It looks like Nishinomiya City has presented its “Special Sports Award” to Rika Kihira, the Nishinomiya-born figure skater who won her first Grand Prix Final title.
Nishinomiya City Special Sports Award presented to Kihira, who beams at warm welcome Kobe Shimbun NEXT
Kihira, who received the “Special Sports Award” yesterday, January 15, is from Nishinomiya and has certainly brought excitement to her hometown.
The linked article says she attended Hirota Kindergarten, Taisha Elementary School, and Uegahara Junior High School in the city.
At Nishinomiya City Hall, she was apparently welcomed by around 100 people, including Mayor Toshiro Ishii, city staff, and Nishinomiya residents. She also received bouquets and letters from children at Hirota Kindergarten. Kihira looked very happy.
I received the Nishinomiya City Special Sports Award from the mayor of Nishinomiya☺️✨
I also received an adorable cake😍
Thank you so much💕#西宮市スポーツ特別賞 #西宮市 #西宮市役者 #西宮市長 #ツマガリ #ツマガリのケーキ #紀平梨花 #1月14日 pic.twitter.com/lg86KXMD9T— Rika Kihira 紀平梨花 (@rika_kihira) 2019年1月26日
What a lovely two-shot photo with Miyatan.
The cute cake is from Tsumagari, a patisserie in Koyoen. They also have shops in Daimaru Kobe and Daimaru Umeda.
Hirota Kindergarten, where Kihira attended, uses the Yokomine-style education method, and this is what was written on the school’s features page.
Good at physical education
Based on “running” and “flexibility,” children develop fundamental physical abilities by incorporating sensory movements that can only be acquired in early childhood (ages 2 to 6), such as a sense of inversion, rotation, balance, and height.
School Features Hirota Kindergarten official website
Kihira apparently attended the kindergarten for four years from the age of three. It must have helped lead to the success she is enjoying today.
She also made sure to rest properly on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and apparently even visited Hirota Shrine.
There’s no doubt Kihira will continue to shine in 2019! Nishinomiya Tsushin is cheering for Nishinomiya-born Rika Kihira! It would be wonderful if everyone in the city could cheer her on together.
