I had the very good fortune to attend the NHK Trophy 2019 in Sapporo, Japan this year, which was held in the Makomanai Sekkisui Heim Ice Arena, and took the opportunity to visit a city and area in Japan I’ve been dying to visit for years. Unfortunately, photos or videos of the actual competition weren’t allowed, so I don’t have many photos of the competition to share - but I hope my experiences might be useful to anyone planning to attend a Japanese figure skating event in the future!
Tickets
It’s no secret that scoring a ticket to Japanese competitions is probably the hardest thing, and requires not only preparedness but a whole lot of luck - because it is literally a lottery for the right to buy tickets, due to the overwhelming popularity of figure skating in Japan.
There are multiple rounds of domestic Japanese lotteries - but you require a Japanese address, telephone number and credit card in order to enter. So for us foreigners, we only had one shot in the international lottery, which was announced on the NHK English website. The good news is that the people who did win the lottery seemed to have gotten great seats - we’re talking first row on the short side type of good.
In the past, some people used online proxy services so Japanese people could help them buy tickets but, likely as part of anti-scalping laws in Japan, NHK Trophy tickets this year required the person who registered their account and won the lottery to attend the competition with their phone and register a photo of themselves. This cut off a lot of choices for international fans.
But if you’re feeling lucky, you have to first register your account, phone number and credit card via the EMTG app, with only account per phone allowed. Once registered, you could either pick to enter the lottery for the All Event tickets (one ticket per person) or you could apply for up to 2 tickets per single day of the competition. If you applied for a 2 person ticket, the account holder that applied for the ticket must attend the event and can bring a plus one who doesn’t have to register. The latter - thanks to some very generous friends who took me in as their plus one - was how I managed to get a ticket because all my own attempts failed 😭
You must also enter the arena together, which is how I, unfortunately, missed the Pairs SP because my friends’ flights were delayed and I couldn’t enter without them, but thankfully they made it in one piece and so I got to catch the Ladies and Men’s SP, and all competitions the next day.
It’s worth following the NHK Twitter to stay informed about ticket information!
The venue
Makkomanai Stadium was actually not very big - there were only about 3 levels - so even though I was sitting about 2 rows from the very back, I wasn’t too far away. In fact, I was probably roughly the same distance as my Premium seat at Milan Worlds 2018. The arena is circular and connected up the top so you don’t have to worry if you get lost.
What I love about Japanese competitions is the range of merchandise on sale. Along with vendors selling figure skating gear like leggings and gloves, I saw stalls with figure skating magazines, plushies of Masaru (Alina Zagitova’s dog,) a stall from Ice Rink Sendai (Yuzuru Hanyu’s original home rink) and a “lucky dip” stall selling keychains, banners and towels featuring artwork displaying Team Japan skaters.
Another thing I loved was the fact it was basically the Yuzuru Hanyu convention. I was so incredibly touched by how many generous fans were handing out handmade gifts and small presents to each other, all inspired by Yuzuru, along with things like clearfiles from his promotional events. It’s one of the best parts about attending a competition live as a Yuzuru fan.
I didn’t check but I believe there was no WiFi in the arena, so I recommend Japan Wi-Fi for those travelling to Japan in general, which is what I used. Unlimited WiFi meant I could stay connected and ensure I could stay in contact with friends I was planning to meet there.
Transport
I was fortunate enough that my family were renting a car to drive in Sapporo (recommended if you’re going as a group) and were able to pick me up after the competition - because you should definitely reserve a good amount of time to get home after the competition, or try to rent a place close to the arena. There were very long lines to get on the bus.
Key tips
Wear layers of clothing because while it can get quite warm in the arena, you are also going to be sitting still in the cold for hours on end. Make sure you get up periodically to walk around!
This may differ depending on where the competition is held in Japan, but we were allowed to take outside food and drink into the arena. I absolutely recommend you buy snacks and bring water in beforehand because, though there was one stall selling hot food and bento boxes, the lines were all very long.
The toilet lines are no joke if you’re a woman so… honestly, try to plan well in advance. Ideally, you should try to go during skaters you don’t mind missing out on seeing - because everyone rushes for the bathroom in the break between competitions and it can easily take 30min.
The best photo I have of the skaters… 😅
The competition
Sitting high up in the seats, what you really notice from that angle is the scale, speed, and flow of every skater that goes out to skate. You can hear the scrape of ice on a takeoff and see when a skater’s axis tilts midair; it’s a much more sensory, immediate impression than on-screen but still extremely exhilarating.
Some of my most memorable impressions:
Wenjing Sui/Cong Han were the pair I’ve been dying to see live and they were, as expected, in a class of their own. The steadiness and speed of Cong’s lifts, the way they both took total ownership of the emotional beats of their program and how Wenjing is just this firecracker of expression. Impeccable (and their podium shenanigans were so sweet.)
Can’t say I actively follow ice dance but I’ve always wanted to see Papadakis/Cizeron skate on the ice and their spoken word free skate was certainly interesting to see them go through such a variety of emotions and movements - though I don’t know how accessible to people who don’t speak English. I thought Stepanova/Bukin had a really mature charisma and presence I could feel from the audience seats, their free dance was striking to watch and oh my god, she is absolutely gorgeous (and I had to jam along to Justin)
Alyona Kostornaia’s Short Program was a study in effortlessness and smoothness. She’s so light and quick on her blades and her landing positions are beautiful. I loved the energy she brought to the last part of her Free Skate, it will be amazing to see her develop her performance skills even more.
I was pleased to see Kevin Aymoz and Roman Sadovsky skate well here - both are very musical performers, have a great presence to them and I love the softness in Roman’s skating and his spins. Jason Brown had a tough set of skates but was still lovely to watch. I was also impressed by the amplitude of both Yuhana Yokoi and Mako Yamashita’s jumps, as well as Eunsoo Lim’s gracefulness (and the fact she looks 7ft tall, I swear!)
Precious child of my heart, Sota Yamamoto, gave a valiant effort despite his jump mistakes - he has such a regal bearing to him and smoothness to his skating and threw himself into his StSq with so much emotion. I really hope that he continues to develop well!
The Japanese crowd loved Sergei Voronov and Alexei Bychenko. They both struggled on their programs but the roar of support was amazing.
Alina Zagitova’s Free Skate won a lot of respect from me - you could just feel her fighting face was on after a non-ideal Short Program and she showed nerves of steel and mettle to put out a clean skate.
Rika Kihira’s Free Skate was a definite highlight moment (and in my opinion, she should’ve won the FS) - the atmosphere of the arena was amazing as it built throughout her program and as she nailed her final jump, the arena rose as one to its feet. She’s taken much more ownership of her program than at the start, and the final sweep of the music is beautiful. “Breakfast in Baghdad” was also much more striking to watch live, the resonance of the vocals really comes through when it’s echoing all around you.
And of course, it was an absolute privilege to watch Yuzuru Hanyu in the flesh, especially at a major event. It feels like the arena is a living organism when he takes to the ice, the expectant hush of the crowd, the flurry of photographer shutters as he took his opening position for “Otonal,” the shower of Pooh rain as the arena rose to its feet afterward. His presence is tangible even from the back of the arena: I watched the detail in his hand on the piano note, the way he just flowed, unbroken, through the entire program, how he picks up the music and varies the dynamics of his entire body with a quirk of the head. His “Origin” Free Skate was beautiful. Seeing how deftly he recovered from the pop on his quad toe - you could almost see him planning as he exited the jump - and watching him improvise those combinations so late in the program felt like my brain was exploding in real-time, and I ended up just helplessly laughing. The willpower of a champion (and just a side helping of #YOLO troll energy).
The men and ladies’ victory ceremony was held together and it was so much fun seeing all the joking around and interactions happening throughout. I got to see Yuzuru’s “OMG why are you so tall” expression at Roman change in real-time because he was facing where I was during the victory ceremony.
I also have to say that the exhibition gala was really enjoyable! On broadcast, I don’t really watch the entire thing very often, but with the lighting effects and little talk segments with Shizuka Arakawa during ice resurfacing time, I think it’s much more striking to experience live. I burst into spontaneous tears when Yuzuru launched into the “Origin” encore in his “Haru Yo Koi” costume and have not yet rewatched the performance on broadcast because it was just a special moment - like everything had been worth it.
Otaru’s famous old railroad
Sapporo, Otaru, and Noboribetsu
I didn’t get to see a lot of Sapporo because of the competition taking up most of my days - but it’s not a very big city so I got to see most of the highlights in the city center. Take an underground walk between Sapporo Station and Odori station, eat some iconic Soup Curry (so needed in the sort of cold weather we had.) Walk through the alley, a typical “shopping street” surrounded on both sides by restaurants, visit the Nijo Market for more fresh seafood… in many ways, Sapporo is a bit of a quintessential city but a lot more peaceful than other cities in Japan.
I definitely recommend visiting Otaru for a day trip out, a city famous for its canals, glassware and European influences in its wooden architecture, as well as seafood markets and the fried chicken (karaage) from Naruto chicken - which is the best I’ve ever eaten. We drove about 1hr from Sapporo to get there but it’s easily accessible by train and it’s not a big city so all attractions are within walking distance of Otaru station. I’d wager that you could comfortably explore the town and its key attractions in about half a day if you’re speedy, but it’s worth sticking around until the lights go on at night for that Christmas spirit. If you can, I also really recommend going to Noboribetsu (a 2hr drive from Sapporo) and experiencing natural onsen hot springs, as well as hiking through Jigoku Dani or Hell’s Valley for some gorgeous views.
Jigoku Dani (Hell’s Valley) in Noboribetsu
It’s not the easiest thing, getting tickets to Japanese competitions, but the atmosphere is certainly unlike any other skating competition, I think. Quiet, respectful but buzzing with life and audience support, as well as being well organised, and in one of my favourite countries in the world to travel. If you do get the chance, I highly recommend it.