Hanyu Yuzuru opens the 'Prologue' - a new chapter to an illustrious career

If this is merely the ‘Prologue’, you wonder what Hanyu Yuzuru's future shows are going to be like.

Hanyu performed his first professional figure skating ice show on Friday (4 November 2022) in Yokohama, Japan, but it was no leisurely stroll through the park.

At Pia Arena MM where there was not one empty seat in the house, the two-time Olympic champion skated to six of his best tunes in 90 minutes, taking the sellout crowd of 7,900 on a journey through his competitive career that ended in July.

While he didn’t perform to every song in full, Hanyu did reprise the free skate from PyeongChang 2018 - ‘Seimei’ - that won him his second Olympic gold.

Hanyu went as far as to open the show with six minutes of warm-up - as if he were in competition.

And the 27-year-old didn’t miss a beat.

Hanyu said it has been challenging for him to prepare his body for a show that required him to repeatedly take the ice in a short span of time.

“It was really tough getting ready for this, physically,” Hanyu said before jumping into his car to leave the building in a manner that some fans likened to Elvis.

“I went through the whole performance about five times before today. I’m used to emptying the tank for one skate. I’ve never thought about heading back out immediately after.

“But I managed to add the strength and stamina I needed to get though it all.”

Hanyu stepped away from competition in July after missing the podium at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games.

At the end of September, he announced that he was self-producing his own show starring only himself.

Hanyu said he was pleased with how the maiden performance turned out given the time constraints.

He will skate again in Yokohama on Saturday with three more shows scheduled next month in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture.

“Every aspect of this project started after I announced that I was turning pro at the press conference. I asked a lot of people to do a lot of things when we didn’t have much time and I’m grateful for that.

“I was still applying the finishing touches this morning. There’s a lot more I want to do and a lot I could have done better in hindsight.

“But none of this would have been possible on my own.”

Hanyu isn't sure what the next chapter in his future holds, beyond Prologue.

“I haven’t really defined a goal for myself as a professional skater. This is completely new territory for me”, he said.

“Ever since I was four, I’ve led life with the goal of winning an Olympic gold medal some day and I sort of feel like I’m in limbo right now.

“At the moment, I’m focusing on living each and every day to the fullest, and hopefully that will lead me to breaking new ground in figure skating. I hope that will be the story I tell.”