craznhorse

Thanks for the replies and the much-needed dose of reality! I will definitely check out 24fightingchickens, it sounds like exactly the kind of resource I am looking for. Thank you also for the advice about the Okinawan masters, it is actually very much in line with what I have heard from my own sensei. I was actually inspired to a large extent by C.W. Nicol's book, "Moving Zen". It is the memoir of a Canadian man who goes to Japan for two years to study Shotokan karate-do from the ground up. Although his journey took place in 1962, I am hoping that I can still find remnants of his experiences for my own project. I am not expecting or hoping to find the Japan depicted in "The Last Samurai", I just want to learn more about something that is very important to my life and learning. Regarding the language barrier... I am verbally fluent and (barely) literate in Mandarin Chinese, but I have never studied Japanese at all. If I make it past the early rounds of the fellowship application process, I will definitely take a semester of Japanese, to be followed up by an intensive immersion course if I am accepted. I don't find out final results until March of 2008 though. Right now I am assessing the feasibility of studying karate in Japan for about 2-3 months, since my year-long grant will likely involve me going to a total of 3-6 countries. I am interested in any opportunities for a live-in or work arrangement with an instructor, since my grant money will probably be stretched by lodging/food/training/travel expenses if everything has to be paid in full. Thanks again for all your advice so far. Hopefully I have provided some more relevant details... please let me know if there is anything else that you would like to know about my project, this fellowship, my martial arts background, etc. Best wishes! -Vincent

Hello everyone! My name is Vincent, and I am a 21-year-old college student in Los Angeles, CA. I came across this forum while doing research for a travel fellowship I am applying for called the Watson Fellowship. Basically I am competing for a grant to travel anywhere outside the United States to do a personal project of my own choosing. I have been very passionate about martial arts ever since I began training in Shotokan Karate three years ago. I have since then also picked up a little bit of Kokikai Aikido. I am interested in learning about martial arts around the world, not only for my own training enrichment, but more importantly to understand how they affect the various people who practice martial arts as a lifelong endeavor. Of course, karate will be a key component in my journey! Since I have the opportunity to go anywhere I choose, it would be possible for me to come to Japan and study Karate-do at its source. I have come to ask for the help of the international Karate community in this pursuit. I appreciate any advice, references, warnings, suggestions, or encouragement you may have for me. Osu! -Vincent