Sensei Ueki and the Emperor's Birthday

Good evening!

Yesterday marked the end of my spell of karate training in Japan. The JKA Honbu dojo is now closed for a two week period over Christmas and the New Year and will reopen at the start of January, by which point I will be in Nepal.

This has been the most intense period of karate training that I have ever experienced in 15 years of practising. For two and a half weeks, I ate, slept and breathed karate, attending the dojo everyday that it was open. That totals 14 days, during which I completed 27 training sessions under a whole host of skilled, renowned and inspirational karate sensei. 27 classes and every single one was exceptional.

To mark the end of 2010, the final class was taught by Sensei Ueki, the chief instructor of the JKA. This was an occasion I could not miss. Having trained under Sensei Ueki a few times when he has visited the UK, I knew first hand the quality of instruction that I could look forward to. The class was dynamic and exciting to be a part of. It was one of those classes where the time just seems to fly by because you're so engaged throughout. It involved all three aspects of karate: Kihon (basics), kata (forms) and kumite (sparring). The focus was on weight distribution while transitioning between stances and how maintaining good form is imperative for producing an effective technique in any stance. We also looked at using certain hip rotations and vibrations to generate power in movements that would otherwise be viewed as 'weaker' techniques. It provided a lot of insight into certain technical aspects of karate that are sometimes overlooked in everyday training. We practised the application of this through some partner exercises, where I did my usual trick of picking the most skilled looking person in the dojo to face.

All in all, it's been a very fulfilling two and a half weeks. I feel I barely managed to scratch the surface here but my intention was never to come away from Japan with some new exceptional outlook on karate and my karate training. I feel to do this, I would need to spend a period of months or years at the Honbu. My intention was to have a bitesized experience of the Honbu and take away the memories and priviledges that it would offer. I originally planned on training 3-4 times per week but soon decided that an opportunity like this needed to be greater seized so I decided I would train daily. Once I arrived in Japan and realised that they would be closing from December 23rd, I decided to up my training and attend a second session every other day. Pretty soon, this turned into training twice almost every day and on some days, three times.

I arrived in Japan off the back of almost 6 months without training but I was willing to pay for that and work hard to get my sharpness back. Sure, I spent many sessions being corrected by the sensei and being pushed to do things faster, stronger and with better form, but that's karate and anyone who understands karate will know that it's a life long process where we never stop learning. One memory I will never forget from my last training session at the Honbu: I was positioned at the front of the class, performing combination after combination as instructed by Sensei Ueki. On one occasion, Sensei Ueki was stood no more than 2 metres in front of me analysing my every movement. As I finished the final technique I looked at him and received a nod of approval! At least that's what I hope it was - It could have been an involuntary twitch for all I know! Karate instructors rarely give encouragement or positive feedback. They focus more on corrections and the things you do wrong. To finish the sequence and have that recognition from one of the most influential sensei in the world is something that I'll treasure.

So training is now finished. It's definitely a little depressing that something that I've built up and dreamed of for so many years has come to end so quickly. I have no regrets of the experience - so on to the next.

Today was a national holiday in celebration of the Emperor's birthday. In the true spirit of being a Tokyo tourist, I decided to go and visit the Imperial Palace. Today is one of only two days a year where the inner grounds of the palace are open to the public. I felt this was definitely something worth visiting and I had an enjoyable time wandering around the gardens and taking lots of photos. I had been told that the Emperor and his family would make regular appearances throughout the day. Unfortunately I must have missed this.

Over the next few days my plan is to rest and recover and enjoy all that Tokyo has to offer over the holidays. My guesthouse are hosting a traditional Christmas party so that's something I'll be looking forward to. Hazel then arrives on Sunday which is when I'll begin doing all the proper site seeing stuff.

Much love!

Sam

The JKA Honbu Dojo

Hello!

Having now been in Tokyo for over a week, I thought it might be worth going into a bit more detail on the karate training I've been receiving here.

Firstly, let me explain a little bit about the history of karate. Gichin Funakoshi founded modern day karate at the start of the 20th century. He was a true pioneer who believed that karate was not only a means of combat, but also a physical pursuit and form of exercise, a mental release, a discipline, an art and a spiritual conquest. Karate is not for defence, not for sport, not for show but for life - it's a holistic discipline that covers all of these! Having trained for 15 years and attained the grade of sandan (3rd dan black belt), I realise now more than ever, just how much more there is for me to learn and appreciate.

Funakoshi founded the JKA (Japan Karate Association) which was then, and still is now the most renowned and respected karate federation in the world. After Funakoshi's death in 1957, Sensei (teacher) Nakayama took over as chief instructor of the JKA. During the 1960's, many of the supreme practitioners from the JKA were sent to various countries to teach karate to the world. So although, karate is now universally practised, this all came from the Japanese. Unfortunately, the repercussions of sending the JKA's finest instructors around the world was that the governing structure for karate became rather fragmented as each great sensei decided to form their own federation. Never the less, the JKA still remained as the leading authority on karate.

In 1987, Sensei Nakayama died and Sensei Sugiura replaced him as the chief instructor of the JKA and earlier this year Sensei Sugiura stepped down from this post, due to bad health and was replaced by Sensei Ueki (an instructor whom I've had the pleasure of training under a number of times when he has visited England). The JKA today still has the same reputations that it's always held. Its famous instructor programme continues to produce the finest sensei around and the quality of it's karate is second to none. It's global headquarters are based in Tokyo and for any karate enthusiast around the world, it is a dream to be able to train and experience karate at the Honbu. I feel honoured right now to be able to wake up everyday and study karate at the finest centre on the planet!

So what's it like? It's a professionally run organisation. The Honbu itself has 4 floors, filled with offices, a gym, a conference hall, changing rooms and of course 2 large, state of the art dojos. Karate classes run 4 times a day, 6 days a week. Since my first session, a week ago, I have attended 10 classes, which is most certainly the most times I've ever trained in a week! There is no set schedule, so with each class I attend, I have no idea who the instructor will be, what the session will entail, or how big the class will be.

Of the classes I have attended to date, some have been taught by young, recent graduates from the instructor programme, while others have been taught by renowned masters of karate including Sensei Osaka, Kawawada, Kurasako and Imura to name but a few. To date, I've been unable to fault a class. Every single sensei has been exceptional. It's worth noting that the younger instructors, many of whom are the same grade as me, are the top karate practitioners in Japan right now. When you look them up on the internet, all of them are current or recent national champions and internationally famed. I've spent a bit of time watching youtube videos of these sensei. It's sickening to see how talented they are and being able to train under them is an honour. On the other hand, being able to train under the veteran masters of the JKA is simply breathtaking.

The classes are of course taught in Japanese, as is the case everywhere else in the world. I therefore have no problems understanding the instructions. However, when it comes to the sensei explaining finer details and intricacies, I'm unable to understand. However, I feel I get the general vibe of their explanations from their demonstrations, which highlight what they're trying to put across. Every class has been different so far and whether it's focused on kihon (basics), kata (forms), kumite (partner work) or a combination of the three, I've left the class feeling inspired and enlightened. I wish I could give specifics of classes but it all seems to be a bit of a blur rolled into one incredible experience.

When I was 10 years old, while my friends dreamed of playing football for arsenal, becoming an astronaut or being in a rock band, my boyhood dream was to train in Japan. I'm now eating it, breathing it, living it and loving it!

Much love!

Sam

Kyoto

Good Evening!

This morning, I awoke very early to make my way to Tokyo subway station for 7am. Courtesy of the Australian couple I had met two days ago, I had a return shinkansen (bullet train) ticket to Kyoto. However, I wasn't too sure as to where I needed to go in Tokyo station or how to find the appropriate train, as I was aware there were a number of different bullet trains, that all provide different services (some stop more frequently than others) depending on the ticket you have purchased.

After asking a few people for help, I managed to find my way to the shinkansen and was fortunate enough to have a seat for the journey. I had heard nightmare stories of people who had not managed to get seats on a shinkansen and were forced to spend 3-hours crammed in a tight passage between the train compartments. Riding the bullet train was an experience. It truly epitomises the slick advancements of Japanese technology. The ride was so smooth and so quiet that had it not been for me regularly looking out the window to enjoy the scenery, I would have sworn I was sat in a room. The comfort of the ride made it hard to really appreciate just how fast we were travelling. One highlight of the journey, was getting a good view of Mount Fuji after leaving Tokyo.

I arrived into Kyoto late morning, ready to explore the city. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for over a millennium (up until 1868) and is argued to be its most beautiful city. With the important role it played in hosting much of Japan's culture, tradition and power throughout history, it has accumulated a number of temples and shrines, built for emperors, shoguns and monks. However, like most cities in Japan, while Kyoto has a vast display of heritage sites, much of the city has become very modernised and cutting edge. Arriving into Kyoto train station exemplified this with its unique glass and metal structure.

I had been told that in order to discover Kyoto's beauty, you need to dig outside of the city centre and search in it's outskirts away from the urban jungle. Therefore, on arrival into the train station, I found the subway and headed North to venture to some of the old temples and shrines.

Since there are so many temples to view in Kyoto, and I was only there for one day, I had made a rough plan of which ones I hoped to visit. However, before doing so I came across some geisha, the traditional female Japanese entertainers, known to wear pale white make-up and a kimono. This made for a good photo opportunity as it was not something I had yet seen in Tokyo. I then began at Kinkaku-ji Temple, also known as the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. This is the most popular attraction in Kyoto and the true iconic image of the city. It had originally been built as a retirement home for a Shogun in the 14th century. I took my time wandering around the garden leading up to the temple and enjoying the views of it from across the pond. Unfortunately my camera was low on battery so I only managed a few photos.

Next stop was the Ryoan-ji Temple, famous for its Zen garden consisting of 15 rocks laid out on individual pieces of moss (You should check out the photos because my description doesn't do it credit). The origin and meaning of the garden is unclear. Some believe the garden to symbolise something abstract like infinity or life, while others take it to depict something more obvious like islands in an ocean. Behind the garden was a quaint looking washbasin inscripted with kanji to mean 'I learn only to be contented.' I felt the common theme from my temple visits was that each one provided food for thought - ideas and notions to ponder over for hours!

The final temple that I went to visit in depth was the Ninnaji Temple. This was one of the most interesting temples to view as it featured a number of different buildings and gardens. It was originally built for the imperial family but like most historic buildings in Japan, it suffered repeated destruction during various wars and battles. Among the various buildings on the temples grounds, lies a five-tiered pagoda that is simply magnificent to look at. Sadly, it was at this stage that my camera battery completed died so I only managed to capture a couple photos of the pagoda.

After spending pretty much an entire day walking around North Kyoto and viewing the various temples and shrines, I headed back to the train station and caught a late afternoon shinkansen back to Tokyo. I pretty much slept the entire journey back, which from my earlier description of the train ride, isn't hard to imagine!

So that about sums up my day. Tomorrow, I'll be back training at the JKA Honbu again and hopefully my next blog update will go into more detail on what it's like to train at the Honbu and experience shotokan karate in the heart of Tokyo!

Much love

Sam

Japan and Arriving at The JKA Honbu

Hello!

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned my List of Lifetime Ambitions in any of my previous posts. I wrote this list last April, after I decided I was going to travel. It was an idea given to me by my father. While they are all goals that I aim to fulfil in my lifetime, I hoped to achieve many of them during this period of travelling. Below is the current list (since being lifetime ambitions, it's likely that I will accumulate more as I continue to grow and change with age).

- Achieve Sandan (3rd Dan) in Shotokan Karate (Completed late April 2010)

- Run a marathon (Due to be completed April 17th 2011 - Sponsor me www.justgiving.com/samaboudara)

- Climb Everest - In part! - (Due to be completed January 2011)

- Jump out of a plane and skydive (Completed in New Zealand September 2010)

- Bungee jump (Completed in New Zealand September 2010)

- Take-up Jujitsu (One day in the future)

- Learn to play Clare de Lune on piano (One day in the future)

- Volunteer in a third world country (Completed in the Philippines Oct-Dec 2010 - but I feel I will be wanting to do more of this in the future)

- Study Shotokan Karate at the JKA Honbu in Tokyo (Completed 2 days ago! read on for details!)

- Become a member of Mensa (Completed May 2010)

- Learn to solve the Rubik's Cube (Completed October 2010)

- Visit every continent in the world (one day perhaps!)

- Travel horizontally around the world (Due to be completed January 2011)

- Fall in Love and get married (One day!)

- Have 2-4 children (One day!)

- Visit Turkey and discover the Aboudara family roots (Hope to be completed February 2011)

- Do the splits (I'm not far off - training every day in Japan will help!)

- Attend a major music festival (One summer I'd like that!)

- See the Northern Lights (Completed December 2009 - this was the only ambition that I had already achieved when I wrote this list!)

So I've now been in Japan for 3 days. To be truthful, initially I didn't want to be here. This is the one place that has been top of my list of destinations for so long but when it finally came to arriving here - I didn't care. The prospect of being all alone was not a pleasant one. Up to now, I've had other people around me throughout all my travels. First there was camp. Then I was with Andy through Vegas. Then Andy and I met a whole host of other backpackers on our Kiwi Experience bus through New Zealand. Australia was a continuation of this, as well as being with Cazz and then my cousin Max. Finally, in the Philippines I was part of an organised volunteering programme with plenty other like minded Westerners. Japan is the first place where I am completely alone and 3 days in, I'm still alone.

I always knew that this would be the one leg, that I had to do alone. Coming here to practise karate is something so personal, that I knew no one else would really be able to appreciate it and dragging a friend along, requiring them to work around my training schedule would not have been fair. I hadn't realised just how rare backpackers would be in Tokyo. There really are barely any. It makes sense I suppose. Japan is such an expensive country that travellers would rather spend time in China, Vietnam, Thailand etc. I've also been told that this isn't a popular season for backpackers in Tokyo so I guess that makes it worse. To put things into perspective, I'm about to spend my fourth night in an 8-bed dorm and have not had a single other room mate to date!

I think the other thing that makes you feel lonely is the lack of spoken English here. In many non-English speaking countries, most individuals can hold conversations with you in broken English. Take the Philippines for example, almost everyone can understand English and converse with Westerners to a reasonable level. Japan seems to be such an advanced country that they don't require English at all. The majority of people here speak as much English as I speak Japanese (virtually none). So going to bars or pubs is sort of pointless as I'm unlikely to find anyone who will understand me.

But...and this is a huge but, all of the above is completely worth it for what I get to experience here. I am in Tokyo to train at the JKA Honbu. The JKA is the most renowned karate association in the world and the Honbu dojo in Tokyo is its central hub and a worldwide mecca. Since it's origins the JKA Honbu has prided itself on the finest karate instruction, producing the world's most supreme karate exponents and practitioners. For me, it has been a dream to train here since I achieved my 1st dan black belt 12 years ago. I originally first planned my visit 2 years ago, but due to a job offer I received, I had to cancel my trip.

I went to visit the Honbu on my first day in Japan. I can't describe to you what it was like walking there from Iidabashi train station. I had spent 2 years memorising the directions based on photos from google maps. To see it all live, was the most amazing sensation ever. I arrived and stood in the doorway for a few minutes, completely in awe. The man at reception spoke to me as though it was any ordinary mundane day at the JKA (because essentially it was!) but for me this was one of the biggest moments of my life. He then answered my questions about training fees and times and gave me directions to the nearest Tokaido shop to buy a new karate gi (uniform). By the way, this young man turned out to be the 2009 All Japan kumite champion and one of the Junior instructors at the Honbu. During our conversation, Sensei Osaka, 8th Dan (one of the world's most renowned instructors) walked straight past. I stopped to greet him of course!

The next day, I visited the Tokaido shop and bought a new gi. Unfortunately, I'm a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to karate gear but after 15 years of training, I feel I'm justified. There aren't many things that I have expensive taste for, but when it comes to a karate gi, I don't settle for cheap quality. So I may need to live off scraps that I find on the streets in order to work this into my budget...but who needs food anyway!

Later that day, I had my first training session at the Honbu, delivered by Sensei Tanayama, 6th Dan. I wish I could go into full detail on what we covered in that session, but I'll simply bore you. For me, it was a wonderfully exhilarating experience. Everything from the dojo itself, the method of teaching, the demands of the class, the spirit of the students, the expertise of the sensei and the fact that I felt part of a huge dynasty was completely incredible. After that session, I decided I had to train more regularly than I had originally intended. The Honbu is open 6 days a week. My plan is to train every one of those 6 days and then attend a second session on every other day, totalling 9 sessions per week, up until they close for Christmas on 22nd December. By then, it won't be long until Hazel joins me here, so it should be perfect timing!

Anyway, that's about all I can manage typing for now. Good news is there's an Australian couple staying in my dorm room tonight who just arrived from Hiroshima, having already spent time in Tokyo a few weeks ago. They're only here for one night, but it turns out they purchased two return bullet train tickets to Kyoto which they can no longer use. They already sold one for half price to another person they met and I have agreed to buy the other at half price as well. Bullet train tickets are really expensive so managing to get one at half price is fantastic and I'll now start looking into visiting Kyoto on Sunday.

Much love!

Sam

Goodbye Philippines - Happy Chanukah

Good Morning!

I am currently sat in Tacloban airport awaiting my flight to Manila. I then have a day to kill in Manila before flying to Tokyo tomorrow morning. I don't really know what to say. The last few days have provoked so many emotions that I seem to be leaving the philippines with a very mixed heart. I can not wait to arrive in Japan and fulfill a dream that's existed since I achieved my shotokan karate black belt at the age of 10. However, I am leaving here with so many overwhelmingly positive memories of this place and the people that remain here, making this a rather sombre occassion. Truth be told, I've not been ready to leave any of the places I've visited so far (The US, New Zealand, Australia). I feel that's part and parcel of travelling and something I've grown accustomed to but it still doesn't stop me from feeling quite low right now.

Let me fill you in on my last days here and all the wonderful goodbyes I received. I'll start with Thursday, which saw my last tutorial with my group of 2nd and 3rd graders. I decided to skip the learning part for one day and play a bunch of games with the girls instead. We had a lot of fun, listened to music and it was a really sweet way to end the last 2 months I've spent teaching this lovely group of girls.

Friday was my Despidida (celebration party) at the RRCY, my placement. I invited along all the other volunteers and VFV staff for the occasion. The afternoon began with an exhibition basketball game. The boys club from Bliss, as well as James, Matt and myself, took on a select team from the RRCY. Need the less to say, we struggled severely. The RRCY not only have a larger pool of boys to choose from, but they also spend every day exercising and completing chores. We got well and truly demolished, but we had fun in the process. The end score was irrelevant: A. Because we clearly lost and B. Because I made the RRCY boys fix the score board so that it looked like I had won! Woops

After the game, we had the presentations. This included various dances and musical performances from both the RRCY residents, as well as the boys club and girls club from bliss. There were also a number of messages read by certain residents expressing their gratitude towards me, which was very touching to hear. At the end, I was invited to the stage to receive a framed certificate and say a few words. I then presented a prize to the winning basketball team in the league we had been playing. The presentation was concluded with the dance that Hazel has been working on with the boys. I feel they did her proud. We spent a bit more time saying goodbye to all the boys before leaving to check out an outdoor music concert taking place downtown.

Saturday was spent finalising a few things. I bought gifts for my homestay family, I made sure I had everything sorted for Japan and I spent time with the people I've grown close to here. That evening, the whole group of volunteers went downtown and enjoyed a night out at a few of the local bars and clubs.

Sunday, I spent with Hazel. We went out for lunch at Leyte Park and enjoyed a peaceful afternoon by the pool. That evening was my farewell party hosted by my homestay family. If there's one thing the Vermug's know how to do - it's to throw a party. Without being biased, this was the best volunteer farewell party that I've experienced since being here. I arrived home from Leyte park at 5pm to find the entire extended family already cracking open bottles of beer with music blaring throughout the house. There were about 15 young girls from the community, friends of Alecs and Melly, who had been preparing a number of dances for the occasion. This had originally caused a bit of a stir as Alecs had organised a practice session the previous day at the same time that Hazel runs a class for this same group of girls. At first we thought Alecs was trying to compete with Hazel as a dance teacher, but it turned out she was preparing a surprise for me!

The volunteers and other invited guests joined my family at around 6pm and we enjoyed a wonderful feast cooked by my Nanay, and a big cake with my name spelled out in icing. We then watched the dance performances from the girls. They also prepared a special banner for me. I felt truly blessed that evening and it was a wonderful way to say goodbye to a family that has been so good to me over the past 2 months.

This morning, I woke early and did the rounds, saying goodbye to everyone (that I could find) properly. After a few emotional goodbyes, and even some tears from the kids, I took a Jeepney with Matt, Hazel and Devina to the airport. I think it's a combination of things that have made my experience here a truly sensational one: The community, my homestay, the volunteers, the projects but above all, Hazel Douglas!

On that note, I'd like to wish everyone a happy 5th night of Chanukah. This is the first year that I am not home for Chanukah and it's something I really miss: Spending time with the family, lighting candles at home, early sunsets, wrapping up in the cold weather and giving presents to the nieces and nephews. I had not planned on celebrating Chanukah this year but Hazel thought otherwise and has given me a present each morning so that I can still commemorate it in some way. She's got a nack for present giving, because each one has been perfect so far and I now have three wrapped presents remaining in my luggage for the last 3 nights of Chanukah. I think this might be one of the nicest things anyone's ever done for me.

I'm now at Manila airport waiting for my flight to Tokyo. On to the next one!

Much love!

Sam

Southern Leyte and Cock Fights

Good Afternoon,

I'm now into my last few days here in the Philippines, which is mostly very saddening, however, it does mean I get to look forward to all the farewell parties (Despididas) as well as the excitement of making it to Japan.

Before I go into any more detail, I thought I'd share with you my most recent outing. Last friday, after finishing placement, a few of us travelled 4 hours down to Southern Leyte. Our group consisted of myself, Hazel, Victoria and Ingrid. Matt also came from Ormoc and met us there. I had booked us some rooms at the Maasin Country Lodge, which turned out to be a real diamond in the rough. We arrived in the evening to find ourselves in a beautiful guesthouse, hidden away from the streets and looking onto the river. Once settled, we ate dinner and headed out to Maasin City centre. Maasin is the capital of Southern Leyte and as a result, has a fairly decent night life. We found a couple spots to spend the evening, before returning to the lodge later on.

The next day, we decided to visit Padre Burgos, located roughly an hour South of Maasin and renowned for it's Scuba diving opportunities. None of us were particularly bothered about diving and so instead, spent the morning at a resort, enjoying the use of a large infinity pool and water slide, with a stunning view of the coast as our backdrop. After a hearty lunch, we headed back to Maasin for a chilled afternoon, before eating dinner and having some drinks with the Country Lodge staff. Out of all the places I've stayed in the Philippines, I was most impressed with how accomodating and friendly the staff here were. They even drove us into town to show us some of the recommended spots and we thoroughly enjoyed their company during our stay.

The next morning, we took a van to Ormoc. Hazel and Victoria had planned on doing some shopping and what not. Meanwhile, I went with Matt to see the homestay, where he's been living while being placed in Ormoc. After experimenting with his homestay's 100cc motorbike briefly, I went and experienced my first ever cockfight.

We arrived at the arena, to find we were invited into the VIP section - perks of being white I guess! It's a rather bizarre set-up. Basically, two birds are brought out into the ring by their owners. The owners show them off to the crowd for a while, and then the crowd bet. The way this works is that everyone yells for which bird they want to back and how much money they want to bet. You then have to find an exact match - someone who wants to back the opposing bird for the same amount. The birds then fight (which is somewhat barbaric so I'll spare you the details) and then the individuals who lose their bets simply throw their money across the arena to whoever they owe it to. This system relies on a lot of honesty but somehow manages to work! Matt and I found a friend to bet for us, so long as we gave him 10% of our winnings. Fortunately, we owed him nothing by the end of the afternoon as we found ourselves completely even, after 2 hours of watching cockfights.

That evening, we went out for dinner, and watched The Hangover at our hotel. The next morning consisted of a leisurely breakfast, a leisurely stroll around Ormoc, a leisurely lunch and a crammed van ride back to Tacloban.

It's now time for my tutorial, so I will have to leave you. My next post will probably be after my farewell parties at the RRCY and with my homestay.

Much love!

Sam