Planning a trip to Japan

[JEM618]

Will you be traveling north, towards Hyogo or Osaka?

[Cheradenine]

I'm flying into Tokyo and buy a 2 week train pass so the country is pretty much open to me, but the basic plan is to take my time heading down to Kumomoto, but like I say I'm after suggestions of other places to go, see, and stay at.

[aefibird]

Well, when you get back it'd be cool if you could post some pics in the Karate Forums Photo Album for everyone to see!

[Dragn]

Hey cheradenine! Why wouldn't you do some training while here in Japan?

 

If I were you I wouldn't miss the chance.I'm sure it would be a valuable experience.Does your style have a head dojo here?

 

I'm not familiar with it myself, so I'm no help really.

 

Your welcome to come and watch at my dojo.I do Daidojuku which is a Kyokushin influenced MMA style.Probably very different to what you do but might be interesting.

 

PM me if you're interested......

[Cheradenine]

I would love to train in Japan, but I've heard that within my particular style you must first be invited, so I might speak to Kancho Sensei next opportunity as there is a head Dojo, and this year it is celebrating it's 50th anniversary.

 

I would also feel rather strange, being somewhat of an ambassador of the New Zealand branch of the style - I would have alot to live up to, and would perhaps not feel confident of representing my country, regardless of my skill.

 

Thank you for your offer, hopefully I will be able to organize a time to visit!

[actarus]

I am currently in Japan and have been trying to find a dojo that will sponsor me for a cultural activities visa, but am not having much luck and my tourist visa runs out in 2 months. Anybody have any ideas?

[Meguro]

Cheradenine, ask your sensei to write you a letter of introduction. Find out where your honbu (headquarters) is and present the letter there or at whatever branch dojo you may find thoughout your travels. It shouldn't be a problem to take a few classes in Japan. Many styles headquartered in Japan make provision for visiting students. It helps if your sensei has kept up his membership in whatever organization you wish to train with in Japan. Good luck.

[Meguro]

I am currently in Japan and have been trying to find a dojo that will sponsor me for a cultural activities visa, but am not having much luck and my tourist visa runs out in 2 months. Anybody have any ideas?

I think you'll need to have demonstrated extraordinary talent before a dojo will sponsor you. Are you thinking of entering an uchi deshi program? If so, best contact the Shotokan honbu dojo or the headquarters of whatever style you're interested in. If you're an average Joe or Jane it's best to get a work visa, get a job, and train in Japan when you have somemtime off. Good luck.

[kenpo_fighter]

Japan! you're sooo lucky. i grew up in japan on a u.s. navy base, courtesy of my father. i lived there for 16 years. i was very fortunate enough to begin my karate training there. i sure miss home!

if you're looking for good places to visit, as far as "pilgramiges" are concerned, if you're gonna be in a Kanagawa Prefecture, the shrine in Kamakura is a good one to visit. it's a park around a big shrine. you'll have to make a day of that to really take in the place if you're as much of a martial artist as i'm reading you are. there, they have the "big buddha". the thing is enourmous. i saw it for the first time when i was in 3rd grade on a school field trip. it was quite a site.

if you're going in october, you might want to see if they still offer hike trips to climb Mt. Fuji. that is something every serious martial artist should experience. if you really want the "zen" experience, this is something you should really try. i climbed that bad boy 3 times. once when i was 14, again when i was 17, & the last time when i turned 20. it's really something to watch the sun rise when you yourself are above the clouds.

Also, try and see if you can take a ferry to Chiba. it's on the other side of Tokyo Bay from when Tokyo itself is. there, they also have a shrine built in the mountains with a fantastic view over tokyo bay. you take a cart-lift all the way into the mountain. no hiking required.

and finally, something for the whole "japan/martial arts" experience, try and take a tour up to Nikko. you know how they do re-enactments of the civil war battles or colonial town set ups? japan does the same thing. they have an exact recreation of a japanese village in fuedal japan. the locals dress in kimono's appropriate for the time. theres little shops you can visit & has all kinds of live shows. the best is the ninja demostration. looks like a scene out of a real good ninja movie. that is something you really should see. any tours & travel office can help with that info.

hope this helps.

[granmasterchen]

I see that many people living in Japan have posted to your topic. I too live in Japan, in the northern part of Honshu at the Misawa Air Force Base, up in the Aomori prefecture. There is a large contingent of martial artists here, but I would recommend going to Tokyo, Sendai, Kyoto, more to the south and that region and of course Okinawa. But if you have any questions, feel free to get ahold of me and send me your messages. I will only be at this base for the rest of this year, there is a chance that I will be moving down to Tokyo or Okinawa at the end of this year or the start of the next...but of course being with the military I could go anywhere, I will know within a month hopefully. Sorry to ramble....