You’ve seen the photos from Day One at Japanese Nationals – but you haven’t seen ours, we wrote on X at the end of December 18th.
We stick by it: Klaudia Adamczak took some amazing portraits during the draw, the first and very ceremonial part of any edition of Japanese Nationals, and we want to group them together in a photo-story, and come back to them whenever we feel like.
Because this edition of JSF Championships is something really special – it’s about endings, about beginnings, about trying to make the team for Milano-Cortina, but, most of all, about so much talent, work and perseverance on display.
And the draw was serious, no doubt, but also loose, relaxed and joyful – a collective portrait of the Japanese skating family – and we want you, we want us to remember that.
That and: skating is about pursuing one’s passion and all of these athletes are here because of that.
These are the best skaters in Japan – one can say: the best in the world too – in December 2025.
[All photos were taken by Klaudia Adamczak in Tokyo.
And if the captions sound a bit too familiar, you have the editor of Inside Skating to blame :). Enjoy]
The draw hadn’t yet begun, but anticipation was building.
Tomono. Kazuki Tomono. You have to agree: there’s a James Bond air to this photo of Kazuki arriving at the draw.
Reunion. Loving this smiling photo of Wakaba Higuchi and Mone Chiba at the draw.
Preparation for the draw includes fixing a tie – and Yuma Kagiyama is getting some very precious help.
The sunbeam that Mai Mihara is. And these portraits? One could frame them. And we might do just that. These are Mai’s last Nationals.
Kosho Oshima wearing a red suit in a sea of black and navy, now that was a bold move – and was met with smiles, happy laughter, applause. The draw in a nutshell: lots of fun.
Now onto more serious things. Maybe some piece of advice shared by Yuma Kagiyama to Rio Nakata?
A very stylish Kaori Sakamoto, two small skates on her lapel
Rinka Watanabe. Rino Matsuike. Mone Chiba. What a beautiful portrait.
The photographer has found Sota Yamamoto. And Sota too has found the photographer.
Serious gentlemen: Shun Sato and Kazuki Tomono
Kaori Sakamoto and Yuma Kagiyama having a good share of laughter. And, yes, draws can be fun – this photo more than proves it.
When a portrait recreates the aura, the mystery of a character: Kao Miura at the draw.
Smiling reactions and applause to Haru Kakiuchi drawing to skate last
Close-up: Nozomu Yoshioka
Time for Kaori Sakamoto to draw her number. And there’s so many “last times” for Kaori at these Nationals – and that makes us really emotional.
Men in black, with Kao Miura in the forefront
Smiling Ikura Kushida drawing her number in the singles’ category
Ups, I did it, drew the number for my last short program at Nationals, Mai Mihara seems to say
Yuna Aoki, Hana Yoshida, Rion Sumiyoshi – and Kaori’s ponytail
Two amazing skaters in their last ever Japanese Nationals as competitors, alongside the present, the future. Wakaba Higuchi and Kaori Sakamoto, with Rino Matsuike, Mone Chiba, Mao Shimada.
New ice dance team out there – and one that we’re eager to see: Rika Kihira and Shingo Nishiyama
The joy in this photo? We can feel it too. Single skaters-to-ice dancers Ikura Kushida and Koshiro Shimada. Oh wait, Ikura is competing in singles too – at these very Nationals.
Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita at the draw – and their reactions to it
It really feels like a family reunion, laughter and all. With this beautiful group photo, we bring this photo-story from the draw to a close – we hope you liked it as much as we liked sharing it with you.