Learn Traditional Karate at Maroochydore's only fully equipped, permanent Karate dojo

Another full on day, but really good.  Weather has been warm and muggy, not much different than Sunshine Coast, maybe just a little higher humidity and we have had a bit of rain this evening.

The day started early about 5.30am wake up, 6.00am taxi to the sohonbu, then morning training started at 6.30am.  As is usual form, we started with half and hour of seiza and mokuso.  It just reminded me how much I miss doing that,  it’s something that I really enjoy and just don’t make the time for usually.  The dojo was pretty full, with all the Aussies, a few Canadians and several Japanese.  Given that the gradings are tomorrow morning, I think Soke Sensei took it a little easy, although we did most of the usual kihon routine, but not speed training that he usually enjoys to do in the mornings.  Followed by all kihon kata and kata.

The seniors were in the front line, then 4th dan instructors in the second line and everyone else in the third line.  I was very fortunate to be positioned right behind Tanaka Sensei,  he’s just got such great energy, especially during morning training.  For the first time ever I forgot a kata half way through, not a good thing to do the day before a grading.  But in my defence, it’s a kata that I haven’t really been putting a lot of time into practicing lately as it is the 6th dan grading kata (Ryusan) a few steps beyond my current level.  After all kata were complete, Soke Sensei gave everyone a few minutes break, expect me, I had to redo Ryusan kata.  In the end it worked out to be a good thing, because I got a few special points to work on that haven’t been pointed out before.

After everyone else got a break, we did partner training for nearly all of the remainder of the class.  I got to work on Nage no Kata with Snow Sensei.  Given the distance between dojos in Australia, we don’t get to train together that often, so it was great to train together in this context.  We had a few good breakthroughs and enjoyed working with each other.  After training was complete, it was time for soji.  Cleaning the floor, with with small, wet towels, pushed up and down the dojo by hand.  It’s good to have so many people in to do this job as it goes quite quickly.

It brought back memories for me.  During my year in Japan the Sohonbu was very quiet, often just Tanaka Sensei and myself for morning training at that time.  I think out of the year, there would have been maybe 100 times that I cleaned the whole dojo by myself after very tough physical training, now that’s shugyo.  While it’s very tough physically and mentally to do at times, it’s also a very humbling experience and a pleasure to do.  If nothing else than a small thank you for the time that Soke Sensei so freely gives.

After that, breakfast, hotel, change of clothes, wash gi and back out to the Kamitori via the bank.  Now to say the least the exchange rate it not that amazing right now, and every day it seems to be dropping.  Just 2 months ago, AU$1 would buy 102JPY, this morning it was down to 64JPY, I think it’s going to be a bit of an expensive trip this time.

We had lunch Japanese style at a nice little restaurant, simple lunch, but good.  When you walk in the front door, there is a vending maching, where you select a meal and pay then find a spare table.  Then staff come to collect tickets and about 5 minutes later out comes the food.

After lunch we continued up the kamitori to a photo booth, where we all had to get passport sized photos to goo with our grading applications.  The locals must have thought we were carzy, one at a time we went into this tiny booth, obviously built for the locals…  Once inside, we’d change into a gi top as that is what’s recommended for the photos as one will go on grading certificate if successful.  After many bumped elbows and so on, we all managed to get it done.

Next mission, was to get to the sports store, as I needed to get a mouthguard and groin guard for the kakedameshi.  That morning Tanaka Sensei had showed us the bogu (head gear, body gear and gloves) that all entrants are to use.  It looks good, very light weight body gear, just enough to stop any major internal damage, but I think that broken ribs are still a possibility… not for me though, that’s not part of my plan.

After shopping, I ran into Noonan Sensei who I spent the next few hours with catching up sharing ideas about various things, then back to the sohonbu dojo.

We got there in time for the kids class.  Chris Taneda Sensei had arrrived a little earlier and was talking with Soke Sensei.  I was asked to join Tatsumi Takatsu Sensei teach the kids class.  It had been a while since I last taught any kids in Japan, but it was interesting.  My Japanese has slipped quite a lot so my confidence in teaching the kids was not that great, but I tried to give them something different that they might not normally receive.  Most of the kids were just in awe of my size, by Australian standards I’m tall, but not out of place at 194cm, but in Japan with Primary School aged kids it’s a bit of a novelty.

For evening classes nearly everyone was back again from the morning class, plus a few more people that had arrived that day.  Again training was very similar to the morning class, and tuaght by Soke Sensei once again.  After training, 7.30-9.00pm, Tanaka Sensei sat everyone down to explain the schedule in more detail for the next few days.  Tomorrow’s grading is going to be very big, 18 people grading in total, some for dan grading, some for teaching titles, some for both.  Given the size of the grading, what we have been asked to do is a condensed version, if everyone was to do the full grading requirements it had been calculated at nearly 6 hours just to check, plus feedback time.  Unfortunately we only have 3 hours allocated for grading so given that we have less to do, it is going to be even more important that everything is correct.

Following explanation of the schedule, Tanaka Sensei invited everyone back to his house, across the road from the Sohonbu dojo for some snacks, pizza and drinks.  I think everyone was quite tired, especially those who had arrived that day, but it was nice to sit down for a while and catch up.  It always impresses me how hospitable Tanaka Sensei is with everyone.  I just hope that next time he’s on the Sunshine Coast, we can return the favour again.

Then finally back to the hotel, wash gi, hotel onsen while I was waiting and back to writing this entry.  I hope that everyone enjoys reading about my adventures as much as I am having them.  it just makes me realise how nice it is to be able to train at the sohonbu.  I will certainly be encouraging all Sunshine Coast members to get to the Sohonbu dojo to train once they have graded to black belt.  I think it’s something that everyone should do at least once.  Soke Sensei’s growth in technique just continues to amaze me, we are so lucky to be a part of the ICKF and have direct access to a true master of karate-do.

I’m going to call it a night, it now after 1am and I need to be up around 6.30am to pack my bag.  Breakfast downstairs at 7.00am, then taxi to the Sohonbu dojo at about 7.30am for final grading preparations.  I guess I’ll get a sleep when I get home, maybe.

I still didn’t get any photos today, maybe tomorrow…

Bookmark and Share

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinkedIn LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb

Netvouz Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere

Sphinn Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »

After several more hours wanderin around Singapore airport, 11 hours in total I made my way onto the next leg of the journey. I couldn’t get over the size of Singapore airport. It was my first time there, and although I have done a bit of travelling over the year’s, I haven’t been to an airport so huge. There are 3 terminals in total and each one has it’s own shopping complex of duty free. I spent the first 5-6 hours in just one terminal and I stood in the middle of the shopping complex and looked both ways with shops as far as the eye could see in either direction. When my flight details finally came up and I found out which terminal my next leg was due to depart from, I jumped on the sky train to the next terminal that was just as big, but this one also had a free movie theatre that runs 24 hours a day in addition to everything else. I didn’t actually venture to the other terminal. Maybe on the way home, as I have another long stop over.

When I did eventually get onto the plane it was 1am and I was absoultely wiped out as I still hadn’t slept.  After boarding, I filled out all of the paperwork ready for imigrations and customs in Fukuoka.  Someone was looking out for me, because I got a great seat rigght up the front of the section which is normally reserved for parents with infants, but there didn’t seem to be any little ones on the plane so I got to stretch out my legs and sleep….  Somehow, I managed to wake up just in time for breakfast and then the decent into Fukuoka airport.  Just what I needed.

After clearing customs I went to the info counter and found that I had an hour to wait before my bus ride to Kumamoto.  Being prepared I thought I’d try to withdraw a bit of cash from an ATM as I only carried a little bit of cash with me.  That was a bit of a frustrating experience as most ATMs don’t allow withdrawals from foreign accounts.  I’ll check out one at the main train station tomorrow that I have used before.  The bus ride was about 2 hours, very relaxing, and time went quickly.  The thing that amazes me is that there is more leg room on the bus then there was on the flight from Brisbane to Singapore.

Once I got into the bus terminal I jumped into a taxi to the hotel.  It is about 10 minutes walk, but I didn’t really want to do it with all my luggage after about 30 hours in transit.  I got to the hotel around 11.20am and as I walked in the front door, there were the Aussies ready to head to the Sohonbu for training, Mark Snow Sensei, Shane Ker Sensei, Craig Cox Sensei and Adam McDonald.  They had arranged to meet Noonan Sensei for lunch, followed by a training session with Soke Sensei.  I quickly dropped off my bags and joined them as we all started walking towards the tram that took us to downtown Kumamoto, where we had lunch.

For me, one of the best things about Japan is the food, I love Japanese food.  But, they had arranged to meet at Mos Burger, which is more or less the Japanese equivilent of Hungry Jacks….  Not really what I was hoping for, but it was an experience no the less.

From the downtown, we walked the rest of the way to the sohonbu dojo, about 40 minutes walk.  That was just what I needed after sitting down for so long, on the planes at the airports and on the bus.

As we walked in the front doors of the dojo we were greeted by Tanaka Sensei and Soke Sensei.  I think they were a little surprised to see me there.  Alhtoughh they both knew that I was coming to Japan, they didn’t know axactly when they wer going to see me.

Training was great, we all got to stretch out our bodies and too it slowly.  Everyone else had done morning training earlier that morning and were a bit stiff and sore.  I was just tired and stiff, but that soon went.  We all kind of did our own thing, but one by one, we had the chance to peform some of our grading kata for Soke Sensei who gave us all some last minute advice before the gradings on Saturday.  It’s always such a humbling experience to have Soke Sensei give you feedback, becuase not matter how much you think you have grown he gives you a list of things to continue working on.  He knows that there is virtually no way possible to perfect everything that he has given us to work on in just the next few days, it might be more like part of the 2-5 year plan for some of us.  But the feedback was very welcome none the less.  After all, it’s not everyday that you get to have a private lesson with Soke Sensei, which is more or less what it ended up being for each of us, one by one.

Unchiyama Sensei the head instructor of Chito-Ryu in the United States also joined us in the dojo and he was a welcome training partner for Nage no Kata for both mark Snow Sensei and myself.  While Uchiyama Sensei was getting some feedback from Soke Sensei,  Snow Sensei and I continued to train with Nage no Kata, with a few very good breakthroughs for both of us.  It was quite a relaxed and informal training session, but it was very good, just what I needed.  After training, we also met Tamaki Sensei, who is president of Japan Chito-Kai, the national association which governs Chito-Ryu in Japan.  Tamaki Sensei is Keiichiro Oda Sensei’s teacher.  Keiichiro Sensei stayed with us on the Sunshine Coast to help teach for 3 months when our daughter Sam was first born.  I’m sure we’ll catch up with him over the next few days.

After training we walked back downtown for a very relaxing onsen.  Onsen are public bath  houses that are fed by natural hot springs.  I love going to onsen, they are everywhere around Japan.  Although I am kind of used the idea of stripping off and going for a public bath now, it did take a bit of getting used to.  This is the first time that I have been to this particular onsen, it’s on the 11th floor of a building in the middle of Kumamoto.  While we were having a bath with our friends and a few other locals  that were also enjoyin the onsen, we were looking out over Kumamoto, including Kumamoto Castle and Mount Kimpo, behind which lies Reigando, the cave in which Miyamoto Musashi lived while he wrote the famous “Book of Five Rings”.  We all relaxed into the hot water as the sun set over the mountains.

Eventually we decided to make our way back to the hotel, where I finally checked in and quickly got ready for dinner.  Tonight’s dinner was better than Mos Burger, instead, we had yakiniku.  Basically, we sat around a table with a small gas BBQ in the middle, and they brought us out plates of beef, pork, chicken, seafood and vegetables, which we cooked ourselves on the grill.  Now that’s more like it!

And then a walk back to the hotel where I am now.

I was going to keep this brief as I have to get up at 5.30am tomorrow for morning training, but once I started writing I couldn’t stop.  I’ll be back for more of my adventure tomorrow… hopefully with some pictures.  Unfortunatley, my battery ran out today on my phone/camera.

Bookmark and Share

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinkedIn LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb

Netvouz Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere

Sphinn Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »