Sometimes, it's hard for me to communicate my discomfort because I want to be respectful. At the same time, I've learned that you have to ask people on your team to help you out.

Japanese people, they're not really one to complain.

I skate six days a week, three sessions a day, and I go to the gym three times a week. I lift weights, do some ab work and whatever my trainer tells me to do. I take Saturdays off.

During finals week, I don't get a lot of sleep, and I tell myself, 'I can't do this anymore.'

I believe in adventure and imagination, and I got that from my parents and the things I experienced as a child.

If I fall, I'll take the fall and get up and keep going.

I'm not a fadeaway type of person; I don't have that type of personality.

Something that I saw in Sochi that I didn't get the opportunity to have in Vancouver was the team holding hands with arms in the air and medals around their neck.

There are moments when I think I'm not very smart and not very pretty, and skating is the only thing that stands out about me. It's like the love of my life. When you love someone, sometimes you want to break up.

If you really put your mind to it, anything is possible.

As athletes, we want to represent our country to the best of our ability.

I always want to try for what's been offered to me.

When I started not training as hard and doing what I needed to do, everyone else improved without me improving.

I've always been an A or B student. When I get a B, I freak out a little bit!

My parents always tell me that they never would have let me start if they had known how expensive and difficult figure skating is.

I've learned a lot from my parents.

I have a great work ethic because I've watched my parents work super hard.

I think it's because I'm so hard on myself that I can push myself this far.

Being the heavy favorite is not always a good thing because of the amount of pressure on an athlete.

It was hard for me to leave the nest, but my mom is super proud of me. She said, 'You became independent really quickly, and I'm so proud of you,' but she misses me all the same.

There are always moments when I think about leaving skating, but when I think about that, I'm not very smart, and I'm not very pretty, and there's nothing else that stands out about me besides my skating.

People have drawn me, which is super cool. I'd love to print some out and put them on my wall.

Although there's a stigma that you learn only until a certain point, and then you just maintain, for me to learn the triple axel at 24 goes to show that anything's possible.

It's been exciting to share my story for people to relate to me and reach out.