There is hope for us, Tony!!!

These gentlemen are in their 70's! 10+ more years I will be in the same bracket. I hope I can move around much less throw a kick or two! (^^). Kiryoku, Seishinryoku, Tairyoku. These senior citizens haven't dropped their youth somewhere on the path. Inspiring!
Hmmmm. I wonder if any of the full contact organization have a 70+ bracket.
Let's keep on chugging, Tony! 生涯現役、武道には引退と言う言葉は無い！
Forever Active! No such word as retired in Budo!
OSU. This video made my day. Thanks You Tube!

True Goal of Budo

Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The pursuit of peace and progress cannot end in a few years in either victory or defeat. The pursuit of peace and progress, with its trials and its errors, its successes and its setbacks, can never be relaxed and never abandoned.
Dag Hammarskjold

Why do we pursue the path of Budo? To be a champion? To gain wealth? To gain recognition? To be the "King of the Mountain"? Probably all these. Depending on the person it can either be good or bad. The commonality of all these is that eventually it disappears. I believe that it is not the true goal of Budo.


The true goal of Budo is to stop all conflicts so that we may all live in harmony and peace. Realistic?
Perhaps not, but as Dag Hammarskjold states it should never be abandoned.

Budo teaches us perseverance, the "stick to it, don't give up" spirit. By going through our own shugyo we learn to appreciate the pains of others. Not just the pain of martial arts training, but pains born of our regular lives. Each challenge of life we try to persevere and take another step forward.

Shugyo is not a smooth road, like life, it has its ups and downs. At times we lose sight and Heijoshin and it causes hate, despair and frustration. Some of us fall off the path. I know, I have. But, as long as we retain the spirit, we can get back up and pick up where we left. There is a Japanese saying, "Fall seven times, get up eight" 七転び、八起き。Better to persevere than give up.

Through our own shugyo we learn to have an open mind towards others. To be able to accept the fact there are differences in the world. To be able to live with others who are different. This will eventually lead to world peace. Optimistic? Certainly. My time in Judo and Karate has taught me this. There are no borders in martial arts and if we all pursue the true meaning of Budo then we have the chance to live in harmony and peace.

It all begins with us.

SUMMER VACATION!!!! (^^)

Summer vacation started this past week in Japan. The school year in Japan begins in April and the school year consists of three terms, which are separated by short holidays in spring and winter, and a one month long summer break. The kids do have school assignments to complete (- -#) in the form of diaries which they turn in when they return to school. It is a funny sight to see kids madly writing in their diaries one day before start of school (^^). Meanwhile kids do their best to enjoy the summer.such as the pool and ennichis
縁日neighborhood fairs.

Average crowd at the pool!

Fishing for water balloons at the ennichi.

During the summer break is the Obon season which is an annual Buddhist event for commemorating one's ancestors. It is believed that each year during obon, the ancestors' spirits return to this world in order to visit their relatives.  Traditionally, lanterns are hung in front of houses to guide the ancestors' spirits, obon dances (bon odori) are performed, graves are visited and food offerings are made at house altars and temples. At the end of Obon, floating lanterns are put into rivers, lakes and seas in order to guide the spirits back into their world. The customs followed vary strongly from region to region.

Tooro nagashi in Hawaii.

Summer in Japan also brings out various regional festivities and fireworks!

Fireworks in Tokyo .

Nebuta Festival in Aomori Prefecture

Awa Odori in Tokushima Prefecture

                          

Sanja Matsuri in Downtown Tokyo carrying a portable shrine.

Teamwork is absolutely necessary! It requires a group rhythm. It is not good to be taller than the rest as the weight of the shrine falls on you shoulder! Or you move in a squatting position! Burns the thighs for sure!

I ended up duck walking for a long time (^^) Not to mention the BIG blister on my shoulder.

Vegetables and Jita Kyoei

Good morning readers! Aloha Kakahiaka! Ohayou gozaimasu!  Actually it is Good afternoon in New York and everybody is still sleeping in Yokohama. Another start of a wonderful day in Honolulu.  I hope that the weather is just as fine in Yokohama and New York.  The vegetables in the picture were grown by Sensei Tony in his backyard. What a green thumb! I could have used that jar of relish on the greasy burger I had last night. Maybe I can start a mini-garden on the veranda. I sure miss the times I actually was able to grow some veges in the backyard!

 Karate to me is like growing vegetables. Without the attention and proper care,  vegetables wither on the vines. On the other hand too much water or fertilizer can kill the vegetables as well. Our karate students are the same. As instructors,  we need to teach with love and care. We need to continuously monitor their progress and ensure the amount and quality of training is proper and suited to the individual student's needs. Tomatoes have different requirements from zucchinis just as apples have different requirements from potatoes.  Likewise, our students are not all the same. We cannot just put them all in one barrel and have the "survival of the fittest" mentality. That is not what Budo is about. With the proper love and care students will grow into fine outstanding members of the community. That is the goal of Budo.

Fellow students need to look after one another. A competitive spirit is fine and has its place, but we should never forget the spirit of Jita Kyoei. One progresses only because he has others that help him progress.

Cassius Clay, did not become a champion on his own. He had a good coach and many other boxers that helped him train. The Dojo is like a vegetable garden, students grow depending on the attention and care the Senseis, Sempais, Douhais, and Kouhais provides them.  A pinch of "salt" or cayenne pepper once in a while to add a little "spice" to training. Not too little, not too much! Fufufu.

Under Tony Sensei's love and care his vegetables grew. Now he can enjoy his fruits of labor and be energized by the nutrition  his vegetables returns to his body. Jita Kyoei in a different form. (^^)

Have a beautiful day! Life is too short, enjoy every minute to the fullest!

Hmmmmm. Which greasy burger joint to try out today.

Good news! Yachi made a big sale yesterday! We can pay the electricity bill! Gahahahaha (^^)

.

Kata and Competition Kata

Just returned from practice at Take's Dojo (^^).  Taught a newbie and his mom who were just vacationing in Hawaii from Japan and wanted to try karate out. Before practice the mom was asking all sorts of questions about breathing, etc, muscle control, etc.,so I invited to practice along with her son. Don't tell Yachi, but she was very attractive........Gahahaha. Senseis are human. Anyway,  an enjoyable hour teaching them. Hopefully when they return to Japan they will find a Dojo to continue karate. They will be back next summer. Sigh...nice to be rich....
Take brought up an interesting thing about AAU Kata competition and WKF. Up till now making snapping sounds brought points. The sounds were produced by deliberately slapping the Gi or body. Ibuki was done loud and dramatically. Now all that is being ruled as a minus factor. Hmmmm. Interesting.
The push behind this is that the WKF now wants to return to the roots of Kata. Easier said than done with the all the variations out there among styles. It seems that there is some discontent based on the fact that a certain style always wins the Kata competition.  It makes me wonder if the ugly head of factionalism and ego? Rather than returning to the roots of Kata? Oh well, it doesn't affect me or my Dojos.
This means all the fancy choreograph of bunkai goes out the window too. Please don't misunderstand me.
It takes a lot of practice to get to the competitive level and I admire the karatekas who do this.  When you have rules governing competition, a basic strategy is know what appeals the most to the judges. If the trend is making sharp noise then naturally you practice making sharp noises when doing the kata. In kumite,  if the hikite pose gains you points then you practice taking poses that attract the attention of judges. Nothing wrong with that.  Now with the rules changing, the winners will be the ones who can adapt to them.
If the changes are implemented,  then we will probably see a more "drab" version of the katas. (^^)
I hate to be on the rules and standards committee for next years AAU.  Mega headache! Interesting though.

Hot pot

One of the advantages of living in a multi-cultural environment like Hawaii is the FOOD! As you know aside from native Hawaiians, Hawaii's population is comprised of many different ethnicity. This was due to the labor demands for the sugar and pineapple industries starting back in the 1800's. Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Portuguese, Koreans immigrated to Hawaii to fill the labor needs.
Post WW2 and the Vietnam War we see Vietnamese, Thais, Laotian and Cambodians join the population.
This has led to a large variety of ethnic cuisine as well "nouveau cuisine"  a mixture of ethnic cooking.
One of the current fad in Hawaii is the hot pot. Originated in China families can gather around a pot filled with soup and cook meats and vegetables in it. Various dipping sauces.
are used. Really a fun way to have a meal with the family or friends.
Half the pot can be for meat eaters and the other half for vegetarians. Spicy and Not Spicy.

Gekisai dai Kata take II.

Rain here in New York. So I went to the dojo this morning for Kata Practice and I took my camera along to see if I could redo the Gekisai dai kata. I have learned that home made Video needs to be under 100MB and in the proper format. I know that avi. works for me. Now why video from the internet source does not have the same restrictions, I am not sure. I believe that these mysteries are as foreign and hidden as the Japanese Language is to me.

There was no one in the dojo this morning, years ago this would not have made me blink, but now days I always seem to have someone with me in the dojo. I wanted to do this last night at keiko but did not have the time. I worked on the Kihon Progression with a new karate-ka instead. In years past, I would have considered last nights practice a light workout. Two things now come to mind. First, I was wrong. Second, I still have poor kihon. I am sure that this is inpart due to the way I looked at kata and kihon. Get it done, so I can get to the important part of class, Kumite. Now with whiter and whiter hair, I am wishing that I was more concerted with kata and kihon. The way really comes about from teaching. You see, I never thought I would have a responsibility to instruct some one in karate. I never would have left my first karate, teacher! He stopped teaching which sent me on my way, searching. Now many of night I stop and say what do I know? I now know how important it is to have he basics to give to people. Roushiichi as taught me “Shoshin no moderu”…back to the basics. I know that there are many variation of this kata, that Roushiichi has already posted them for you to study. I have also learned there is no right or wrong way, and that we need to practice with conviction to our form of this kata. Yet, I would like to be critical of my dachi and te waza. I know that these will be needed so understand the oyou of the kata.

One question, as I watch this kata why the three chudan uchi uke. If we follow the rules of oyo...there should be a block and a counter.....why three blocks ( two in Goju). I am thinking that like Pinan sono ichi ( three jodan uke) maybe they are not blocks at all...then what are they?

Hope upload works, it took about 34 mins…

Complexities in Translation and Cultural Differences

Sharing languages and cultures are a great step towards better understanding of each other and peace for all mankind. Breaking down stereotypes and barriers is important. After all, life is too short to waste on hate born from lack of knowledge, understanding, and respect for one another.
Unfortunately these barriers exist in martial arts as well. Pride in one's martial art or style is acceptable but when the pride starts to evolve into disparaging remarks and hostile attitudes towards others, then I believe we are on the wrong path.
Ooops! Back to this post's theme.
As I started to write,  learning another language and culture is a positive step. Of course it is a minefield as Tony experienced (^^). The nuances that hide behind words that can be only made clear with knowledge of the culture.
From my experience in handling delicate investigative negotiations with the Japanese police I can provide one of many examples (very simplified and generalized)
During meeting in Tokyo,the Japanese representative replied、“主旨は分かりました。前向きに検討いたします。”「Shushi wa wakarimashita. Maemuki ni kentou itashimasu.」Direct translation would come out as [We understand your point. It will be considered in a forthright manner].
Now how many of you would interpret this that your proposal was about to be accepted?
Change the location to Osaka and the verbiage is "考えときますわー”Kangaetoki masuwa-(Osaka dialect).
In Tokyo there was a chance that our proposal would get through but NO guarantees.
In Osaka, the probability of acceptance drops dramatically. Chances of approval are slim. So just knowing the language and interpreting sometimes is not enough.
I remember my boss asking me to tell them" I am Irish and I have short temper, I need a straight answer, yes or no." Actually, all Japanese in attendance could speak and understand English  fluently. (^^). Why they needed me as an interpreter is still a mystery to me. To say the least it was a very memorable meeting. The clash of two different ways of conducting business based on separate cultures. Long story short, in actuality,  the Seat of Government meeting was protocol formality as grass roots work had already been made and secured (at least in the mind of guys out on the street).
Enjoy some vids on language!

The girls are , rather were, the  "Morning Musume" a popular singing group composed of very young girls.



There are tons of similar examples!! (^^)

YUMMMMMMMMY (^^)

To celebrate another sales of a time share unit by Yachi we decided to go "pig out" at our favorite Korean ALL YOU CAN EAT BBQ restaurant. Known in Hawaii, Korean and Japan as "yakiniku"　焼肉　it is favorite of many. Of course there are variety of yakiniku joints ranging from ridiculously expensive to unforgivable cheap. For $20,  you can eat a wide variety of meat, vegetables and seafood (sashimi (raw fish) and shrimp) All the meat is marinated and melt in your mouth softness.

Before Tony starts crying there is also a good selection of raw vegetables as well as the traditional Koren Kimchee (spiced pickled veges) . The best part is NO TIME LIMIT!!! (^^)

The BBQing is done at your table on a gas grill. Ummmmm, that aroma!!!! Of course can't complete dinner without dessert! Fresh fruits, Jello and ice cream. Nyahahaha.

Are there any Korean BBQs in Mechanicville?

Korean Kalbi steaks and Yachi's favorite garlic roasting on the edges of the grill. The tin foil contains sesame oil in which garlic is cooked also. I believe Yachi ate 6 of these steaks (**#)

Korean Kimchee (spicy pickled veges) I know Tony would love these! (^^) The Tosatadas looking

pieces are actually soy bean fritters. White radishes, Chinese cabbage, beansprouts and collard greens.

To believe or Not to believe

In  the previous post, we talked about the necessity of any martial artist to have the capability to heal. Non medical professionals like most of us, at the minimum, should have the basic knowledge and skills of First Aid to stabilize an injured person for transportation to a medical facility.
Unfortunately a dark side (in my opinion) of martial arts exists. It has existed for centuries and the victims are innocent people seeking to improve themselves. Under some "Senseis" it leans more to a "cult" mentality. Whether you take what these Senseis teach as a truth is up to the individual. You can see many of these Senseis on You Tube.
I have never been on the receiving end of any of these "wazas" so I will refrain from making any comments of its validity.  I can say that thorough my military, law enforcement and martial arts experiences the application of "pressure points:" due work. But like anything else variables exist.
There is also individual tolerance of pain. For a very simplified example, for those of us in the Kyokushin mode, unless a punch or kick is placed accurately to diaphragm, liver, rib cage, we can tolerate a punch or kick to the body. Whereas someone not training in Kyokushin mode may have less tolerance of pain to body. Another example can be seen in Kyokushinkai's 1st World Tournament where very limited number of contestants trained in what now is "basic" gedan mawashigeri. Competitors now have a higher tolerance for pain caused by gedan mawashigeri because we all train in it.
Another important factor is psychological, the "cult" factor. We believe what we want to believe. It is that simple. Extremes like you see black when it is white just because you believe in what Sensei said. Good? Bad?
Oh well, enjoy the following vids. You make up your own mind.

In Japan......


In United States


Hino Sensei (also a professional drummer and dancer)


Ushiro Kenji Sensei (Traditional Okinawan Karate)

Martial Arts and Healing

This morning Yachiyo aka Yachi and I took Yachi's "baby" Yuta aka Michael to the vet to get a diagnosis on cataract surgery of his eyes. Yuta is a 13 years old long hair chihuahua. Well, Yuta went through the same tests I went through for my cataract surgeries (both eyes also). I also found out his surgery may be more expensive than mine!!! Post operation recovery is a tad bit more complicated than mine. (**;)
The vet, the only one in Hawaii specialized in animal vision, is booked solid until October. Meanwhile,  a blood test will determine whether Yuta can go under anesthesia for the operation. If not, well, I guess Yachi and I will be the seeing eye humans for Yuta. (^^).
When I got home I pondered over martial arts ( a normal thing for me) and started to think about the relationship between the fighting aspect and the healing aspect. I have always taken the position that if you can disable then you should have the skills to enable. Practicing martial arts is a big responsibility in that sense. As one gains knowledge of "hurting" then knowledge of "healing" should be gained in conjunction.
Hawaii has its own system of martial arts called Lua. However, the healing arts are also part of the Lua system. This is similar to Chinese and Japanese martial art systems. Not well known to the Western world, many Judo instructors are Seikotsushi　整骨師, roughly translated "bone setters". It is formally called Judo Seikotsushi.
Many Chinese martial art instructors are acupuncturists and chi healers as well.  The common thread here is that while they instruct "fighting arts" they also are capable of healing. I think that this concept is very important. Not many of us have access to Ki, Chi and seikotsu instruction. It takes a in-depth training program to achieve the skills. It also requires you to be certified and licensed by responsible authorities.
While we all may not become acupuncturists and chi healers, I believe that it is imperative that as we gain rank in martial arts, you also gain the rudimentary knowledge of First Aid and Physiology. Certification in CPR, AED and Basic First Aid is a must.



Shorinji Kenpo has an intensive curriculum for its black belts also. I was introduced to this great system by my good friend Fukushima Sensei (Giwaryu Kenpo) and Atsumi Sensei (Yokohama Negishi Doin)
NOTE: Do not try to copy the techniques shown on the video unless you are supervised by a properly
certified instructor. "Fooling around" with pressure points can cause grievous damage.

  c

Japanese Language Lesson !!??!!

Ohayou gozaimasu. Couldn't resist putting this on the Blog. Enjoy! (^^)

Themes for the Blog.

Osu! Members of Yokohama, Makiki and Kesshinkai Dojos. I'm throwing out some themes or topics, if you will, that each Dojo can contribute to the Blog. No special order or time frame, but it would be nice if a Dojo could submit one once a month or so.
1.  "This is my Dojo."
2. "This is my hometown"
3. "This is my school"
4. "This is my school lunch" Especially Yokohama, Japanese elementary school lunch is quite different form Hawaii or continental USA (I refuse to use the term "States side" as Hawaii is the 50th State) (^^)
5.  "This is my home" Housing is considerably different. It would be great if someone from Yokohama can take a short vid of the house I lived in. The "Obakeyashiki". That is a great sample of old style housing.
6. " Hometown culinary delights"
At this time I am not sure how long it takes to upload a video. It isn't any problem embedding from You Tube. It appears to take longer when you upload from a personal library.
Questions from members are always welcome! Just put it the comments section of the newest blog.
I look forward to every one's participation!
OSU!

Today, I spent a couple of relaxing hours attending the 40th International Ukulele Festival. Fine weather, surrounded by happy faces and just palin good old music. I had brought my usually trustworthy Sony Cybershot to record some of the performers. BUT!~ Alas I returned home to find the memory stick BLANK!! (**#)  Oh well, I can always turn to You Tube to hijack some vids to make my point.
今日は二時間ばかり４０回国際ウクレレ祭りで寛いだ。天気良し、周りは笑顔、そして良い音楽。演奏を録画しようと何時も頼ってる愛用のソニーサイバーショットを持参。しかし、帰宅して調べたらメモリースチックに何も無い！まーYou Tube からビデオハイジャックして今回の主旨を書く。
As I sat there "chillin" at this international festivity, I realized that karate and ukulele had a point in common.
The point being both are accepted throughout the world regardless of culture. (^^) Wouldn't you agree that is a wondeful thing? NO walls or borders to shut things out. Martial arts and music tears down walls.
Walls that some how we all build without really thinking about it. Why do we build walls that often lead to conflicts and resulting in horrible consequences.? I truly hope that through karate training our children grow up without walls and can learn to live peacefully with anyone, anywhere. OSU!
寛いで中、空手とウクレレの共通点に気ずいた。共通点とは文化に違いが有っても受け入れられている事だ。壁や国境などの妨害が無い。武道と音楽は壁を崩すのである。自分達も知らず知らずにそのような壁を立てる。何事に争いとその悲惨な結果になる壁を立てるのだろう？自分は空手を通して壁の無い環境で育ってもらいたい、そして何所でも、誰とでも平和に生きてもらいたい。
Please enjoy the three samples of ukulele music. The first one is from Nova Scotia and the second from Hawaii.　I really wish the vid of James Hill playing a Nova Scotian folk song and doing he called a "foot dance"had come through. It was an amazing performance!
Oh, by the way, the ukulele orignated in Portugal and was brought to Hawaii by the Portugese immigrants.
三種類のウクレレ演奏を楽しんで下さい。最初がノバスコチア、続居てハワイの演奏です。ジェームス　ヒルの生演奏は録画失敗で本当に残念。ノバスコシア民謡と独特に足踊りは最高だった。
ちなみにウクレレはポルトガル生まれの楽器。ハワイのポルトガル移民が持ってきた。




My favorite ukulele piece! "Hula Girl" by Jake Shimabukuro.
The movie is based on a true story of how a failing coal mine town in Japan converted into a "Tropical Paradise" and found a way to rebuild the town. Great movie!
自分が大好きなウクレレ曲。ジェーク　島袋の"ﾌﾗｶﾞｰﾙ"　実際に炭鉱の町が熱帯の楽園に変わった話がベースです。

The Art of Potato Peeling

I thought I'd add an interesting video on Potato道. Enjoy!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4W0qIPJmoo

Dance Anyone?

Some martial art historians state that martial arts are hidden in cultural dances and what appears to be just a folk dance actually is a dictionary of wazas or techniques. A popular explanation is that it was done to hid their actual training from prying eyes. 
The above Vid is a Japanese traditional fold dance called Kuroda Bushi. The hand movement depicts sue of the spear.


 This Vid is the Haka, a war chant from the South Pacific. I love it. Better than an energy boost drink.
It gets the spirit going!


This Vid is an Okinawan Martial Arts Dance and it shows the application of the moves.
Enjoy! There is so much out there to learn!
**If you get those irritating 5sec and stop sessions. Just push the hold button, go to the kitchen, maek yourself a cup of tea and a cucumber sandwich. When you come back you should see a light red line going all the way to the right. Start the vid again you shouldn't have to cope with the interruptions (^^)

Gekisai dai kata and Jodan Uke?

We have been working on Gekisai dai. I have been thinking about the various version that I have seen of this kata. I was with Take, Sensei last week here in New York. Sensei's wife, Ki-Chain was telling me at dinner that she was starting to practice, and was learning Gekisai ichi. Here in New York, we do not teach this kata until 6th kyu. Prior to WWII some historians of karate, believe that karate used the shote mawashiuke as the "high area" block. That the Jodan age uke, was developed later as a simple high area block?? Many point to this kata, as the kata of transition during this period. Any comments or ideas? How much different does your Gekisai dai look to mine??

You will see that I do not have the floor command that Take, Sensei has in his kata....

I am sorry the Video will not post to this entry, it may be to large. I am not sure, please stand by...as they say in TV land.

I will have it up on google docs, if anyone would like to see it.

Gojukai (Yamaguchi Gogen) style of Gekisai

Tony, you probably recognize the type of movement as being similar to Tamura (Take) Sensei's movement.
This is representative of World Karate Federation, Japan Karate Federation's movements for competitive Kata. Just keep in mind nothing is wrong or right. Which ever form of Kata we choose to do , we do it diligently and without any doubts to cloud our minds. That is what is important.

Here you an see the differences between Kyokushin Gekisai Dai and Gekisai Ichi. I just wondered, in the case of Kyokushin they deleted the Ichi and Ni from the names and changed it to Dai and Sho.
I can safely speculate that the Goju version (which are many with subtle differences) is the "original" and that the Kyokushin versions are adapted ones which were tweaked by Sensei's in the past.
But as the Nike commercial says "Just Do it". All I have to add is that understand the kata and not just "dance" it. Happy training ! Osu!

Practcie time! See if this worked getting 2 vids on this post.
Gekisai Ni and Gekisai Sho.

How to stay cool in Summer

The hot summer months are coming on full blast in Japan, Hawaii and New York. Putting on your air conditioner full blast only raises the temperature outside. So how to stay cool? Escape to the mountains and its cool streams is on way. Get the Fire Department to open up some Fire hydrant valves is another.

Spend the day at the community pool (In Japan it gets way too crowded!)
How about getting some natural shivers listening to ghost stories?
Ghost stories in Japan are synonymous with summer.
The most famous is "Kaidan" 怪談, a omnibus of ghost stories.
Here's one for your late night reading. Fufufufufufufufufu.

Bancho Sarayashiki

Okiku works as a maid at the home of the samurai Tessan Aoyama.  One day while cleaning a collection of ten precious ceramic plates--a family treasure--she accidentally breaks one of them. The outraged Aoyama kills her and throws the corpse into an old well. Every night afterwards, Okiku's ghost rises from the well, counts slowly to nine and then breaks into heartrending sobs, over and over and over again, tormenting the samurai. Finally, vengeance is wrought when Aoyama goes insane.

Pssst. Who's that looking over your shoulder?????(- -;)  Ichimai, Nimai, Sanmai, Yonmai................

What is the dojo like in New York?

Did my best last night at Practice to give short tour of The Mechanicville Kesshinkai dojo. I have done my best to give a Japanese greeting. Please understand, that my Japanese is very poor, but I know that if I don't practice, I will never get any better. After all how can I ask our students to take the risk, and learn if there sempai will not jump out of his box....I hope this works, its my first try at Video here.

Mouth masks anyone?

Even Stone statues in Japan wear mouth masks during the high pollen season or when the flu epidemic hits the area. It is not unusually see many people with these masks on any given day. It also helps prevent you from sneezing on the people around you. Even in Hawaii, last year with the flu epidemic,  the local stores ran out of these masks very quickly. For a long while I thought that only Japanese used these in their daily lives. (^^)
You can find these Jizos, stone statues all over in Japan. Very generalized and simply explained, Jizos are Buddhist stone statues that look over the welfare and happiness of people. I will leave it up to Yokohama Dojo to provide a better guide to Jizos. I'd like to share a Japanese folk tale about the Jizos.


Once upon a time, there was an old couple. Though the old man earned his living making braided hats, the two of them led a poverty-stricken life. One year, at New Year's Eve, they had no money left and could not even buy traditional rice cakes. The old man then decided to go to the town and sell some braided hats. The town was crowded with people shopping for New Year's Eve, buying fish, alcohol and rice cakes. But nobody wanted a braided hat on New Year's Eve, since they would be staying at home. So, the poor old man who had walked so far to the town and shouted himself hoarse for the whole day, could not sell a single hat. He started his way back home without able to buy even some traditional rice cakes.
When he walked out of the town, snow began falling and it grew very cold. In a field, he happened to see a few statues made of stone, called Jizos. There were six of them and snow was piling up on their heads and icicles hanging from their faces.
The kind-hearted old man wiped the snow from their heads and put the braided hats he had not sold on the head of the statues, one by one, saying to them, "Nobody wanted these braided hats, so please use them." One hat was lacking, so the old man gave his own braided hat to the last of the Jizos, saying, "I am sorry to give you an old hat" and went back home.
When his wife saw him bareheaded and covered with snow, she asked him where his hat was. When he told her the story of the Jizos, the kind wife said, "You did a very good thing; even if we are poor, we've got a house and they do not." Then they sat near the fire because it was quite cold and had dinner. They had no rice cakes, so they had some rice with pickles and went to bed early.
In the middle of the night, they were awoken by the sound of singing. The old couple were very surprised, and more so when they heard a loud noise, "Bang!" They went out to see what was going on and were amazed when they opened the door.
Lots of parcels were piled up in front on the threshold of the house. There was rice, alcohol, fish, traditional rice cakes, New Year's Eve ornaments, warm blankets and kimonos. They looked around them and saw the six Jizos walking away with the braided hats the old man had given them on their heads. The Jizos had brought presents to the kind old man, showing their gratitude for his help and making his New Year a happy one. ( excerpted from Zine 5 Folk Takes)
Are there similar folk tales in America?
I hope that my posts have given members of Yokohama, Makiki and Mechanicville Dojos a sample of what I hope this blog will provide to us. As Sensei Tony stated karate is not just punching and kicking, it is about how you enrich your lives mentally and spiritually.  Perhaps we will eventually see a true peaceful world as we continue to share our cultures.
OSU!

Domestic Disputes !?!

Aloha and Osu,Tony and Kesshinkai members.
Thought I'd introduce myself and my "Boss" Yachiyo.
You probably heard about me from Tony, so I'll concentrate on Yachiyo or Yachi for short.
Yachiyo is a Nidan from Keshinjuku which we both belonged to prior to establishing Kimura Dojo a few years ago.
Her favorite Kata is Nijushiho and as you can see can throw a wicked jodan mawashigeri. Any marital disputes gets settled in the Dojo (^^)  (**:) She is the mommies "idol" and as was in Yokohama Yachi quickly created a "Mama Gudan" (ママ軍団) at Makiki with her own loyal followers.
She is a dyed in the wool Kyokushin disciple and has some difficulty in adapting to my waza curriculum. (^^) So it is not surprising to see her teach the class with the traditional mawashiuke vice the Kimura style.
Yachiyo is a Sales Representative in the International Division (Japanese clients) of Wyndam Vacation Resorts.
As for myself, I am currently enjoying the duties of being a House Husband after retiring from 30 years of Federal Service (U.S. Army and Naval Criminal Investigative Service)

Hello From New York!!

Hello, Aloha and こんばんは From New York. Thank you Kimura, Sensei for your invitation to join your Yokohama Dojo and your Makiki Dojo Karate Net Pals. I am Tony DeMarco. I would like to welcome the members of the Mechanicville Kesshinkai Dojo to our newest learning tool, Karate Net Pals. I have come to understand that Karate-do can teach us much more than how to kick and punch. In the end Karate teaches us about how we treat ourselves and each other, on our way. We hope that this Blog, gives all of us the opportunity in what Kimura, Sensei has taught me is the sprit of Jita Kyoei. I have been blessed to meet and study karate with many great karate-ka, but Kimura, Sensei has truly allowed me to understand the relationship of student/teacher in the dojo. Aged and broken I have never been happier in the dojo, or with my karate. Roushiichi (Kimura, Sensei) has taught me that a true warrior does not give up the thing he/she loves, but finds love in the things that he/she can still do. May I add that you in Makiki and those of you who trained nightly in Yokohama truly are blessed, with Roushiichi and Yachi, Sensei’s. My Japanese language skills are very poor, and my writing skills are even worse. So please, for give me with any laps or breach of edict, I am learning……but my language skills, some say even in English, are not good…smile.

WhaaaaaT?? (^^)

Found this when catching up on news from Japan and I just had to post this! (^^).  There many things in Japan that boggles the mind. I am pretty sure there are many in Unites States as well. It would be fun to share those on this blog.
This spigot provides soup refills at a noodle shop.
I am curious of what is behind the wall. It is more sanitary than a pot with a ladle like at a buffet line. Fufufu.

Language lesson! It has been always generalized that Japanese folks have a hard time pronouncing 'L' and "R". I have met many that speak English way better than I do (doesn't take much I must admit). At times this problem transfers over to writing as well. Back in the 60's, there was a butcher shop near Kodokan (mecca of Judo) which advertised itself as "Flesh Meat". Probably did not get too many foreign customers! (^^). Any similar sightings

                                          in New York?

Karaoke time

Karaoke is a favorite past time in Japan and Hawaii. A great way to chill.

Do not worry if you are tone deaf, just like the Olympics what is important is to do it!! (^^)

My daughter singing one of those "Anime" songs.

Fishing for Dinner in Japan.

My daughter Michele (Kinnick T-shirt) and her buddy Laura caught a Sea Bream for our dinner at a Japanese restaurant in Yokohama, Japan.
They caught several other types of fish such as flounder. There is flowing canal right behind the red railing. You catch the fish and the waitress takes it to the kitchen for preparation. Sashimi (raw), broiled or stewed as you wish.
Great fun for the family and not tooooo expensive.
The restaurant is located inside a 10 floor shopping building next to a railway station. The top two floors are packed with a variety of restaurants.

Net pal for Yokohama, Makiki and Kesshin Kai Dojos

A very good example of the Negotiation Stance or 対応の構え。The paws are in the open mode which does not antagonize the person you are forced to deal with. A closed paw would send a message that you ready to rumble.

We will be starting a net pal relationship between Yokohama, Makiki and Kesshinkai Dojo under Antony Demarco Sensei of New York in the near future. Through the net pal, the children will learn more of each other’s culture and also get to practice their English, Japanese and Pidgin English.
Mommies can also exchange receipes, discusss differences in rasing children.
Daddies can discuss differences in handling wives.  (^^)