News and Topics 2020

Hallo!!! Hope you all are doing well.  We have something new, at last      

Dai-chan has taken part via video to a great project "Sing for Hope" started by Director Amon Miyamoto

From official website

“Ue o Muite Arukō”  sung by Kyu Sakamoto, lyrics by Rokusuke Ei and music by Hachidai Nakamura

The "Ue o Muite  Project", led by Amon Miyamoto, started as an effort to deliver hope to patients and medical workers whom are battling against COVID-19 and to cheer on the people who are fighting the pandemic in their own ways. The project is also hoping to support those who are feeling lonely and powerless amidst these hard times.  
“Ue o Muite Aruko” (also titled as Sukiyaki),  is a song beloved by both the Japanese and international community. The project calls for artists around the world to incorporate their messages of hope through this song.
Thank you to all who have submitted your works!


Official website with the 3 videos Spring, Summer, Autumn (the song is always the same). Each one sings just a few words of the song.

Autumn - Dai singing at 0:26        

Video with support messages Dai-chan with his "Arigato" at 03:06   and again at 10:32    

Among the singers also Shizuka Arakawa and Kanako Murakami. And probably a lot of famous actors, singers, tv people etc... whom I don't know (but many faces are somehow familiar to me)

Screenshots - Dai's hair are so long now        

2 screenshots from the video message          

2 screenshots of Dai singing        

Tweet reporting Dai's words with a screenshot. Google translation: “I am Daisuke Takahashi, a figure skater. Thank you! I realize this word because I can not take it for granted. But this experience will surely create a bright future! Let's believe in it and overcome it together!”

Aaaahhhh, Dai's smile is the sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetest thing of the world. "Arigato" to you, Dai-chan, for singing and bringing hope in these dark times.

Stay safe and healthy, everyone!!!

Hi

Dai's message part with English Subtitles:

https://twitter.com/SachikoHR/status/1250381434381930496?s=20


The text only in case you can't see the movie ↓

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊


This is Figure Skater Daisuke Takahashi.

Thank you!

Now that we can’t to do the ordinary things, I truly feel what this word is about.

But through this experience we will surely make our brighter future!

Let’s believe this and overcome it together.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

I hope all are doing OK!

And,

Let's sing along with Daisuke and all the others!!
(w/ word-by-word translation)

While the English text at the bottom in the original clip is the version to sing in English, I added the plain translation of Japanese original.

https://youtu.be/b-15ft3-1pE

Stay home and sing with Dai!

Hello there!

Twind wrote:

Let's sing along with Daisuke and all the others!!

You won't believe it, but that's what I've been doing all morning! It was so uplifting and heartwarming    
Wonderful project, and all three "seasons" are great.
Thanks also for word-by-word translation!
In English  Wikipedia I've found something about inspiration and meaning of the original lyrics

Quote :

Stay home and sing with Dai!

Yessss

Twind

Great job indeed: not only the translation of Dai's message (wonderful words, indeed!!) but the video with double text so that we all can sing with Dai OTSUKARESAMA!!!

This project gives words of hope and support and imo the first beneficiaries are those who took part in it. I bet Dai agreed with enthusiasm, having a chance to feel connected to his Country in this terrible moment while he is bound to stay so far from his family/friends. You can see all his love and feelings in his eyes, in both videos.


Tweet with tv report about Sing for Hope

Pic from Asahi Digital

Twind wrote:

Stay home and sing with Dai!

Our new mantra!!!


P.S. In these days many people are playing a new game on Instastories : having being tagged by others, a person posts a pic of him/herself as a child. Daichan has already been tagged twice: by Kana and by Kanako Murakami. Will he answer????

Hi everyone! Sing for Hope brought tears to my eyes. It was so beautiful and uplifting.

Thank you Twind for the translation, much appreciated!

Hello everyone,

there is a few seconds of video showing Kanadai practicing in Estero!
Pattina, I see you online, so you will surely link it right away

Wish you all a nice sunday, stay safe and healthy!

EDIT - Sonabilis, as usual we arrived together!!        but I cannot find the link to Dai/Kana in your post. I bet it's the same tweet by Nobu san I posted below.

Hi everyone!! Still no news from Florida    The short appearance for SONG FOR HOPE's Project was great and releaving, but just a crumb and we all are too Dai-hungry

As the ISU World Championships have been cancelled due to coronaviru, FujiTv is releasing videos from last All Japan Championships.  Here is FujiTV's website with the video shooted in the evening of 22nd December, after Dai ended his career as single skater with the last performance as single. The interview took place at a restaurant, also Nagamistu sensei and Watanabe san where there.  Unfortunately the videos are geoblocked in Italy (I bet everywhere outside Japan ) but you can see a couple of nice pics

Vol. 16 The launch just after the final All Japan Championship! - part 1

Flapperdai has saved part of the video, the moment when Dai re-watches PGG and comments with Utako san.

Part of the video

I've been told this is at the very end of FujiTV's video... Thanks Nobu san!!!   12 seconds of Dai/Kana practicing with Marina

Fan art inspired by Song For Hope            

Let us walk towards the top     ♪ SUKIYAKI


Have a great SunDai and stay healthy!!!!

Dai surfaces again, taking part with Kana to a video message from Japanese skaters, conceived and posted by Miki Ando. Dai/Kana are almost at the end, at 09:35. OMG, Dai is Dai-gorgeous


Love and power from Japan

English translation of Dai's words


Screenshot

I'm so happy to know he and Kana are safe and in cheerful mood in spite of these bad times. Dai's smile is so healing

Today, four years ago: Ice Legends! Happy everyone who was able to be there

Pattina wrote:

I'm so happy to know he and Kana are safe and in cheerful mood in spite of these bad times.

So am I!

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

Hi everyone!!

sonabilis wrote:

Today, four years ago: Ice Legends! Happy everyone who was able to be there

No words to describe this great and amazing experience properly. Great show, great skaters, an ensemble number that figure skating lovers will remember for the entire life.  Dai skating his "Lacrimosa" and the tribute he received from all skaters with his Mambo. All moments I treasure in my heart.      

La Poeme

Lacrimosa

Mambo

And don't forget Dai's first interview in English!!! - well at least he tried to answer in English for the most part    More important for overseas fans, he granted it exclusively to his FB fan page!!

Today fans who received the notification as winners of the Naturies's Beautiful Challengers Campaign have started tweeting their joy and happiness, even it is not known when (and if!!) the talk show/fan meeting will take place, due to Covid-19 issues.  The notification is printed on a card    with

a pic of Dai-chan in front of Everblades center      

probably taken when he arrived in Florida last February, as his hair are still short.

Let's hope fans will post a better view of the pic soon.

EDIT: Here a better pic Dai's Thank You


Have a nice Daiday and stay safe!!!

Hi everyone.

Full pic of Dai in front of Everblades rink

English translation of Dai's message to the winners of Naturie campaign. We learn that they received also some pics, in addition to the one in front of the fold-up leaflet. Lucky ladies!!!

Stay safe!!!

What a sweet message from Dai especially this part "I am grateful if you warmly watch over me from now on. Well then, I will go now!! Bye bye. Daisuke "

Thanks for sharing Pattina.

Stay safe everyone!

Hello everyone,

hope you all are safe and in good health!
No news about Dai-chan and Kana.

So let's console a bit with the treasures that Dai gave us last year.

First, some magic Dai-Genji moments. Great video edit! Plus the haunting beauty of Genji's flute tune, touching at the feeling of loneliness afflicting so many people in these weeks and months.

-- He was the moon
the moon in solitude of the night
beautiful and shining --

-- Ayaka's words concluding the play.
Yes it was great, innovative art created by Amon Miyamoto and his brillant team, and Dai was heart and soul of the entire performance, with all his great skills and newly discovered stage talents.
Btw. the Videos of Hyoen '19 are available again on Youtube, after they were blocked at the time of TV broadcast.

*
Kateigahō started a series of retrospectives for figure skating fans, "so you can look back on the activities and messages of your favorite skaters and spend a little relaxing at home."
The first two episodes are dedicated to Daisuke.
part 1 - Compilation of articles about Dai's 2019 highlights
part 2 - Interviews

*
Look, Hertz Arena in Estero is setting up dates for July!  (??)

Stay safe, healthy and confident everyone!

According to Japanese lunisolar calendar, today is the 831st death anniversary of Minamoto no Yoshitsune (According to western calendar it is June 15th, the big difference seems to come from a leap month.)
Anyway, what better way to commemorate it than Dai's embodiment of this national hero - thank you Twind, for the pleasure and interesting info!

Yoshitsune, one of the tragic heroes of which Japan had quite a few. He seems to have been a military genius. Born in the middle of a terrible feud that wiped out half his family, he became a celebrated warrior and military leader at a young age. Almost single-handedly, he defeated the overwhelming power of rival warlords in bold actions, winning victory for the emperor and for the Minamoto clan, whose leader was his eldest brother Yoritomo.
But Yoritomo was suspicious and jealous of Yoshitsune's fame. He had him persecuted. Yoshitsune had to flee, and all his allies were also threatened with death.
In the end, Yoshitsune was betrayed, and facing the hopeless situation, he committed seppuku. According to tradition, this was in 1189 (japanese calendar: 5th year of Bunji era). Yoshitsune was 30 years old.
Yoritomo became the first Shogun of Japan. But Yoshitsune became a legendary figure, a hero of myths, epic tales and stage plays. No wonder, the material is no less dramatic than Shakespeare's plays.

Near Shimonoseki, at the site of the decisive battle, there is a statue of him.

Hi everyone!!  

Thanks, sonabilis, for the Yoshitsune treasures   and the lot of info about the hero Dai embodied.  

Recently online magazine Jbpress has issued three articles about Ice Dance and its impact on Japanese figure skating world. In the third and final chapter, the focus is on the new partnership Kana/Dai.  

English translation "I want to keep skating all the time" Daisuke Takahashi's determination


Original source Jbpress 3 - scroll down the web page to find links to previous articles.

NTV, too, is posting previous videos/articles in its webpage, to lighten the time of those who have to stay home due to the covid. In today's article, NTV offers us Dai and his 2017 Spotlight about Blue Impulse, the Japanese air team, with pics and videos (the first one was not published before)

NTV news - 01 05 2020 - Daisuke Tahahashi and Blue Impulse


In these times we are still hungry and have no news about Dai/Kana, and, like all the fans of figure skating  all over the world, we are waiting to return to normality. If you want to take a memory ride please check the IG account of Wilma Alberti with great pics from various competitions/shows.  She is a great photographer and figure skating lover.   BTW, she loves Dai-chan, too!!    

Art On Ice - Zurich 2015

Art On Ice - Zurich 2015 2

For everyone who loves Dai

Ice Legends 2016 - Lacrimosa

Ice Legends 2016 - Mambo

Stay safe, everyone!!!

Thanks to Daisuke Takahashi Road to Sochi FB page, I learn now that the NTV video with Dai's comment was recorded very recently!!! Apologize, this morning I didn't understand when I google translated NTV's webpage.

Dai's message with English subtitles thanks to our dear Twind  

Hello everyone! Hope all is well.

We are still in quarantine lock-down until  May 18th. Schools will not reopen for the rest of the school year. After May 18 our city will  reopen on a somewhat limited basis. Our state has issued a mandatory mask wearing law starting on May 6.  Until now it was only an instruction to wear a mask now as part of the reopening plan it is going to be law. So the fight against the C virus continues as we try to get back to a "new" normal.

Thanks Pattina for the Dai updates, it certainly cheers me up.

Sonabilis thank you for the history lesson about Yoshitsune!

Stay safe

Hi Shyla!!

In Italy the "phase n. 2" of lock-down will start tomorrow until May 18th, with opening of some activities on a limited basis. Schools, cinemas, theaters still closed. I'll continue with smart working for the next 2 weeks, because my main issue is how to reach Milan. I take the train, but a very lower (than usual) amount of people can get on trains/buses/undergrounds because of covid and social distancing. Therefore, I should go to the station and wait in line until a train to Milan passes, offering a possibility of a safe seat. Without no certainty of the time schedule. Luckily my boss understands the situation.

FujiTV has posted on its YT channel a new 3 minutes video with moments from 2019 Nationals practices. The video is geoblocked outside Japan but a dear fan extracted Dai's moments

Vol. 2 - Dai's part

Gif by dear Nobu san      

Breathtakingly beautiful...


As you probably know, the costume makers Mathieu Caron created masks inspired by Shoma's costume selling them on line as fund rising to fight Covid-19.  The masks sold out in a very short time.  Inspired by this story, a fan of Dai created her own Eye mask

1

2


Have a great SunDai and stay safe!!!

Hi everyone!

... and Good Morning Pattina!

yes the Fuji Sports video is geoblocked - but look here!

I also like the parts of Shoma & Stéphane. And the youngsters as well  

Lots of stills - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Shyla wrote:

Sonabilis thank you for the history lesson about Yoshitsune!

I'm glad you liked it.
History is something like my secret passion, and sometimes I can't resist  

Another Phoenix mask creation!
One more, this time Sheltering Sky motif

There is a new video on Fuji Sports channel, apparently 3rd part of a figure skater series by sports photographer Ikutani (where 1st part is and about whom, no idea) - anyway, in this part Dai also shows up, but again it is geoblocked.

Some stills 1 - 2

EDIT
Some GIFs, of both parts

Hi everyone,

this month is anniversary of LOTF 2017, and Fans are celebrating on twitter with tons of pics and clips - Dai rocking the stage - - This!    

*
2 Dai pics from a 2007 commercial. What a face, what an incredibly beautiful creature...

12 years later, same thing, here at the make-up for Hyoen photo shoot
A "stage face", theater people would say. Unique but versatile at same time, permeable to every expression. And make-up looks good on him too

*

Apparently Kana has recently posted an IG story. A fan saved it:
"I hope the day will come soon when we both can dance as much as we want"
Yes Kana, we all hope with you!

*
Slightly OT: After the great success of the "Sing for hope" videos, director Amon Miyamoto has now released "Dance for hope". Dai is not involved this time (too bad!), but the video is excellent work. Those who like dancing, enjoy!

Stay healthy and patient and take care of yourself!
Have a nice Sun-Dai everyone!

Sonabilis, thanks for keeping this thread updated with the info about Kana's instastory.

Yes, we all are waiting for the day she and Dai will dance again!!      

Something new!!! although I don't know when it was recorded. Dai is the main character of a new spot for a spray insecticide

Dai killing flies and insects with a 3A        


More info about the spot here


Wow.... a really hot and wild flies killer!!!        

Mmmm.... a bit difficult to spray doing a 3A!!    

Stay safe, everyone!!!

Better version of the CM video on the official YT channel of Earth Corporation

Daisuke Takahashi for Earth Corporation

Dai's "spraying 3A" ad has gained attention from the fs world - nice comments

Europe On Ice on Twitter

Stay safe, everyone!!

Hi everyone!!

Earth   is now listed in Dai's official website alongside with other sponsor Puma, Naturie and SkyCourt.

Glad he has gained one more sponsorship, as figure skating is really expensive, especially now that Dai lives and trains abroad (don't remember, but someone told me that Marina asks $ 70 or maybe more for a 30 minutes lesson ) and has no economic support from JSF.

Earth's CM with English subtitles

One of Dai's signature moves

Billboards I want it!!!!


Funny photoshopping    Google translation:   "Daisuke, is this really the best insecticidal spray in Japan?"   "That's true. Did you say that?"


Stay safe, everyone!!