Japan Tour a Great Success
 

Dukas Karate Institute Japan tour 2007

On Wednesday, 28 March 2007 sixteen highly excited members of the Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging dojos left for Japan.

After two long flights (about 13 hours to Hong Kong and another four to Narita, Tokyo) we travelled by bus to the Bumb Sports and International Seminar Centre. (Fortunately, Sensei Mike decided to arrange for a bus because I can�t imagine how we would have managed in a strange city with all our luggage by train or subway!)

Bumb

The hostel we stayed in at Bumb during the championships was comfortable with neat, spacious rooms and bathrooms.  

On the first day at Bumb most of the tour members attended the training seminar, some of us only as onlookers and a few participating. This was our first glimpse of Isaka Sensei�s (�not karate but training for karate�) techniques. What a master! Pieter is really lucky to be able to train with this remarkable man every day. 

The Campionships

Competing against karateka from so many different countries was a wonderful experience. The competition was tough, as was expected. Our team members did very well. Sensei Marius (Veteran kumite), Nicolaas (Kata Male under 17) and Sensei Bryan (Open Kata Male) did us proud by bringing home two gold and one bronze medal. Sansha and Candace qualified for the finals in kumite and kata respectively and both got fourth places. Sensei Martin also went through to the semi-finals in kata. Sensei Bryan and Kyle represented South Africa in the team kumite where they did an excellent job ending in third place. Unfortunately the team kumite was a friendly match and they did not receive any medals (which they unquestionably deserved.) The team kata that Sensei Bryan, Nicolaas and Kyle trained so hard for was unfortunately cancelled due to a lack of entries from other countries.

During our stay at BumB the group received many comments on our excellent performance and conduct during the championships. Sensei Mike received compliments on several occasions from other dojos on the wonderful spirit that our club had and also in the manner in which each person conducted him or herself.

Opening of KWF�S new dojo

Sensei Mike, Sensei Martin, Tanja, Pieter and Elize attended the official opening of KWF new dojo in Sibuya. This was a unique experience with lots of Shinto rituals and many speeches (mostly in Japanese!)

Sakura Hostel

After the championships we moved to the Sakura Hostel in Asakusa. This entailed a long trip through the streets to the subway and then changing from one train to the next with our heavy luggage.

The Sakura Hostel is in Asakusa, an area with many historical spots like the Senso-ji temple, Asakusa shrine, Kaminarimon (Thunder gate) as well as the Nakimase-dori - a shopping street with over 200 stalls selling typical Japanese souvenirs such as yukata and folding fans as well as various traditional local snacks. Directly opposite the hostel is an amusement park called Hanayashiki. We also found (and frequented) a few charming small restaurants and �bars� serving traditional Japanese foods in the area. On the evening before we had to leave Japan a group of us visited a tiny karaoke bar where apart from a very generous Japanese customer and his subordinate we were the only guests (and it wasn�t because of our singing!)

Training at honbu dojo

We were privileged to train with legends Sensei Isaka and Sensei Yahara at the honbu dojo. The first training session started at 10:30 every morning and for this we had to get up early to eat breakfast and catch the train to the dojo which is quite a distance from the hostel.

Eating out, shopping and exploring Tokyo and Japan

Eating in Japan was easier than we expected. There are many reasonably priced restaurants in Tokyo and we tried out a different one almost every night. Some of the members chose to stick with what they know and ate McDonalds almost every day!

We also spent some really good times, eating out, shopping and exploring Tokyo which is truly a beautiful city - especially this time of the year with the cherry trees (Sakura) in full bloom. In between training we visited the Meiji Shrine and the Harajuku district.

The Meiji Shrine was built in 1920 (and rebuilt after World War II) to commemorate Emperor Meiji, who became the first emperor of "modern" Japan in 1868.

The Harajuku district is a favourite shopping and hang-out spot for teenagers where they parade in outlandish fashions.

On one of the few days that we weren�t training we visited Kamakura�s two major sites namely the Great Buddha and the memorial to Master Gichin Funakoshi at Engaku-ji temple.

The memorial to Master Gichin Funakoshi in the grounds of Engakuji Temple in Kamakura. Master Funakoshi studied Zen here under Chief Abbott Ekun and completed his training around 1929. [It was then that he changed the name of his Okinawan art from "Tode" (Chinese Hand) to "Karate-Do" (Empty Handed Way)].

With a height of 13.35 meters, the Great Buddha (Daibutsu) is the second largest Buddha statue in Japan The statue was cast in 1252 and originally located inside a large temple hall. However, the temple buildings were washed away by a tsunami tidal wave in the end of the 15th century, and since then the Buddha stands in the open air.

The highlight for some of us of this trip was seeing Mount Fuji. On the only day that the weather forecast showed clear skies a group of us went on a day trip to Mount Fuji. Seeing Fujisan from Mount Tenjo near Lake Kawaguchi was really worthwhile (even though it was still further away than I had expected). Fortunately, because of the good weather, we had quite a clear view of the magnificent mountain.

Some of the tour members were also fortunate enough to visit Nikko Yumoto Onsen - an isolated hot spring area on the northern shore of Lake Yunoko. Marlize and Anita took the bullet train (Shinkasen) to Kyoto where they stayed in a traditional Japanese hotel (Ryokan).

Other popular sights were Roppongi (an area well-known for its nightlife) and Tokyo Disney.

On the 10th of April we had to say a sad goodbye to Japan as we continued our trip to Hong Kong. After the orderliness, cleanliness and courtesy of Japan, Hong Kong was quite a culture shock but we managed to do some sightseeing and a lot of shopping in the three days we had there.

This was truly an unforgettable experience and I am sure that all the tour members will want to extend a special thank you to Sensei Mike and all who made the trip of a lifetime a reality. Domo arigato gozaimasu!

We are looking forward to the next trip, which according to Sensei will be in May 2008. There are only limited number of places available so be sure to book early.

The group at the entrance to the Meiji Shrine