Art of the deal: How Kinoshita Group came to sponsor Vincent Zhou
History was made last week when a Japanese company chose to sponsor a foreign skater and their training expenses for the first time as the Kinoshita Group agreed to back American Vincent Zhou. The conglomerate, best known for housing development and real estate ventures, announced ...
Productive partnership: Hamada helps Zhou find success
Sometimes in life we meet a person we automatically connect with. It could be a classmate, teammate, co-worker, teacher or mentor. The communication and respect are there from the outset and blossom with time. When it spans countries and generations, it can become something truly beautiful. Such ...
Ayaka Hosoda content with triple axel achievement, but hopes to skate on
Fame has come late for Ayaka Hosoda, but she acknowledges that is better than it never having come at all. The Kansai University student grabbed the headlines at the Japan Championships in December by landing three triple axels at the age of 23 while competing ...
Ayaka Hosoda very likely to continue competitive career next season
Veteran skater Ayaka Hosoda, who stole the show with her triple axels at the Japan Championships in December, is very likely to continue her skating career, The Japan Times has learned. In an exclusive interview with Hosoda on Tuesday, the jumping sensation said, "I'm willing ...
High drama for nationals with return of Daisuke Takahashi
With two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu out of this week's Japan nationals in Osaka due to injury, the focus will be squarely on the battle between the elite women skaters to make the team for the world championships and the return of Daisuke Takahashi ...
Mitsuki Sumoto looks strong with silver medal at Slovakia JGP
Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist Mitsuki Sumoto started the JGP season in fine fashion by taking home the silver medal at the season opener in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Saturday. Canadian phenom Stephen Gogolev, a 13-year-old from Toronto who is coached by Brian Orser, won ...
Rika Kihira making right call by moving up to senior ranks
Japan junior champion Rika Kihira, one of only eight women in history to land the triple axel in international competition, has decided to move up to the senior ranks for the coming season. Ice Time has confirmed this news with a source, after the story ...
Could Hanyu headline a new pro tour in the future?
A thought crossed my mind recently. With Yuzuru Hanyu undecided on his athletic future at this point, could he be a part of a new skating endeavor that would be successful? What do I have in mind? A new professional skating tour, primarily centered in Asia, that ...
Candeloro feels Hanyu will skate 2-4 more years
The big extravaganza in Pyeongchang is over now and what a show it was. In every category, the skating performances were simply amazing. Yuzuru Hanyu and Shoma Uno in the men's, Alina Zagitova, Evgenia Medvedeva, Kaetlyn Osmond and Satoko Miyahara in the women's, Aljona Savchenko ...
Ted Barton foresees rise in Japan skating, defends International Judging System
At last month's Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Ice Time sat down with ISU announcer Ted Barton, whose voice is well known to Japanese skating fans, for a discussion on a wide range of skating issues, including the International Judging System. Barton handles the commentary ...
Drama on ice: Satoko Miyahara captures fourth consecutive national title
Satoko Miyahara showed her mettle when the chips were down on Saturday night, coming from second place after the short program to capture her fourth straight national title at the All-Japan Championships at Musashino Forest Sports Centre. Miyahara racked up a total score of ...
Yuna Shiraiwa impresses in first season as a senior
She is the longest of long shots to make Japan's team for the Pyeonchang Olympics, but in the long view her prospects are very bright. Yuna Shiraiwa is just one of the talented skaters in the stable of coach Mie Hamada at the Kansai University ...
