2022-23 Japanese Women's Figure Skating

[figureskatingandrainbows]

National Team
Special
Kaori Sakamoto (ISU, JSF, GS thread)
Wakaba Higuchi (ISU, JSF, GS thread)
Mai Mihara (ISU, JSF, GS thread)
Mana Kawabe (ISU, JSF, GS thread)
A
Rino Matsuike (ISU, JSF, GS thread)
Rinka Watanabe (ISU, JSF, GS thread)
Rion Sumiyoshi (ISU, JSF, GS thread)
Mao Shimada (ISU, JSF, GS thread)
Mone Chiba (ISU, JSF, GS thread)
Yuhana Yokoi (ISU, JSF, GS thread)
Rika Kihira (ISU, JSF, GS thread)
B
Hana Yoshida (ISU, JSF, GS thread)
Ami Nakai (ISU, JSF)
Azusa Tanaka (ISU, JSF)
Ayumi Shibayama (ISU, JSF)
Ikura Kushida (ISU, JSF)
Other Skaters
Marin Honda (ISU, JSF, GS thread)

Notable Jumps
Landed 3A
Rika Kihira
Wakaba Higuchi
Mana Kawabe
Ami Nakai
Hana Yoshida
Mao Shimada
Rinka Watanabe
Landed Quad
Rika Kihira*
Mao Shimada
Rion Sumiyoshi*

*domestic / smaller international competition

 

[cohkaix]

Upcoming summer local competition list (this list will keep on being updated):

The 12th Nagoya City Skate competition Jul 1~3
The 15th Aqua Cup FS competition Jul 2~3
The 60th North Kyushu FS open competition Aug 4~7
2022 Kinoshita Trophy Aug 5~7
Gensan Summer Cup Aug 11~14

 

[DougDorsey]

Does anyone know the date and event for this practice 3A from Yuhana Yokoi...?

skating_famous on Instagram: "There is a Japanese girl competing in the JGP tmr that can do a 3A 😱 Skater: yuhana yokoi. - 📸 Via Via: @talented_skaters - Tag someone who needs to see this💙 - Follow 👉 @skating_famous for more content💓🌼🥰 ==============

414 likes, 0 comments - skating_famous on June 2, 2022: "There is a Japanese girl competing in the JGP tmr that can do a 3A 😱 Skater: yuhana yokoi. - 📸 Via Via: @talented_skaters - Tag som...".

www.instagram.com

 

[rabidline]

Rinka Watanabe debuted her FS yesterday at the Kanto Volunteer competition (please correct me if I'm wrong about the competition name), set to music from "Jin" the Japanese TV Series.



She landed 3A3T and plans to have 2 3As in her FS for next season. Rinka tweeted that the program is still unfinished, but it's already her favorite program. She will next skate it at Dreams on Ice, July 1-3 2022.

 

[cohkaix]

Does anyone know the date and event for this practice 3A from Yuhana Yokoi...?

skating_famous on Instagram: "There is a Japanese girl competing in the JGP tmr that can do a 3A 😱 Skater: yuhana yokoi. - 📸 Via Via: @talented_skaters - Tag someone who needs to see this💙 - Follow 👉 @skating_famous for more content💓🌼🥰 ==============

414 likes, 0 comments - skating_famous on June 2, 2022: "There is a Japanese girl competing in the JGP tmr that can do a 3A 😱 Skater: yuhana yokoi. - 📸 Via Via: @talented_skaters - Tag som...".

www.instagram.com

I was trying to figure out: the subtitile on the side introduces Yuhana as senior high school freshman, 16 years old. As she was born in 2000, assuming that was from either the season 15'-16' or 16'-17'. The other clue I can tell is from her costume: it was to the SP 'The Sound of Music', which she skated to also during 15'-16' and 16'-17' seasons.

So I went to search for some results from local competitions during these two seasons. I didn't go through the results of all possible competitions, but it seemed she didn't attempt any 3A in SP at that time. She did try 3A maybe once or twice in her FS (formal competitions), but got either fall, or << marker. BTW, that was when she was still competing during the Jr. level, and I don't think she's ever challenged 3A after turning Sr.?

Judging from the competition venue, it seemed to be local-level competition (either regional, or other smaller competition around Chubu/Aichi region or area). That's all I could figure out...

 

[DougDorsey]

I was trying to figure out: the subtitile on the side introduces Yuhana as senior high school freshman, 16 years old. As she was born in 2000, assuming that was from either the season 15'-16' or 16'-17'. The other clue I can tell is from her costume: it was to the SP 'The Sound of Music', which she skated to also during 15'-16' and 16'-17' seasons.

So I went to search for some results from local competitions during these two seasons. I didn't go through the results of all possible competitions, but it seemed she didn't attempt any 3A in SP at that time. She did try 3A maybe once or twice in her FS (formal competitions), but got either fall, or << marker. BTW, that was when she was still competing during the Jr. level, and I don't think she's ever challenged 3A after turning Sr.?

Judging from the competition venue, it seemed to be local-level competition (either regional, or other smaller competition around Chubu/Aichi region or area). That's all I could figure out...

This is stellar detective work!

 

[Joekaz]

Does anyone have any updates on Wakaba's stress fracture she was dealing with at Worlds?

 

[cohkaix]

Kaori is working with Marie-France Dubreuil for one of her competitive programs (Kaori indicated earlier that she'll get new choreographers for both programs this season).

 

[Sai Bon]

Rinka Watanabe debuted her FS yesterday at the Kanto Volunteer competition (please correct me if I'm wrong about the competition name), set to music from "Jin" the Japanese TV Series.



She landed 3A3T and plans to have 2 3As in her FS for next season. Rinka tweeted that the program is still unfinished, but it's already her favorite program. She will next skate it at Dreams on Ice, July 1-3 2022.

Think it's a collegiate skating competition in the Kanto area (which includes Tokyo). I don't know much about collegiate skating in Japan, but I'm guessing that 有志 (that you translated as voluntary) means anyone can compete, there are no preliminaries or minimum qualifying scores. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[figureskatingandrainbows]

Kaori is working with Marie-France Dubreuil for one of her competitive programs (Kaori indicated earlier that she'll get new choreographers for both programs this season).

Rohene for SP, Marie-France for FS, and Yuka Sato for EX? No more Benoit! Now we are truly free.

It looks like a lot of the Japanese skaters are branching out for their programs this year, which makes me so excited!

 

[macy]

Does anyone have any updates on Wakaba's stress fracture she was dealing with at Worlds?

seems she has returned to training and is very happy

https://www.instagram.com/p/CepPr6hPyyX/?hl=en

 

[RatedPG]

She landed 3A3T and plans to have 2 3As in her FS for next season. Rinka tweeted that the program is still unfinished, but it's already her favorite program. She will next skate it at Dreams on Ice, July 1-3 2022.

Wow! That 3A 3T was spectacular. And she was close to landing that second 3A. With no Russia, Japan is far ahead in regards to ultra-c elements over the rest of the field. Only problem with Rinka, is I don’t like her program or artistry.

 

[RafaelAstro]

My problem with Rinka it's her consistency

 

[RatedPG]

My problem with Rinka it's her consistency

Me too actually…..

 

[cohkaix]

The 2022-23 season of major Japan domestic competitions
Link

Kanto Regionals (関東選手権大会)
Date: Sept 22-25
Location: Nikko, Tochigi
Entries: TBA

Tokyo Regionals (東京選手権大会)
Date: Sept 29 - Oct 2
Location: Nishitokyo, Tokyo
Entries: TBA

Tohoku-Hokkaido Regionals (東北・北海道選手権大会)
Date: Oct 7-10
Location: Hachinohe, Aomori
Entries: TBA

Chu-Shikoku-Kyushu Regionals (中四国九州選手権大会)
Date: Sept 29-Oct 2
Location: Okayama city, Okayama
Entries:TBA

Chubu Regionals (中部選手権大会)
Date: Sept 23-25
Location: Nagoya, Aichi
Entries: TBA

Kinki Regionals (近畿選手権大会)
Date: Oct 7-10
Location: Amagasaki, Hyogo
Entries: TBA


Eastern Section (Senior and Junior)
Date: Nov 3-6
Location: Maebashi, Gunma

Western Section (Senior and Junior)
Date: Oct 27-30
Location: Kyoto, Kyoto

National Junior
Date: Nov 25-27
Location: Hitachinaka, Ibaraki

All Japan National Championship
Date: Dec 21-25
Location: Kadoma, Osaka

 

[figureskatingandrainbows]

Rion landed a 4T... and we have video! (It's the third slide)
This is from her filmed FS (her new program is Enchantress) which will be released as part of a paid television special on the 30th, along with Yuma's new short.

 

[cohkaix]

Here's an interview by Sports Division from Aichi Perfecture, and it focuses on FS skaters from Chukyo U and Chukyo U-HS. Rino and Mana are in the first round of interview: https://aichi-sports.jp/blog/20220608b.php

About Mana: Now training in the new environment at Chukyo U. She talks about the new programs of the new season. She'll get new programs for both SP and FS. The SP program (already revealed earlier) is to the music with a strong image, and FS is to softer music with female vocal (there's no mentioning about who the choreographer(s) are...perhaps Higuchi?)

About Rino: She's keeping the 'Moonlight Sonata' FS from last season, but with changes to the choreography. She plans to have 3 combination jumps in the 2nd half of the FS.

 

[RatedPG]

Here's an interview by Sports Division from Aichi Perfecture, and it focuses on FS skaters from Chukyo U and Chukyo U-HS. Rino and Mana are in the first round of interview: https://aichi-sports.jp/blog/20220608b.php

About Mana: Now training in the new environment at Chukyo U. She talks about the new programs of the new season. She'll get new programs for both SP and FS. The SP program (already revealed earlier) is to the music with a strong image, and FS is to softer music with female vocal (there's no mentioning about who the choreographer(s) are...perhaps Higuchi?)

About Rino: She's keeping the 'Moonlight Sonata' FS from last season, but with changes to the choreography. She plans to have 3 combination jumps in the 2nd half of the FS.

Love Rino and loved her feee skate from last year so much. I just have a special feeling about her prospects for next year as the one to watch

 

[YuBluByMe]

I also really enjoyed Matsuike's free last year; it was one of the best ladies free programs last year. In fact, it says a lot about her performance quality because I do not like that version of Moonlight Sonata at all but she sells it. I'm glad she's keeping it. Hopefully, she'll stay healthy. She's already back-loading all of her combos (that's not new), so hopefully the 3A is ready by next season.

 

[cohkaix]

Kaori is working with Marie-France Dubreuil for one of her competitive programs (Kaori indicated earlier that she'll get new choreographers for both programs this season).

Kaori's new FS (choreographed by Dubreuil) is to Sia's 'Elastic Heart'. The source is from an interview with Kobe Press: https://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sports/202206/0015424575.shtml

She'll debut(?) both her SP and FS at The ICE. (*It's uncertain if she may skate to one of the new programs at DOI)

(During the interview, she was asked about the new rules and she said she couldn't comprehend the changes either...