Kazuki Tomono

[KiraraChin]

I would say, broadly speaking, yes you need an IG account to see IG stories. Having an IG account is not difficult, though, so it might be worth making an account just to follow your favourite skaters.

In addition, there is a Twitter account FS IG stories that often repost skaters' stories: https://twitter.com/FSIgstories
This account is public, so I believe you can watch their stories without being logged on Twitter.

Oooohhh that's right, Kazuki will be participating in an Osaka Autumn Challenge event this weekend! Hopefully there will be a lot of cute pics

 

[KiraraChin]

A fan posted a really nice pic of Kazuki from 4CC: https://twitter.com/MeganeSag/status/1313805079028264962

Also, here's a little video promo of the Osaka Autumn Challenge Festival, advertising Kazuki's photo event this weekend and the ice show on 12 Dec: https://youtu.be/LK4Vp-zZkCM

 

[KiraraChin]

Another gorgeous pic from 4CC: https://twitter.com/MeganeSag/status/1314141079348731904

Also, check out this amazing drawing! https://twitter.com/rockercounter/status/1314183172003782657

 

[surimi]

wow, that artist is very talented!
Good luck to Kazuki this weekend! When is he skating?

 

[KiraraChin]

Good luck to Kazuki this weekend! When is he skating?

He's actually not skating! Members of the general public will be taking part in a series of sports challenges and the first 30 who complete the challenges will be able to take a (socially distanced, I assume) picture with him.

Meanwhile, check out this hilarious little animation of the onset club: https://twitter.com/colorful1505/status/1314568925179310080

 

[KiraraChin]

Hi everyone, some pics from the Osaka City's Autumn Challenge Sports events on Sunday:

https://twitter.com/coconactu/status/1315193567359320064

https://twitter.com/flapperbear414/status/1315169044341747712

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGMqQoVgR4q/

https://twitter.com/coconactu/status/1315618625525477382

https://twitter.com/coconactu/status/1315620257558482949

I thought he looked really good, some fans also pointed out he was dressed in Mizuno pretty much head to toe

Also on Sunday, he passed the test to become a level 8 figure skater!

Doshisha-figure-skating BBS

dfsc.sakura.ne.jp

I remember Tsurara explained the levels before, IIRC there are 7 levels and the level 8 is an extra... But maybe someone more knowledgeable can confirm.

 

[surimi]

Congrats to Kazuki on becoming a level 8 skater!
I wish we had the weather they were having at Osaka challenge. It's meh here, almost like late November :/ Anyhow... Only West Japan to look forward to now, Kazuki-wise? No talkshows or something?

 

[KiraraChin]

Congrats to Kazuki on becoming a level 8 skater!
I wish we had the weather they were having at Osaka challenge. It's meh here, almost like late November :/ Anyhow... Only West Japan to look forward to now, Kazuki-wise? No talkshows or something?

I know, right? They had gorgeous weather and stunning scenery, too.
I found some more pics: https://twitter.com/_yonoki_/status/1315593293489598465

No talkshows as far as I know, but they are doing TV specials with some of the skaters assigned to the NHK Trophy, so they might do one with Kazuki too (it'd be stupid not to!). So far they have done it with Koshiro and Shun.

 

[fs_fan98]

Congrats to Kazuki on becoming a level 8 skater!
I wish we had the weather they were having at Osaka challenge. It's meh here, almost like late November :/ Anyhow... Only West Japan to look forward to now, Kazuki-wise? No talkshows or something?

Wait what does level 8 skater mean?? I'm pretty new to figure skating (started somewhat following in May) so I don't know a lot of the terms and things yet

 

[fs_fan98]

New post from Kazuki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CGU3RWbDON9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link seems to be an ad for a new mattress. Either way, always love seeing new content!!

 

[KiraraChin]

Wait what does level 8 skater mean?? I'm pretty new to figure skating (started somewhat following in May) so I don't know a lot of the terms and things yet

I think this is something specific to Japanese skating, it's basically a certificate to show your skating level. IIRC, level 7 is normally the maximum, so level 8 is beyond the maximum I'm not sure if all top Japanese skaters bother with these tests, but it's definitely something nice to have in one's CV/profile.

New post from Kazuki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CGU3RWbDON9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link seems to be an ad for a new mattress. Either way, always love seeing new content!!

Sponsored post, nice! Get that , Kazuki! If you scroll down their page, https://shop.koubundou.jp, you'll see other athletes have advertised these mattresses, including fellow skater Yuna Shiraiwa and several football and rugby players.

In other great news, Misha posted a little clip of himself working remotely with Kazuki: https://www.instagram.com/p/CGWZ9YVJfCo/
The caption is 'Updating', so I assume they are they re-working the Moulin Rouge choreography! Can't wait to see it

 

[rRainbow]

After the online onsen club talkshow on August 10, the boys kept talking, and the organizer published the transcript of the aftershow chat in the フィギュアスケート日本代表 2020 ファンブックmagazine, available from Amazon USA & Amazon Japan

--Summary of the first half which is mostly fluffs--
* All of them wanted to talk more.
* Sota and Kazuki sometimes started talking at the same time.
* Taichiro pointed out Kazuki had a tendency to talk for a long time.
* Taichiro and Mitsuki noticed that everyone was wearing a different pattern yukata (Japanese traditional casual summer garment made of cotton), while Kazuki and Sota didn’t notice that.
* For the next onsen trip, Sota and Mitsuki wanted to go to Arima onsen. Then Kazuki recommended Dogo onsen, and everyone agreed.

The second half was about the second career choices.
Translation: (K=Kazuki, M=Mitsuki, S=Sota, T=Taichiro)
--There is another question we could not ask you because we ran out of time. This is the question Sota senshu was to ask you as a MC.
K: About our second career.
S: Okay, let’s start.
K: Please go ahead.
S: As I often tell people, I really want to be a coach. These days, when I have a specific skating problem, I wonder objectively what I would do to help the student if I were a coach, and that’s how I practice. I want to become a coach that much. Then, how about Mitsuki?
M: Recently I’ve started thinking about becoming a coach.
S: That’s good.
M: I won’t start alone, and I would start out by working for my current coach. But I’ve come to think lately that since I cannot coach how to jump, I would rather coach skating skills mainly.
T: You want to be a specialist.
S: Good idea. Next, Taichiro.
T: I want to take time away from figure skating once. I do love teaching things to people, so taking a job in which I give instructions to others is an appealing thought, but since my second career lasts longer in my life, I want to try various things rather than centering on skating. While doing so, if I keep my passion for skating in my heart, I hope to be able to come back to skating and become a coach or choreographer. That’s why I want to spend time away from skating once to experience working in other fields.
S: I have the feeling that Taichiro will do any job just fine.
K&M: Yes, yes.
S: Next, our leader!
K: Right now I’m worried so much I feel like throwing up [laughs].
S: That much?
K: It gives me a stomachache just to think about it. I am not young anymore, as I am in the 4th year of college, so I have to make a decision already after all. Of course part of me wants to take time away from skating, but as Mitsuki just said, I am getting a little interested in giving instructions. Still, I don’t have the guts to choose it as my occupation yet. But I have an idea. We talked about being a specialist just now, and considering the fact that I’ve studied training theory in the Sports Department at college and been supported by the sports club company, I might as well take advantage of them. Right now, none of the former figure skaters can instruct off ice training. All the trainers came from other sports. So, if I can give the off-ice training support to figure skaters, I will probably be in a very strong position. I’ll be glad if I can give effective support to figure skaters, after evaluating various training methods from the viewpoint of a former skater. I am most interested in workouts, so I am leaning toward that type of job.
T: Sounds great, doesn’t it?
K: Not bad, huh.
T: Awesome idea!
S: And then, you’ll go to competitions with skaters?
K: Come to think of it, that, too. As an example, I want to incorporate off-ice workouts and on-ice practice and create exercises inspired by ballet and such. Many overseas instructors are doing these things already.
T: Kazuki will be a specialist in that area?
K: Yes, yes, I want to be certified if it needs certification. I want to have an edge on others, if I want to be an instructor.
T: Considering the circumstances and environment Kazuki is in now, it is more than a dream. Rather, you should go for it, and you are ready.

....to be continued

 

[fs_fan98]

After the online onsen club talkshow on August 10, the boys kept talking, and the organizer published the transcript of the aftershow chat in the フィギュアスケート日本代表 2020 ファンブックmagazine, available from Amazon USA & Amazon Japan

Wow thank you for finding this whole post! Not sure if you translated all of it into English (I'm assuming that you did) or if it was already available with an English translation. But great work either way!!

 

[KiraraChin]

OMG Thank you so much, rRainbow!

I am so impressed by Kazuki's thinking, he identified a gap in the market and he is right - off-ice training is extremely important for skaters!
Although I selfishly hope he won't follow that path any time soon, I hope he continues as a competitive figure skaters for some years to come still!

 

[KiraraChin]

Wow thank you for finding this whole post! Not sure if you translated all of it into English (I'm assuming that you did) or if it was already available with an English translation. But great work either way!!

rRainbow is a Japanese speaker who very kindly translates bits and pieces directly from Japanese for us. You can also find her translations in other Japanese skaters' threads. In other words, rRainbow is our hero!

PS- We also had another Japanese speaker called Tsurara who often contributed to this thread, but she hasn't appeared in a long time... I hope she's alright

 

[rRainbow]

Thanks, Kirara, for your kind words. I am not fluent in English, and I just try to beat google translation.
I miss Tsurara, too. Hope she is doing fine.

About skating level 8, it looks like it is the certification only in Japan, and since level 7 is enough to compete internationally, very few skaters bother to get the level 8 certification. Other than Kazuki, Yukari Nakano, Takahiko Kozuka, and recently Yuhana Yokoi have level 8. I also heard that with level 8, you don't have to work under a coach to start a coaching career. I guess Kazuki got the level 8 certification to be prepared for his future.

 

[rRainbow]

Last part of onsen club aftershow chat:

S: You can get support from Central Sports (t/n: Kazuki’s sponsor).
T: You can belong to a sports club and can be a gym trainer as well.
K: Of course I have a dream of going to the Olympic as a skater, but besides that, I thought it would be cool to go to the Olympics as an instructor.
S: You’ve got a point. It is another dream to become sensei and go to the Olympics with your students.
K: Right. Also, as an alternative, I can be a staff trainer of the support group. I know figure skating, and recently I started to hope that I can become someone who can give support to skaters in whatever small way I can. But I did some digging and found out that if the job is in the medical field, it is a bit hard to get properly certified and licensed…. Therefore, I get sick to my stomach debating what to do.
T: I know, but you should go for it, in my opinion.
K: Sounds good. I enjoy working out myself.
T: Sometimes my trainer gives me advice that makes a whole lot of sense and enlightening.
K: Yeah, right, exactly!
T: If these words come from experienced skaters, they will be more convincing.
K: And more detailed. For example, if someone has trouble getting on the inside edge, after evaluating his body type and form, I will be able to recommend a specific training menu.
T: What’s more, you will be able to take in different ways to use muscles in other sports, and make use of them in figure skating. Kazuki, I want you to start soon.
K: I think that’s an interesting idea.
S: What are you waiting for? Retire already [laughter].
M: Retire, Retire! [laughter]
S: Next year. You’re almost there [laughter].
K: Maybe I’d better consult with the Federation officials [laughter]. Anyway, enough of this topic.
--You have a wonderful vision of your future! Speaking of becoming an instructor, what about a choreographer?
M: [shaking his head].
K: Ummm
T: I want to try!
S: I can imagine Taichiro being a choreographer.
K: I might have told Taichiro before that choreography is really hard because you have to have expertise in various areas.
M&S: Yes, yes.
T: Although it is hard, you get to put together programs you love, watch them from the outside and brush them up some more. In doing so, there are so many things to think about, but yeah, it sounds like fun.
K: I choreographed for about five skaters of the college skating club. It sure was fun.
T: I want to choreograph for at least one skater while I am an active skater.
K: Seriously? While you are actively competing?
T: For my junior club members or novice junior girls.
K: Gala numbers or retirement programs for graduating seniors. Come to think of it, people like Kohei Yoshino are cool.
M: Kohei-kun is a good choreographer.
K: He has charisma.
T: He has come this far in this field.
K: It would be great if I could do choreography, coaching and everything, but it would be tough.
T: As an alternative, you might want to form a team.
K: But when you do it as your job, I bet it will be absolutely difficult. People will definitely get into a fight [laughter].
T: Of course they will. Professional work is no easy task.
K: You’re right.
M: I can see the difficulty.
S: Yes.
--Everybody, Thank you very much for sharing your valuable story.
Everyone: Thank you very much.
S: We talked a lot.
K: We really talked a lot. It was a nice talk show.
M: It sure was.
T: It was super fun!
--Thank you very much. I do hope to have another talk show with you.
Everyone: Please, please.
K: Maybe after the season is over.
S: I had a good time. Please do it again.
T: Thank you very much.
M: Thank you very much.
K: Well, everybody, see you around!

---The End --

 

[fs_fan98]

Last part of onsen club aftershow chat:

Thanks for posting this again!!

It's really interesting to hear about everyone's plans for the future. I really like hearing about Kazuki's plan. He will make a great off-ice trainer and it would be really awesome if he could go to the olympics as a trainer too. But I also really hope he doesn't retire soon, I hope he'll get to compete at the olympics as a skater!

 

[KiraraChin]

About skating level 8, it looks like it is the certification only in Japan, and since level 7 is enough to compete internationally, very few skaters bother to get the level 8 certification. Other than Kazuki, Yukari Nakano, Takahiko Kozuka, and recently Yuhana Yokoi have level 8. I also heard that with level 8, you don't have to work under a coach to start a coaching career. I guess Kazuki got the level 8 certification to be prepared for his future.

Thank you so much for this, and for the onsen club translation, rRainbow!
Interesting about the levels, especially considering Kazuki has some experience self-coaching since Hiraike-sensei stepped down from his daily training, and Misha lives away.
Also, I didn't know Kazuki had choreographed five programmes for his figure skating club team mates, that's actually impressive!

 

[KiraraChin]

Thanks for posting this again!!

It's really interesting to hear about everyone's plans for the future. I really like hearing about Kazuki's plan. He will make a great off-ice trainer and it would be really awesome if he could go to the olympics as a trainer too. But I also really hope he doesn't retire soon, I hope he'll get to compete at the olympics as a skater!

My thoughts exactly! I think the guys were a bit mean telling Kazuki to retire