“I feel like I’ve gradually learned how to face and live with my own sadness and wounds. And because of that experience I’m living and learning and growing stronger now.” Yuzuru Hanyu opened his “Notte Stellata” show
Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu opened his ice show “Notte Stellata” in Miyagi, performing with the Tohoku Youth Orchestra to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and express his hopes for recovery.
original source: Hochi News dd. 7th March 2026 / Hochi News dd. 7th March 2026 /
Yuzuru Hanyu (31), two-time Olympic men’s figure skating champion and now in his fourth season as a professional, opened his ice show “Yuzuru Hanyu Notte Stellata 2026” on March 7 at Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Miyagi. The show, held in a region soon to mark 15 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, sent a message of “hope” from the disaster area. After a maintenance and recharge period, this was Hanyu’s first public performance since last July, dedicated to the region’s recovery. Here’s a translation of his comments.
He performed two new pieces composed by Sakamoto, “Happy End” and “Yae no Sakura,” saying, “Because it’s been 15 years, I want this performance to make us feel connected, to feel the bonds between us. I want to continue the mission I took on at 16 (not to let the memory fade).”
Hanyu expressed his wish for the event to foster an even greater sense of “circle” and “bonds.” He performed for the first time with the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, led by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, presenting four pieces including two new works. Hanyu made his return to the ice after eight months, performing in front of a full house of 6,500 spectators. Below is the first half of his on-site Q&A.
“Q: It was your first performance in front of everyone in a while.
Yuzuru Hanyu: I was incredibly nervous. The sense of tension, and the strong desire to meet everyone’s expectations, really overflowed. My hands and feet were literally shaking with nerves. But I think I was able to skate with both my feelings and my technique fully expressed.
Q: It’s almost 15 years since the earthquake. What were your thoughts as you performed?
Yuzuru Hanyu: Fifteen years have passed. I feel like I’ve gradually learned how to face and live with my own sadness and wounds. Because of these 15 years, I now feel more able to face those wounds, and I realize that it’s because of that experience that I’m living and learning and growing stronger now. I wanted to express that, especially in ‘Happy End,’ for which I did the choreography myself.
Q: How have your feelings toward the disaster area changed over these 15 years?
Yuzuru Hanyu: Honestly, I can’t say that anything has changed dramatically for me. Fifteen years is a milestone, a number that feels significant to people. Certainly, in places like Fukushima, Miyagi, and Iwate, recovery has progressed in some areas, and some communities have come back. But there are still areas left behind, and even in places said to be recovering, if you look closely, things haven’t really returned to how they were. In that sense, I want to keep supporting the region, and I’ve come to understand that I, too, must continue to live with the wounds and trauma of being a disaster survivor.
Q: What was your interpretation and intention in performing “Happy End”?
Yuzuru Hanyu: It felt incredibly painful – just relentless suffering. I have another program, ‘Requiem of Heaven and Earth,’ which is more directly connected to the disaster, expressing scenes like the rubble-strewn roads and the airport surrounded by cars and debris, with a soul wandering through it all. This time, it was more about my own body being consumed. Of course, since this is a piece by Professor Sakamoto, and I heard he wrote it while battling illness, I tried to express how, even as I’m consumed by the wounds of the disaster and the scars that remain in places like Miyagi and Sendai, and even as the rink in Sendai still bears visible, repaired scars, I wanted to feel those wounds little by little. Even as I’m consumed by them and suffer, in the end, I wanted to accept that those wounds are all part of me, and finish the performance with the feeling that there is a next step ahead.
Q: After your maintenance period, did you make any new discoveries, either personally or in figure skating?
Yuzuru Hanyu: I studied a lot about body movement. I realized just how much I had been doing things my own way until now. Figure skating is a popular sport, but in reality, not that many people actually do it. And there isn’t a lot of scientific research with solid evidence behind it. In such an under-researched sport, I really felt how much of my training and technique had no scientific basis. So, little by little – though it wasn’t a long maintenance period – I think I was able to learn at least the basics of how to use my body, not just as a figure skater, but as someone involved in sports and dance.
Q: There are more people now who don’t remember the earthquake.
Yuzuru Hanyu: Among the Tohoku Youth Orchestra members I collaborated with this time, there are some who were born after the earthquake, and some who were so young at the time that they don’t remember it. Thanks to Ryuichi Sakamoto, I think these young people have continued to think about recovery and the disaster. I was 16 at the time, and through many interviews and articles, I felt I had a mission to convey these experiences. Now, having visited places like Noto, Ofunato, Iburi, and Kumamoto, I realize that the awareness of disaster prevention has changed because of what happened, and lives and livelihoods have been protected. That’s why I want to keep passing on what happened, what we learned, and how we protect ourselves, even as generations change and new lives are born.
Q: Why did you choose “Yae no Sakura,” and what did you want to express?
Yuzuru Hanyu: While collaborating, I listened to many pieces the Tohoku Youth Orchestra wanted to play. ‘Yae no Sakura’ was one I chose. I had previously performed ‘Ten to Chi to’ as my last free skate program, and I wanted to perform ‘Yae no Sakura’ as a continuation of that. Although it’s a piece from a historical drama, I wasn’t influenced by the drama itself. Rather, after finishing ‘Ten to Chi to,’ I wanted to express how I want to live my life from here on, and whether I could leave something behind in the ruts of everyone’s lives through my skating. I created the program with the image of leaving memories behind, one by one.
Q: Did you choreograph it yourself?
Yuzuru Hanyu: I created it together with David Wilson.
Q: “Happy End” had a different sense of tension and quietness. What did you focus on in the choreography?
Yuzuru Hanyu: I feel I increased the dance elements. I talked a lot about how to use the body, and because I now understand the theory, I could create more connected movements. Like a strong boxer’s punch, beautiful movement comes from proper body mechanics. I think the same is true for our physical expression – when it’s logical, it’s beautiful. After the Pyeongchang Olympics, I talked about how expression and art are built on technique. After this maintenance period, I realized again that you need technical and foundational skills to truly express emotion, and I created this program with that in mind.
Q: You used a lot of spins.
Yuzuru Hanyu: I wanted to blend spins into the steps, erasing the boundary between spins and performance.
Q: Did you study dance basics during your maintenance period? Was it more classroom learning or actual dancing?
Yuzuru Hanyu: I did more actual dancing. But I also did a lot of classroom-style study, especially about how to use the body from a sports science perspective.
Q: Did you actually dance?
Yuzuru Hanyu: I danced, tried different training methods, and thought about what would suit figure skating. That’s what this period was for.
Q: Did your body change?
Yuzuru Hanyu: I feel like I got slimmer.”
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Non sono riuscita a tradurre tutto ma penso che Yuzuro sia il miglior pattinatore di tutti i tempi. Guardare i suoi video significa trovare la pace interiore per la sua dolcezza ,flessuosita’,grinta e tecnicismo. Diventa un tutt’uno con il ghiaccio e sembra plasmarlo. Tutta la mia ammirazione Yuzuro