[1] She competed in seven events at the 1956 Summer Olympics,[2] and wrote an article entitled Deep Emotions from the Hinomaru, describing her thoughts on Japanese identity represented by the waving of Japanese flags at the Olympics just a few short years after the end of the Second World War.
[3] Shintani was due to participate in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome for the Japanese contingent, but was prevented from doing so by a herniated disc that caused paralysis in her right leg.
Instead, she went on to study in the United States, graduating with a master's degree from Northwestern State University.
[3] In 1962, Shintani worked as an assistant to gymnast Joanne Giannini (nee Pasquale).
[4] In 1970, she published a book entitled the Basics of Women's Gymnastics (女子体操競技の基礎).