolutely.
F2: We must show who Tomono really is to people all over the world.

-Tomono stops to tie his shoelaces.

F2: The world’s (top skater) Tomono had to tie his shoelaces.
F: Okay, we’re going, you catch up with us! [laugh]
T: You guys, I’ve had enough!
(everyone laughs)
F: It's like this all the time.
R: Nice.

-Another friend of theirs appears. He notices a camera.

Friend3(F3): Embarrassing!
R: Thank you for your cooperation the other day.
F3: Thank you.

-Kosuke Hori, 2nd year student, Faculty of Health and Sports Science
(the athlete appeared in #6 of “The Stars” series)

T: When you did yours(your video), you kept on talking very seriously all the way, mostly by yourself, didn’t you?
F3: Umm…?
T: But for me, they came this morning, and it went like this, “Are you nervous?” “I’m sleepy.”
(everyone laughs)
F3: He is always kidding around… no, that’s a lie. He’s got great results, like 3rd place in Russia the other day too, and, how should I put it… we have such a great star here. As you know I do rhythmic gymnastics and it is somewhat similar to figure skating in a way, and I have a lot of respect for him, and…
(camera shows Tomono)
F3: I take quite a few classes that he also takes, like tennis, fitness, etc., and I’m amazed at his great reflexes and his athletic talents. It’s obvious that he’s on a different level.
F&F2: Wow!? (they’re teasing him for the praise)
F2: He manages to do everything well!
T: But I smash home runs (like baseball) when playing tennis...
F3: Even when he isn’t good at one sport, he’s a fast learner and absorbs everything right away, and…
T: Nope, not tennis, that one is a lie.
F3: He improves fast and somehow ends up being the best player among us in the end. I believe it shows in his figure skating too.
T: I’m flattered.
Friends: Kawaii! Gambare~! (all teasing him)
F2: Gambare, Kazuki!
F: Kawaiiii!
T: Soooo fed up with you guys... Now we're leaving for classes and I’ll see you later.
-All go into the building.

~At 7:30 PM Full Moon

T: Good evening.
R: Welcome back, you must be tired.
T: I am a bit. [laugh] Thursdays exhaust me with a lot of classes. But I’ll try and survive.

~To the rink

T: She is my teammate. (not senpai nor junior, they joined the univ club in the same year.)

~Saki(?) Nakamura, 2nd year student, Figure Skating Club

Nakamura(N): We all watched the live streaming on smartphones and cheered together, praising him. I really look up to him.

N: He’s incredibly kind, gives us great advice on skating. I started skating when I entered this university, and it helps me a lot that he tells us in detail too. I see that he doesn’t get worked up (no pressures), he takes it easy. Maybe it’s just me, but I believe he is very relaxed while he keeps his motivation up nicely.
T: (? I can’t hear what he said)
N: I know, you’re a man with luck on his side[SUP]*1[/SUP], right? [laugh]
T: Nobody ever says that to me.

<Note 1: What she said is "もってる男", literally, "a man who has (something that brings luck to win)". This has recently been a popular phrase/slang here when talking about athletes since Ichiro (MLB), Honda (soccer), and others used it in their interviews.>

T: It’s cold!
T: I’ll skate to the music for the evening practice.
R: May I see it?

-Riverdance CD

T: Riverdance, this version is for practicing.
R: Is this for your FS?
T: Right, it's for FS.

-Tomono back on the ice.

Girls: “Amazing...” “Great height, and even greater expression.” “Great height and great rotation.” “He’s got speed too!” “It’s… just awesome.” [laugh]

T: For now, I’m aiming to win the ticket to the World Championships, and to become a beloved top skater to represent Japan. In the future, I’d like to stay involved in the sport, and I hope I can play a part to contribute to it, improving its competitiveness.

-Local fans taking photos of Tomono.

Fans: “Okay, it’s done.” “We’re cheering for you! Keep going and good luck!”
T: Thank you.

R: Great work and thank you.
T: Thank you.
R: Now, let me ask you one last question. What have you gained by (participating in) university sports, or what would you like to gain?
T: Learning power. There are many great students with significant knowledge of sports here, and I can learn a lot from friends and senpai that I look up to. As I’ve got a lot of opportunities to compete on the world stage, I've become... I realize that I now find myself being able to engage well with both the sport and studying as a university student. Anyhoo, I would like to learn a lot, absorb everything I can like a sponge.
R: Being relaxed or not getting worked up (taking things easy), is that also a part of what you gained here?
T: Yeah, that too, I guess. Well, umm, having fun is another thing that I learned from my university life. So, yeah, learning power and having fun.
R: Thank you very much.
T: Thank you very much.

~Fin~

***
Thank you all for nice comments, I'll reply back to them later.
 
Last edited:
I really love this segment so much, BIG thanks Tsurara for taking the time to help and translate it to us :luv17:

I like how we get to see more of his daily university life away from the rink. He sure has some fun friends, their interactions are hilarious :laugh:

Japan nationals in just 10 days and I am happy to hear Misha will be there for him. Hope the pressure doesn't get to him and he would be able to shows us what he is capable of doing while having fun skating there :pray:
 
KiraraChin said:
- LMAO at him bringing his own rice to university! I also laughed with his friend's accusation of 'multiple personalities' :rofl:
- I guess what he meant by 'shiny girls' would be the model types, or really dolled up girls? It would make sense if he's more comfortable talking to sporty girls. Anyhow, he really doesn't have any reason to be shy, but I guess it's easier said than done ;)
Click to expand...
I cannot speak for him, but I think his wording is to not hurt those girls' feelings, maybe. Apparently his friend knows what he meant by it, and my guess is more like girly girls or groupie types who go after him as a celebrity (instead of treating him as an athlete, or just as a person...?) but I'm not really sure.
Also, thanks for pointing out "personalities" :biggrin: (corrected!)

khtmyzr said:
I couldn’t help but smile and chuckle while reading, particularly at the moe part, where his friends tease his skating persona and jumping/spinning faces :laugh:
They seem really close, it’s really nice to know Kazuki can wind down from practices and competitions with his friends.
Click to expand...
AQFS said:
I like how we get to see more of his daily university life away from the rink. He sure has some fun friends, their interactions are hilarious :laugh:
Click to expand...
Glad to hear that the translation somehow delivered their interactions/atmosphere even for a bit. Their convos are really funny!

KiraraChin said:
I really admire him for his ability to get along well with everyone, and cultivate lots of cool friendships!
Click to expand...
He's been taking a real good care of my most favorite, Koshiro(our hometown hero), as you can see from his SNS. I adore their friendship and I can't thank him enough (especially when Koshiro had the most difficult times). That said, Tomono-kun is also one of my (many) favorites, and it's always nice to see favorites enjoying their great friendships!

This video is really amazing, and the credit goes to College Athlete TV!
 
May I chime in about "キラキラし過ぎてると、ああっ！ってなっちゃうから"?
I am not a native English speaker so I appreciate Tsurara's English superb translations. I can only comment on キラキラ女子 (kirakira girl).
Kirakira girls are trendy, hard working, socially active in real life and on SNS. They have positive outlook with nice smile.
https://woman.mynavi.jp/article/180706-6/

However some women don't like kirakira girls because they feel inferiority complex, Jealous, overwhelmed, etc. It appears that kirakira girls are high achievers and men, too, feel intimidated by them sometimes and feel it's difficult to keep up with kirakira girls.
I got the impression that Kazuki feels more comfortable with the girl next door type.
 
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