Sota's interview:
https://mi-mollet.com/articles/-/37776?page=4&per_page=1&device=smartphone
ETA: This is last page of the 4-page interview.
【Figure skater Sota Yamamoto】 From the painful All-Japan to the new season. He has a plan to improve his quadruple jumps to make a leap forward.
He will enter his 9th All-Japan with new blades.
--What did you do to make the jumps feel more stable?
I changed my blades. For the past few years, I have been using "Pattern 99," but I switched to "Matrix," which is made by "JACKSON," a shoe manufacturer. The "Matrix" is simply lighter. When blades are made lighter, jumps are more floaty, but this has the disadvantage of making it harder for gliding as it's harder to push the ice. But with "Matrix," jumps are light and skating is smooth, so it suited me very well. From there, my body senses changed.
Also, from the off-season, I have been seeing a trainer who used to take care of me when I was in the first and second year of college. I think that also had an effect on me.
--What kind of training do you do with your trainer?
I usually do only light workouts in the off-season, but this off-season I have been working with a trainer to increase my land exercises and do more solid workouts every week. I feel that the my body's senses have been changing as a result of these efforts.
The other thing is care. I think the difference is that I am able to communicate with my trainer about how I need to get my body cared for according to my condition, for example, "Please take extra care of my body today," and so on. I have finally come to understand myself and am able to rely on other people. I am starting to feel the change in myself.
--In terms of changes, you have been training with Machiko Yamada sensei since last season. Does Yamada sensei usually coach your jumps?
Yes, Machiko Yamada sensei and Yuko Hongo sensei are coaching me.
--Yamada sensei is a renowned coach who has trained Japan's top skaters such as Midori Ito, Mao Asada, and others.
It has been just one year since I moved to Grand Prix Tokai, and I realized once again how great Machiko sensei is. She is never lax about jumps. She makes me practice many times until I jump cleanly (laugh). If it were up to me, I would just jump cleanly one time and move on to the next, but she makes me repeat it over and over again until it becomes second nature to my body. It's really tough, but I think it's beneficial for me to repeat until my body and brain learn it.
--Do you sometimes learn something extra in addition to the jumping techniques you have built up so far?
That is where Hongo sensei helps me. She tells me things like, "Your hip was a little off in the previous one," or "Your forward-out in the Axel was too far inside," etc. She gives me detailed advice on technical matters. If I just pay attention to those things, I can jump better, so I practice trusting Hongo sensei's advice.
Machiko sensei is supporting me from the aspect of my emotional state. Machiko sensei's presence makes the atmosphere of the team more tense. I am supported by her presence, and since I am the oldest in the club, I have come to think that I would like to take the lead in guiding the team, rather than relying on her to do everything for me.
--At the national training camp in July, you tried a new technique, quadruple flip.
I hadn't practiced the quad flip for a few months since I had a new free skate to practice, but when I tried it for the first time in a while, I felt that I could do it better than before. I could either land it with under-rotation, or I fully rotated but landed on both feet. That's how it is now. I could see room for further improvement from here, so I would like to find time to challenge myself during the season.
--Did you have a good time with your fellow skaters at the training camp?
Yes, I did. After dinner, there was a mini-sized Game of Life sold at the hotel convenience store, and Kazuki bought it and we all played it together.
--Oh. Who won?
Well, even though it was a mini-size version, it took quite a long time. Everyone was tired from practice, and before we reached the goal, we got bored. I said, "Why don't we try something else?" and we were playing "Word Wolf" on our cell phones (laughs).
Yamamoto senshu spoke to us about his recent activities with a gentle twinkle in his eye. His expression suggests that he is living a fulfilling life as an athlete. However, he has faced many difficulties on his way to such a cloudless state.
In the second installment of this series, he talks about the day he lost confidence, saying, "I have fallen to this level," and about his blank period, revealing, "To be honest, I feel that I am still carrying a handicap." However, his love for skating never ceases.
ETA: - to be cont'd to the translation of the 1st page - See next post
He went clean on all his jumps (4T3T, 4S, 3A), and got lv4 for his spins. 
His steps are lv3. Lv4 seems very hard to get, but hopefully Taichiro's success with lv4 steps will motivate Sota, and he'll eventually get it too. 
for the first time!
May he skate well without overthinking.
I have edited his scores and videos into the OP.
The 4F idea sounds especially unwise in this respect, unless it's PR. I'm sure most others won't be taking risks, and hone what they already have. Sota needs to do the same. He hasn't skated the FS clean yet.
