It takes place at KOSÉ Shin-Yokohama Skate Center at the end of June and early July at the conclusion of the figure skating season, featuring a cast of Japanese senior and junior skaters with international skaters from overseas.

[1] Around this period, Akie Murakushi finished first at the 2003 Grand Prix Final, Yukina Ota won the 2004 Four Continents Championships, Miki Ando became the 2004 Junior World Champion, and Shizuka Awakawa stood atop the podium at the 2004 World Championships.

The ultimate goal, however, was an Olympic gold medal for Japan, and Makabe wanted the name of his show to reflect those dreams.

[1] Makabe initially wanted a show starring international medalists from the figure skating season that was coming to a close but when he pitched the project to the Japanese Skating Federation, they wanted to include eligible national senior and junior level skaters to help them improve their presentation by performing in front of an audience.

[1] Dreams on Ice became a showcase of top Japanese skaters who were selected based on competition results.