RikuRyu announcing the show at Bloom on Ice on May 1st:
フィギュアスケート・ペアで17日に現役引退を発表した「りくりゅう」こと三浦璃来さん（24）木原龍一さん（33）組が、2人がプロデュースするアイスショー「THE… - 日刊スポーツ新聞社のニュースサイト、ニッカンスポーツ・コム（nikkansports.com）
www.nikkansports.com
Machine translation:
[Figure Skating] Riku and Ryuichi make a surprise announcement! Ice show produced by the pair to be held: ‘For those unfamiliar with pairs skating’
[1 May 2026, 17:47]
The figure skating pair known as ‘Rikuryu’ – Riku Miura (24) and Ryuichi Kihara (33), who announced their retirement from active competition on the 17th – have made a surprise announcement that they will be staging an ice show produced by the pair, titled ‘THE DESTINY’. They revealed this on the 1st during the ice show ‘Bloom On Ice’ at Amagasaki Sports no Mori in Hyogo. A total of four performances will be held at the Tokyo Tatsumi Ice Arena from 31 July to 2 August.
Kihara explained, “This will be Japan’s first ice show centred on pairs/couples skating.” Regarding the show’s title, Miura stated, “For pairs and ice dance, meeting one’s partner is a matter of destiny. We felt we simply had to include ‘DESTINY’ in the title.”
The pair have been holding discussions and developing the concept for the show since after the Milan-Cortina Olympics, when they made the decision to retire from competitive skating. One of their key priorities was to ensure the rink size was almost identical to that used in competitions. Kihara noted, “In previous shows, due to the size of the rink, I think it was difficult to convey 120 per cent of the appeal of pairs and ice dancing, but in ‘THE DESTINY’, the rink is almost the same size as in competitions. I believe the audience will feel the same sense of speed and intensity as they would at a competition,” he explained.
Their goal is to establish Japan as a powerhouse in pairs skating. Miura appealed to the public, saying, “We’d like people who aren’t yet familiar with pairs skating to come and watch. I don’t think there have been many shows centred on the couples disciplines like this, so we want to convey the appeal of pairs skating to as many people as possible.” Kihara added, “We’d like people who have never seen figure skating before to come and watch. We want to make this a show that everyone finds really enjoyable. We want to show people what pairs skating is all about, and what ice dancing is all about,” he emphasised.
This performance at Bloom on Ice marked their first appearance in a show since turning professional. Thanks in part to the “RikuRyu effect”, a full house of 2,503 people turned out. After completing their debut performance in their home prefecture of Hyogo, Miura smiled and said, “I was able to skate happily from start to finish,” whilst Kihara “I’m delighted to be performing at Bloom again after such a long time. It was wonderful to see so many people come along,” he said, his words full of emotion.
Bloom on Ice is running at the venue until the 2nd. Tickets for all performances are already sold out.
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