ARAKAWA Shizuka won the ladies title at the World Figure Skating Championships held in March 2004 at Dortmund, Germany, with a rare "perfect" score.

　ARAKAWA Shizuka was born in 1981 and now lives in Sendai City. She succeeded in performing a triple jump for the first time when she was in elementary school and won three consecutive All Japan Junior Championship Tournament titles from 1994, earning a reputation as a child prodigy. She participated in the 1998 Nagano Olympics when she was a first-year high school student.

　 I discovered ice skating when I was five years old. I happened to visit a skating class for infants and ended up beginning figure skating because of the cute costumes.

　Life as a skater has been tough, and I've been through slumps. Sendai is a healing place for me. I think I've been able to hang on through tough times because of this city.

ARAKAWA Shizuka talks about her in a polite, gentle and intellectual manner.

　I think Sendai is a very well-balanced city. It has the splendor of a city, the convenience and comfort of a home, and relaxing nature in a well-balanced manner. The air is great and I love the gentle atmosphere of the streets.

　For me, Sendai is a really attractive place that I always want to return to. That's why I head to Sendai the first thing after overseas tournaments.

　I meet my parents and friends, visit my Alma Mater and talk with my former teachers, and walk the riverbanks of the Hirose-gawa River with my dog in Sendai...I cherish these everyday moments. I want to live in Sendai for the rest of my life.