Karate via a travel fellowship - please help!

[craznhorse]

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

[NightOwl]

Well, if you want to study at the source, then I suppose Okinawa would be the origin of the art. Having said that, Japanese dojos do not have special magical powers that have completely eluded the west. Yes, you probably will find more dedication (just because they put so much time into a single sport over here), but from everything I've heard (I personally have yet to train at a japanese dojo), they are actually fairly casual compared to the west, where in an effort to be authentic many dojos try to out japanese the japanese (if that makes sense?). In fact, okinawans traditionally didn't have a belt system or even wear uniforms- that was later adapted to fit to the Japanese tastes and militaristic style much later. Either way, it is not as romantic as it is often portrayed. Secondly, keep in mind that if you are going to live in Japan, knowing the culture and especially the language is VERY important...I cannot stress the language part enough, as the foreigners that I meet here who don't speak japanese always say that they are surprised on how little people speak English. It isn't America with black hair, take the time to learn to adapt to the environment instead of having it adapt to you (which it will not). Japanese, especially written japanese, is very difficult compared to learning many western languages, and some people live here for years without ever learning it (usually just staying in foreigner circles but then why go to japan if you aren't going to go into the japanese culture?). I'd recommend a japanese immersion program before going- it will really help. Also depending on where you stay, it can either be really rural or very urban- it isn't on the whole a very pretty country, and I've yet to run into a samurai or geisha despite what the Japanese tourist industry would have you believe. Finally, it is EXPENSIVE- especially for transportation. You can buy a special rail pass if you are a student but usually you have to affliliated with a school and the people at the train stations do not understand english. Also just on a side note- the way western karate dojos use 'osu' is very often incorrect....

Mind I am not trying to scare you away, but at the same time it isn't easy and you WILL need to do your homework to do well here (but at the same time you will never 'fit in' with everyone else no matter how much you do, but you can read about cultural differences on your own). 24 fighting chickens has some articles on living and training in japan, as well as what it is like to train in a real dojo, so I suggest you check out here:

http://www.24fightingchickens.com/

[Montana]

I also would recommend Okinawa if you want to really learn about karate. You'll find it a whole lot different than Shotokan and with a generally very relaxed atmosphere compared to the more (usually anyway) "militaristic" approach of theJapanese/Korean systems. There's not much "Yes sir, No sir" stuff on Okinawa, nor doing pushups for minor infractions. Those are more Japanese/Korean philosophies of teaching the arts. You'll find Okinawan masters, 8th-10th dan, to be approachable, friendly and wanting you to learn.

However one thing to be aware of is that these Okinawan masters tend to show you something once or twice, and if they don't see you making the effort to do what they want you to do, they will start ignorng you...so you need to pay close attention and do what you are instructed to do, not what you're used to doing in Shotokan class. Be adaptable and receptive to a different way of doing the arts.

[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

[NightOwl]

Haha Sorry about sounding a bit standoffish! I assumed that you were 'one of those guys', but I am pleasantly surprised to see that you are willing to put in the effort. Pronunciation wise, Japanese is MUCH easier than mandarin (I am working on mandarin on the moment and it is tough!), also since you know some kanji, that can definitely come in handy down the road for reading. As far as 1960's japan compared to today, it is very different- just like the 60's in America are different from the America of 2007, but I would go so far to say as even much more so (for one thing the introduction of a more western diet means that you are no longer a huge giant here...which I was disappointed about at least haha). The 24 chickens guy has a book on his travels as well, however you probably will still glean some current stuff from the other book (if not an interesting reading experience). There are also lots of cultural books for people moving there that you can find at your local bookstore or library. Either way, good luck on the application progress, and let us know how it goes.

[Kieran-Lilith]

On an off note, if you're looking for the live-in kind of thing, that's referred to as uchi-deshi. That might be feasible if you can find a place, but many instructors are very picky about their uchi-deshi, especially if it's in the traditional sense.