Regarding the article: "Meteor that crossed my mind after the radio broadcast of Mansai Nomura x Yuzuru Hanyu."

Good evening, everyone. I am the writer, Yuki Oki.

I have some happy news to share. It has been announced that the "Mansai Nomura's Radio Lucky Bag" program, which previously featured Yuzuru Hanyu as a guest, will be broadcast as a special television edition on NHK General TV starting at 6:10 AM on August 11th.

I'm looking forward to it. With that happy news, I am updating my "Article about an Article" series for the first time in a while. The subject is the article published on April 10, 2025, titled "Meteor that crossed my mind after the radio broadcast of Mansai Nomura x Yuzuru Hanyu." The full text is here.

The two of them talked about the pain felt by those who "could not be in Japan" at the time of 3.11, and the pain felt by those who "were in Japan and suffered the disaster."

As a listener, I thought, "Oh? How will they develop or shift the conversation from here?"

Mr. Nomura asked, "What about the starry sky you looked up at while feeling like you had been dropped into the depths of despair?" It was amazing. It might be presumptuous of me to say this from my position, but it felt like the way someone who truly understands the significance of the ice show "notte stellata" would steer the conversation.

From then on, Hanyu spoke about the starry sky he saw overseas and the starry sky he saw at the evacuation center. From there, he began to talk about his own situation, the difficulty of the circumstances around him, and "skating" amidst all that. From this point, he spoke of his position as someone who "has been supported since 3.11," and his resolve was clearly conveyed.

Hearing all of this, the image of a meteor crossed my mind.

I have already written an "Article about an Article" regarding the meteor, but please let me share some behind-the-scenes stories that I haven't revealed yet. Actually, until I clicked the publish button, I was agonizing over certain expressions until the very last minute. That is the part marked with ※ below.

＜Once, there was a young man (※) who found hope in the starry sky he saw at an evacuation center after the disaster.＞
＜We know of a young man who made up his mind and walked a thorny path to become a champion.＞

In the initial draft, the part marked with ※ was "boy." In terms of the story's narrative, writing "boy" here would make the later mention of the ＜young man who walked a thorny path＞ stand out more. It would convey a sense of mental growth.

However, I decided against that, rewrote both as ＜young man＞, and published the article.

If you look it up, you can find standards or specific ages, such as those in the Juvenile Law or from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. However, such standards and measures don't mean much here. There are things more important than actual age.

I thought that by the time he looked at the starry sky at the evacuation center, he had likely solidified the will he had cultivated until then. And I thought that by being able to continue skating while changing his base and receiving support and encouragement from those around him, that solidified will had turned into resolve.

Returning to the part marked with ※. Is it rude to call someone a ＜boy＞ when they have gritted their teeth and, in some cases, endured bitter experiences to strengthen their will? To put it another way, is it rude to call someone a ＜boy＞ when they are already thinking and acting to achieve something (they are more of an adult than I am)? These thoughts and a sense of respect made me change the ※ part to ＜young man＞.

As I wrote above, I scolded myself, thinking, "Saying things like 'it would be better to use 'boy' here so that the 'young man' mentioned later stands out more' is nothing but my own pathetic ego!"

The raw quality of someone running while carrying playfulness, beauty, and wounds that have not yet fully healed is also part of Hanyu's charm (and also a source of great concern). I must not distort the charm of the subject of my coverage due to the pathetic desires of a writer who prioritizes only their own interest and convenience. That is how I approach my daily activities.