2-time Olympic champion Hanyu parades through hometown Sendai

[Madhatter]

I am not arguing over gun laws. I think the USA has way too many guns and could live without (pun intended) the fetishization of guns.

I also have no doubt that the Japanese are more civilized (I am not being snarky) and don’t need as many guns

But Eagles fans? (the avatar I now always point to when someone says well, you’re just a Jason fan clutching her pearls and don’t understand sport sport sport). The ones that throw icy snowballs at Santa? Full beer cans at opposing fans? And, literally, a million Eagles fans???

Yes, our police needed guns at a sports parade.

It may be a question of 1) culture - yeah, Japanese know how to behave, just that "six bags of trash after a 100k people event" is something amazing, 2) sport in question - fans of certain sports are notorious for being combatative, but it probably doesn't apply to fans of Hanyu. If the worst you're expecting is people pushing each other, why would the guards carry guns?

Tbh, we can only be jealous of countries where the police/guards are not automatically required to carry guns. Japan, from everything I read, is one of the safest country in the world. And considering it does have 130 mil people, it's even more of a wow factor.

 

[Sylvia]

Yuzuru made ESPN The Magazine's World Fame 100 issue as a newcomer, ranked 70: http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/23519390/espn-world-fame-100-2018#yuzuru-hanyu
How the top 100 were selected/ranked: http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/23519390/espn-world-fame-100-2018#

Here is Elaine Teng's article (she attended Hanyu's parade in Sendai back in April): http://www.espn.com/olympics/story/...ing-figure-skating-gold-medalist-yuzuru-hanyu
Excerpts:

Figure skaters typically toil in obscurity, leaping into the spotlight every four years. Hanyu, 23, is no ordinary figure skater. He's a rock star, worshipped by fans who follow him around the world. At the Pyeongchang Olympics, fans waited in line to take pictures with a Hanyu impersonator and threw Pooh toys onto the ice by the armful after Hanyu skated. (He is known for carrying a Winnie the Pooh tissue box to competitions, supposedly because he finds the bear's steady gaze comforting.) He can sell out an ice show in minutes, even if he's not performing, just by attaching his name to it.

He's also incredibly private. Hanyu maintains no public social media. (He's one of only two athletes on our World Fame 100 who doesn't.) He trains at a private club in Toronto that bans its members from posting information from the rink online in order to protect them. "He's very guarded, and I think he has to be," says Canadian Jeffrey Buttle, the 2006 Olympic bronze medalist who has choreographed many of Hanyu's routines. "He doesn't get recognized that much in Toronto. It's an opportunity for him to live just a normal life." But in six years of living in Toronto, Hanyu has never been downtown or to nearby Niagara Falls, he told Japanese television ahead of the Olympics. Orser says he has no idea what Hanyu does for fun. "Normal for him is skating and performing."

 

[Sylvia]

'King of the Ice' Hanyu answers press questions after hometown victory parade: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20180423/p2a/00m/0na/005000c
Excerpts:

Q: How did it feel to hear the cheers of your hometown fans?
YH: I knew through the news and articles that everyone had been cheering for me here even when I was in Pyeongchang. The strength of every single fan supported me and motivated me to succeed. Even though the city is still working on recovery efforts (since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami), I am sincerely honored that such a large-scale parade was held for me. I would like to also do my best in making efforts toward the recovery of my hometown.

Q: Is there a message you have for children who are training hard to become like you?

YH: The journey to make your dreams come true can be rough at times, but it is also filled with enjoyment and happiness as well. But all of that is like the passing seconds -- every moment is different and you only experience it once. So I would like them to treasure every moment of their journey.

"Figure skating superstar Yuzuru Hanyu was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon decoration by the Japanese government on April 28, for the second time in four years." https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20180428/p2a/00m/0sp/018000c

Yuzu was invited again to the Imperial Garden Party, meeting the Emperor and Empress who appeared to watch the parade and they knew about Yuzu's injury:

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180425_34/ - English article with English video and subtitles too!

2 more articles in English:
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201804250064.html

Yuzuru Hanyu, the figure skater who won gold at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, met Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the spring garden party the couple hosted in Tokyo on April 25.
Hanyu, who became the first men's singles figure skater in 66 years to become Olympic champion at consecutive Games, was among about 2,500 guests invited to the party, alongside “shogi” Japanese chess champion Yoshiharu Habu and go champion Yuta Iyama.
...
When Princess Mako, a granddaughter of the emperor and empress, congratulated him for landing another gold after the Sochi Olympics four years earlier, Hanyu flashed a smile and said, “Thank you.”

This one includes more photos plus Japanese audio of Hanyu's conversation with Emperor Akihito): https://english.kyodonews.net/news/...c-champions-attend-imperial-garden-party.html

"The emperor, empress and other imperial family members had kind words for me, and this very much inspired me as I carry on with competitive figure skating," Hanyu said after the party.
...
"The injury limited my training shortly before the Olympics, but I believe I had done a lot up until I sustained the injury," Hanyu said to the emperor. "I realized things that I had missed during daily training. In that sense, it was a good opportunity (to accept that challenge)."
At the end of their conversation, the emperor wished Hanyu more success.