Training Karate in Japan

Training in a traditional Japanese Dojo was a crazy experience. For one they didn't speak any english so trying to understand what they were saying was fun. Also, they are much more strict and formal. The first class we attended was full of 7-10 year olds. We bowed in, then warmed up. After we were warm we were told to get in groups of three, so I went with Daniel and Ari. They handed us three different sized pipes, a large, medium, and small. Then we put the pipes down and attempted to balance on them. After about 30 seconds we would switch. At first it seemed easy but after about three rotations our feet were aching. After we worked on balance, we started doing kata. It was amazing how accurate and sharp the young kids were. Unlike american kids that do karate that are sloppy and uncoordinated and can barley remember the moves (no offense american kids). I can just imagine how good they will be once they're adults. The next class we went to was for older kids ages 11-14. In that class I grouped with two girls they were both 12. As we did the drills they giggled at me because I couldn't understand what the teacher was saying. Some of the other kids spoke a little english but were too shy to talk to us. The third class we went to was for teenagers and adults. At the beginning everyone ran over and grabbed a helmet. In our dojo we don't wear helmets and my parents never made me wear one so wearing it for the first time was awful. It was hot and sweaty and itchy. I felt like I could barely breathe. Also the helmet threw my depth perception off majorly. I would try and kick and miss by two feet. So it took me awhile to adjust. After three classes in a row we were tired and starving. I'm grateful for the experience and that the Japanese people put up with us dumb americans. 

Buddhism is Incredible

Photo I took of the Sensō-ji temple

I am in love with the Japanese temples. I may not be buddhist but I still love learning about different religions and how they effect a culture. While I was in Japan I was lucky enough to be able to see the Sensō-ji temple. This temple is the oldest in Tokyo. Known to people all over Japan as the temple of the Asakusa Kannon, it draws some 30 million visitors every year. This particular temple is a place where people go to be relived of suffering, and to pray of kindness. The smoke you see in my gif is coming from a giant pot in the center of the path. It is full of coal slowly burning. When we walked by we watched as people put their hand in the smoke and fanned it up and over to the back of their head. A bit confused I asked our friend (a local who was showing us around) what they were doing. She said that the smoke cleanses you of evil spirits and brings you good fortune for the rest of your life. After being told this we all waved the smoke over our heads. 


Over here we have the Kaminarimon, the giant red lantern (chōchin). It was first built in 941 by Taira no Kinmasa, a military commander. Since then it has been burned down, and destroyed many times. Yet it has been reconstructed over and over again. On the front of the gate, the statues of the Shinto gods Fūjin and Raijin are displayed. Fūjin, the god of wind, is located on the east side of the gate, and Raijin the god of thunder is located on the west side. In the picture it's hard to tell but the lantern is huge. When you walk underneath it there's a carving of a dragon on the bottom of the lantern. Going back to the origin of the Sensoiji Temple, legend says that when two brothers caught the statue of the Buddha in their net, a dragon with shining gold scales appeared. Therefore, this dragon carving in the lamp represents the dragon as another god watching over the temple. Also, the town Asakusa had weak wood houses and buildings that would easily catch on fire. So the dragon would help protect the town from fire destruction. 

Japan

Japan was amazing! It is so different there, but still in many ways the same. Here are some of the things that I noticed while I was there. So first of all everyone is very friendly. Everywhere we went people would help us with directions and smile at us. And waving! Everyone waves it's the greatest thing. One time we tried to play the wave game (you wave at people and get a point if they wave back but loose a point if they don't). But it was pointless since everyone waved back. 

Sushi Bar in Japan

Also, the food there is amazing, my favorite was the ramen noodles. One night we went to a very traditional Japanese restaurant, they served us baby squid, bamboo, raw salmon, and neon pink rice cakes. It was... interesting. Another place we went that was very unique was the sushi bar. You go and sit down at the bar and sushi plates go by you on a moving conveyor belt. When you see something that looks tasty you simply grab it. The price is determined by the color of the plate it's on. After you've had your fill a waitress comes to your table and counts up your plates. It was way different from anything I've seen in the states. 

It's amazing how many people live there, 127.3 million to be exact. Everywhere you go there's people. Another thing I found really cool is the buildings. In the city everything is really compact and tall. The department stores have multiple floors with different products on each level. Level one is make up, level two shoes, level three dresses and so on. Many of the stores we went to were structured like this. 

Umbrella holder

Some things we saw on the street were interesting, like everywhere there's umbrella holders. You put in like 50 cents and lock your umbrella in place. It makes sense since it rains so much in Japan. The vending machines there are really different, they have tea vending machines, sandwich vending machines, honestly anything in a vending machine. 

The last thing that I really liked was all the bikers. People bike all over, moms even have a seat for their children on their bikes. There's bike parking everywhere too. 


So Japan is amazing and I hope that if you ever get the opportunity to go there you will because it is probably the coolest place I have ever been. 

Training with Akira Fukuda

Photo curtosy of JAPAN MARTIAL ARTS CENTER

It's been a day since the seminar with Sensei Fukuda and I can barely walk. After five hours of training on Saturday and four hours on Sunday I am ready to go crawl into a ball under about 40 blankets and never come out. You would feel the same if you had to hold the same stance for 10 minutes then move as fast as you can. We did this one drill where you squat down then jump up over someone and land squat down that move up into a stance. At the time it didn't feel that hard, but trust me I felt that drill the next day. Overall the Seminar was really good. I learned a lot of different concepts and new perspectives on Kata. 

So a little background on Akira Fukuda. At first, he wanted to be a professional surfer but soon realized that surfing had no chance of being in the Olympics. So he started Karate. Now he's the USA National Team Coach, he has 9 US National titles, he's a Pan American Games gold medalist, he was ranked top 4 in the World, and was awarded the Olympic Athlete of the year award. Originally he is from a Shotokan Dojo but throughout his life he has come to master  all five styles of Karate. Which is very rare these days, mostly people stay in one style or two max. But his unique knowledge of all the styles and other styles of Martial Arts (judo, wrestling, Taekwondo, etc.) made him the perfect candidate for the US Kata coach. 

So I'm very thankful for the opportunity to meet and train with such an inspirational person. Hopefully I will be able to train with him again.

Dear Role Model

Dear Tom Scott, 

I admire to you for many different reasons, for one you are very accomplished in Karate. You've won National titles in the US and also World titles. You have been the USA National Team Captain and a USA-NKF Certified Coach. You were the first USA Karate athlete in 10 years to win the gold in kilo and open weight categories at Pan American Karate Championships. Recently you won a gold medal in the World Karate Championships in Paris. Which is amazing also. 

But besides just Karate you're also a great person. Every time I see you, whether it's at a tournament, at training, or just getting lunch you always have a smile on your face. You're also very friendly and approchable which you don't often see in Karate competitors. I also admire how committed you are. You can see that you are willing to put in the effort and work harder than everyone else in the room. Also, you always do things to the best of your ability, no slacking.

Something that I just recently found out is that besides being an amazing athlete you are also very intelligent. You went to the University of Texas in Dallas and earned a Master's Degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Also, you went to Texas Christian University and got a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice, and made the TCU Dean’s Honor List. All that school and still was able to keep up and compete in Karate. Impressive honestly. 

One day I hope to be as accomplished and well rounded as you are. But for now I can only see you as a role model and try to become as great as you are. 

Outlier

Sometimes in my own dojo I feel like an outlier. My dojo is Wado style, the man who started the style was never really into Kata so he basically threw a few random Katas in his style and focused mainly on Kumite. When Karate people think of Wado they know, 'Oh those are fighters.' But I have always been drawn to Kata, the flow, the strength, the fancy jumps, all of it. The only problem is that Katas from my style don't exactly do well in competition. They're too boxy, and honestly kind of boring. 

Shito on the other hand has tons of Katas, so many I can't even count them all. The man who started Shito really liked Kata, he put a lot of effort into creating them. The first time I ever saw a Shito Kata was at a tournament in Colorado. A girl performed her Kata and it caught my eye instantly. I watched her move through it, she looked almost as if she was water and stone at the same time. She would flow like a river into the move then freeze like stone. Mesmerized I asked my Sensei what she was doing. because I had never seen anything like that before. He said, "Oh, that's Shito." 

I wanted so bad to learn Shito Katas and compete with them. The only problem was that no one knew them or was willing to teach them to me. All until one day Hector came to our dojo. Hector is a US Military Officer, and has a black belt in Shito. Of course I asked him to teach me and he did. I picked up Shito quickly and soon started to do them in tournaments. But that only created conflict. My Senseis did not approve of me learning Shito Katas because we are Wado. But I've rarely seen Wado Katas win, and I felt awkward doing them. Shito had finesse and the majority of the best Kata Champions in the World do Shito. Eventually, me doing Shito grew on them. They even bring Shito people in to do seminars. But still sometimes I can't help but feel different for wanting to be successful in Kata.


        Wado Symbol                                                              Shito Symbol

I'm going to Japan!

A temple located in Tokyo, Japan. Photo curtsy of www.wallpaperawesome.com

I'm going to Japan! And I can hardly hold it in I'm so excited. I'm going during February break, I'll be there for a total of 10 days. I'm going with my sister, my friend Danny and Danny's dad who is also a Karate coach at my dojo. Danny's dad is the one who organized the whole trip and invited my sister and I to go. It's actually a surprise for him, so don't tell. 

I've only been out of the country three times, twice to Mexico and once to Costa Rica. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is the flight. I hate flying, honestly if I could go the rest of my life without ever stepping onto a plane, I would. The annoying whiney kids, the crowded aisles, crappy food, uncomfortable seats it's all a pain. But that's a problem because I love to travel and see new places. The flight from here to Tokyo is about 14 hours... Yay. But it'll be worth it. In my previous blog I talked about a woman named Sakura Kokumai, the 1st place Kata Champion in the World. She's a local in Japan so she'll be able to show us around, show us the best restaurants, and get away from other tourists. Not to mention I'm getting the opportunity to train with her. 

As many of you may know, Karate originated in Japan. I can't wait to see how other people train and see new styles. One thing I know for sure is that they are much more intense than they are here in the US. I'm afraid that I'll sneeze during training and get my head cut off with a samurai sword. I'm totally kidding... I mean I hope I'm kidding.