Well, the Japan experience is pretty much over. People went their seperate ways earlier in the week and discovered places such as Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Hiroshima and beaches to mention but a few.
We'll have some pictures, videos and diaries up over the coming weeks on the main website, but hope this blog gave you a flavour of what went on when we got the odd moment to update it. The new stuff will give a much better picture of what went on.......
Those that have travelled home will probably be suffering from a touch of Jet-lag, which we hope soon disappears. Those that are still in Japan, we wish you a safe trip home.
Just a final mention to Glyn and Bex who, if you didn't already know. got engaged on Saturday 22nd August whilst in Japan. The question was popped around 6pm in the stands at the Tokyo budokan and Bex was gracious enough to say yes!
We wish them all the very best for the future.
Friday 28 August 2009
Thursday 27 August 2009
Late blog report
Just getting a late blog report in!......
From a fighters point of view, the whole experience has been fantastic from start to finish.
Whether we succeeded or not in the competitions, we should all be proud of taking part and give thanks to having the opportunity to compete. There were many lessons learned and one of them for me is to have your feet taped up while training! Even though there were some handy tips given to tape up the toes to stop blisters. We could have done with taping up our whole feet as we suffered with bad blisters! Obviously not helping with being 100% fit for fighting..... I myself had to tape my feet up, then only to be told to take it off for the first fight.... 1st minute ok until I tried to score with a gak then half my foot came off...I was dancing around ok up to that point!
Gareth on the other hand, was leaving blood trails on the mats so really felt for him. It really is worth looking after your feet leading up to the competition as that's when you most need them!!
The atmosphere on the Saturday was electric, from the minute you arrived outside to the minute you leave....it just buzzed all day!
Just in case any of our younger students are reading this blog....I would like to say they could learn a lesson or two from the Japanese children. I was very impressed by their focus, determination and skill they showed. They looked like miniature adult fighters and I can see why the Japanese are such proficient fighters!
We attended the Wado Ryu party in the evening which was held at a hotel near to the event. I very much enjoyed the fresh sushi fish and other offerings of great food....shame we couldn't do the drinks much justice as we had to fight the next day :(
Sunday was very much more quiet event as only selected teams were taking part from around the world. The morning was taken up with the finals from the previous days event. Craig Hill did very well in the men's individual kata event coming 7th. The standard was very good indeed and anyone competing could feel they were up against stiff competition to even get this far.
As far as the fighting went this day.... Jamie Bowen came 3rd in the mens under 65kg kumite, the rest of us were eliminated in the 1st & 2nd rounds. Win or lose we can all take something away from this experience for next time and some of us its the last! I think we were all a bit deflated, I know I certainly was, but at the end of the day it has been a fantastic trip and one I will never forget.
For the rest of the day we enjoyed watching what was left of the fighting, the Japanese had pretty much swept the board! I had captured a lot of the fights on cam and photo's so hope that can give some idea as to the skill they are respected for.
Japan is a great place to travel to and would definitely go again....as we didn't get to go to Kyoto.
I recommend getting a train pass and see as much as you can. Tokyo is a big place and we did try and see as much as we could in the little time we had. Even with blisters on my feet I still had to see as much as possible, we still have lots more to see. I mentioned the rail pass, this can only be bought over here, it is not available in Japan as its for travellers only. I didn't know that it included the many lines available in Tokyo too. When it came to buy a ticket to Kyoto we found it too expensive for just two days travel. It might if we had known about the metro being included, as it is we made the most of having another couple of days there and I was on a made dash to find a Japanese puzzle box. Luckily we found one in a great shop at the airport and some other cool souvenirs.
Highlights of the trip
From a fighters point of view, the whole experience has been fantastic from start to finish.
Whether we succeeded or not in the competitions, we should all be proud of taking part and give thanks to having the opportunity to compete. There were many lessons learned and one of them for me is to have your feet taped up while training! Even though there were some handy tips given to tape up the toes to stop blisters. We could have done with taping up our whole feet as we suffered with bad blisters! Obviously not helping with being 100% fit for fighting..... I myself had to tape my feet up, then only to be told to take it off for the first fight.... 1st minute ok until I tried to score with a gak then half my foot came off...I was dancing around ok up to that point!
Gareth on the other hand, was leaving blood trails on the mats so really felt for him. It really is worth looking after your feet leading up to the competition as that's when you most need them!!
The atmosphere on the Saturday was electric, from the minute you arrived outside to the minute you leave....it just buzzed all day!
Just in case any of our younger students are reading this blog....I would like to say they could learn a lesson or two from the Japanese children. I was very impressed by their focus, determination and skill they showed. They looked like miniature adult fighters and I can see why the Japanese are such proficient fighters!
We attended the Wado Ryu party in the evening which was held at a hotel near to the event. I very much enjoyed the fresh sushi fish and other offerings of great food....shame we couldn't do the drinks much justice as we had to fight the next day :(
Sunday was very much more quiet event as only selected teams were taking part from around the world. The morning was taken up with the finals from the previous days event. Craig Hill did very well in the men's individual kata event coming 7th. The standard was very good indeed and anyone competing could feel they were up against stiff competition to even get this far.
As far as the fighting went this day.... Jamie Bowen came 3rd in the mens under 65kg kumite, the rest of us were eliminated in the 1st & 2nd rounds. Win or lose we can all take something away from this experience for next time and some of us its the last! I think we were all a bit deflated, I know I certainly was, but at the end of the day it has been a fantastic trip and one I will never forget.
For the rest of the day we enjoyed watching what was left of the fighting, the Japanese had pretty much swept the board! I had captured a lot of the fights on cam and photo's so hope that can give some idea as to the skill they are respected for.
Japan is a great place to travel to and would definitely go again....as we didn't get to go to Kyoto.
I recommend getting a train pass and see as much as you can. Tokyo is a big place and we did try and see as much as we could in the little time we had. Even with blisters on my feet I still had to see as much as possible, we still have lots more to see. I mentioned the rail pass, this can only be bought over here, it is not available in Japan as its for travellers only. I didn't know that it included the many lines available in Tokyo too. When it came to buy a ticket to Kyoto we found it too expensive for just two days travel. It might if we had known about the metro being included, as it is we made the most of having another couple of days there and I was on a made dash to find a Japanese puzzle box. Luckily we found one in a great shop at the airport and some other cool souvenirs.
Highlights of the trip
- Getting engaged
- Training at the universities
- Competing in the two days events
- Meeting new friends and catching up with old ones
- Getting to know another country and its people on their own turf!
- Trying the local foods...raw tuna...yum!
- Showing people with new camera's how to actually use them ;)
- Getting a picture of myself with Sensei Shiomitsu.
Wednesday 26 August 2009
Competitions
2 long days of competition have just been finished at the Tokyo budokan, which was a first class venue.
It is probably best to summarise both days as being dominated by the Japanese students from the various clubs and universities, some of which we had trained in earlier that week, as we recognised some of the fighters.
The tournament on Saturday was huge and you needed to get through about 5 rounds, before you could get into the final 8, which were the quarter finals. The English (and 1 Scotsmen) mainly went out in the 1st or 2nd rounds, although all the fighters showed great spirit and determination. I think it is fair to say that there were many a sore foot and tight hamstring from the weeks training sessions, which couldn't have helped them either!
A post tournament party was held after the events on the mat had finished, organised by Kazutaka Sensei and had the most wonderful spread of Sushi you could ever wish for..........if you like it! We'd been up at 6am, so getting back at 10pm meant we'd had a very long day and we all retired early, for another bright start in the morning.
The Sunday events were started by the finals of the previous All Japan Wado tournament, which produced some excellent fights and kata standards. England had one competitor, Craig Hill, in his Kata finals and he did very well in coming 7th.
The Wado Ryu world championships then kicked off, which was a smaller event than the previous day, as it was selected squads only. England got a 3rd place when Jamie Bowen fought exceptionally well to get a bronze medal in his kumite event. The England mens team were unlucky to go out 2-1 to the eventual winners of the mens kumite event and on another day, could have got the 2-1 win themselves.
The speed of the Japanese fighters will stay in the mind of all there for a long time. That's what they train for and it brings results and success.
Also the young English fighters and eveyone who got on the mats deserves credit, the fighters will be exceptionally good themselves over the coming years.
One team who caught everyones attention and seemed unsure of the rules drew many a gasp from the audience and let's just say we are glad some of their attacks didn't actually connect, but you'll have to see the videos to get the full picture if we have any of them!
It is probably best to summarise both days as being dominated by the Japanese students from the various clubs and universities, some of which we had trained in earlier that week, as we recognised some of the fighters.
The tournament on Saturday was huge and you needed to get through about 5 rounds, before you could get into the final 8, which were the quarter finals. The English (and 1 Scotsmen) mainly went out in the 1st or 2nd rounds, although all the fighters showed great spirit and determination. I think it is fair to say that there were many a sore foot and tight hamstring from the weeks training sessions, which couldn't have helped them either!
A post tournament party was held after the events on the mat had finished, organised by Kazutaka Sensei and had the most wonderful spread of Sushi you could ever wish for..........if you like it! We'd been up at 6am, so getting back at 10pm meant we'd had a very long day and we all retired early, for another bright start in the morning.
The Sunday events were started by the finals of the previous All Japan Wado tournament, which produced some excellent fights and kata standards. England had one competitor, Craig Hill, in his Kata finals and he did very well in coming 7th.
The Wado Ryu world championships then kicked off, which was a smaller event than the previous day, as it was selected squads only. England got a 3rd place when Jamie Bowen fought exceptionally well to get a bronze medal in his kumite event. The England mens team were unlucky to go out 2-1 to the eventual winners of the mens kumite event and on another day, could have got the 2-1 win themselves.
The speed of the Japanese fighters will stay in the mind of all there for a long time. That's what they train for and it brings results and success.
Also the young English fighters and eveyone who got on the mats deserves credit, the fighters will be exceptionally good themselves over the coming years.
One team who caught everyones attention and seemed unsure of the rules drew many a gasp from the audience and let's just say we are glad some of their attacks didn't actually connect, but you'll have to see the videos to get the full picture if we have any of them!
Thursday 20 August 2009
Meikai University
Hi All,
Today we had the fortune of starting the day at 05:30 to get up, have breakfast and head off to our training venue for the day at the Meikai University. On the coach we had a chance to see some of the city missed when taking the train. It amazed me how compact all the housing is compared to britain, space is a real premium over here and I can tell you they fill every square inch. However it wasnt just all buildings as the gaps were filled by some greenery in neat gardens.
The Meikai University campus was huge and very modern facilities. The main instructor here is Kamizuma Sensei, who will be looking after Joe Bale for the next three months. The student of this dojo we found as usual to be very friendly and shared some very funny moments during our training today of which started out on the playing field for our warmup.
The captain of the Dojo took us through a vigorous routine of some great warm up exercises of which we will bring back with us.....thought you might like that!!!!
We trained for three long hours which included working on pads, practicing punches, kicks and ending with a friendly competition. Japanese students taking on the rest of the world!
We ended the training with a photosession and a lunch in the campus canteen.
Day off tomorrow and first competition on Saturday!
Today we had the fortune of starting the day at 05:30 to get up, have breakfast and head off to our training venue for the day at the Meikai University. On the coach we had a chance to see some of the city missed when taking the train. It amazed me how compact all the housing is compared to britain, space is a real premium over here and I can tell you they fill every square inch. However it wasnt just all buildings as the gaps were filled by some greenery in neat gardens.
The Meikai University campus was huge and very modern facilities. The main instructor here is Kamizuma Sensei, who will be looking after Joe Bale for the next three months. The student of this dojo we found as usual to be very friendly and shared some very funny moments during our training today of which started out on the playing field for our warmup.
The captain of the Dojo took us through a vigorous routine of some great warm up exercises of which we will bring back with us.....thought you might like that!!!!
We trained for three long hours which included working on pads, practicing punches, kicks and ending with a friendly competition. Japanese students taking on the rest of the world!
We ended the training with a photosession and a lunch in the campus canteen.
Day off tomorrow and first competition on Saturday!
Wednesday 19 August 2009
Nihon University
Well, what you have heard about it is true!, but we survived! A real shame we cant upload some of the picturesd we have of various peoples feet, which have been torn apart like you wouldnt believe! Those guys look in so much pain and will struggle like mad tomorrow, as we have to be up at 5.30am for what is possibly an even harder session with Kamizuma Sensei.
Fortunately, Sensei Arthur Meek, a man well versed in training in Japan, told me to strap up the big toes, which stopped the blisters in the main.
Thiose competing got to have a mini tournament at the end of training and will have learnt so much for the weekend competitions, as almost without exception, the Nichi Dai students won the fights. They are very straight when attacking and very, very fast.
Kobayashi Sensei Τaught for an hour as well as the main instructors, led by Shiima Sensei.
For those who remember the Winter course, it was more of the same! The last half hour we all paired off with a Japanese student and were drilled until the feet started to give in.
So whilst disappointing that we couldnt all train at Grandmasters yesterday, due to the size restrictions, today more than made up for it.
A beer and a bite, then bed. We all hope tomorrow will be as good as today.
Cheers
Fortunately, Sensei Arthur Meek, a man well versed in training in Japan, told me to strap up the big toes, which stopped the blisters in the main.
Thiose competing got to have a mini tournament at the end of training and will have learnt so much for the weekend competitions, as almost without exception, the Nichi Dai students won the fights. They are very straight when attacking and very, very fast.
Kobayashi Sensei Τaught for an hour as well as the main instructors, led by Shiima Sensei.
For those who remember the Winter course, it was more of the same! The last half hour we all paired off with a Japanese student and were drilled until the feet started to give in.
So whilst disappointing that we couldnt all train at Grandmasters yesterday, due to the size restrictions, today more than made up for it.
A beer and a bite, then bed. We all hope tomorrow will be as good as today.
Cheers
Tuesday 18 August 2009
Tuesday 18th August
A visit to the Wado Honbu dojo of Grandmaster Ohtsuka was the main highlight of today. You would just not believe just where it exactly is and how unassuming it appears from the outside. Short of a small sign and the Wado Ryu logo, nothing else gives it away. Once Kazutaka Sensei opened the shutters though, it was totally different.
Whilst a small dojo, possibly no more than 18x8 metres, offering a maximum of around 30 students at a time, it was steeped in a wonderful history. From what we thought Kazutaka Sensei said, the original Grandmaster lived and trained there, as of course does the current Grandmaster, when not instructing at the various clubs they have dotted around Tokyo and beyond.
The walls were aligned with all of the various awards, pictures and gifts collected by the Ohtsuka family over the last 75 years, including the Meijin license awarded by the Emperor. The one that I found most bizarre was a picture of some English Wado Ryu students sat beside Frank Bruno!
It was a very humbling place, steeped in vast amounts of Wado Ryu tradition, whilst being located about as far away from what you may imagine as possible.
I think we all got some wonderful pictures from the days events and it was a superb day out, enjoyed by all.
Anyhow, tomorrow brings a days training at Nihon University at the famous Nichi Dai, which we are all looking foward to. (well, most of us are!)
Thinking of an early morning trip to the fish market in Tokyo, which is the biggest in the world, so an early night beckons, as we only have a few hours spare in the morning, before heading off training.
Weather here is still pleasant, with a cooling breeze, long may it continue!
Whilst a small dojo, possibly no more than 18x8 metres, offering a maximum of around 30 students at a time, it was steeped in a wonderful history. From what we thought Kazutaka Sensei said, the original Grandmaster lived and trained there, as of course does the current Grandmaster, when not instructing at the various clubs they have dotted around Tokyo and beyond.
The walls were aligned with all of the various awards, pictures and gifts collected by the Ohtsuka family over the last 75 years, including the Meijin license awarded by the Emperor. The one that I found most bizarre was a picture of some English Wado Ryu students sat beside Frank Bruno!
It was a very humbling place, steeped in vast amounts of Wado Ryu tradition, whilst being located about as far away from what you may imagine as possible.
I think we all got some wonderful pictures from the days events and it was a superb day out, enjoyed by all.
Anyhow, tomorrow brings a days training at Nihon University at the famous Nichi Dai, which we are all looking foward to. (well, most of us are!)
Thinking of an early morning trip to the fish market in Tokyo, which is the biggest in the world, so an early night beckons, as we only have a few hours spare in the morning, before heading off training.
Weather here is still pleasant, with a cooling breeze, long may it continue!
Monday 17 August 2009
Japan
Well after some travelling, all in all about 14 hours plus time at airports waiting for transfers we have made it here and its fantastic to meet up with everyone else!!
It is no different than going on holiday to Spain, they all speak a different language but are sooo keen to help you out! It is very friendly and a great atmosphere....
We have been out for beers and food and really not that difficult to work out whats on the menu as they have mock up models of their food available. Some of it looks so delicious I could be here all day trying it all.......
Training here starts tomorrow at the Honbu Dojo with grand Master tomorrow and then on Wednesday at the Nichi Dai University. Then Thursday with Kamizawa Sensei. After that, we are then booked for a day at the Water Park....which is really good for flexing our muscles
and relaxing before the two days competition!!!
After that Bex and I are planning to stay with some friends in Kyoto and take lots of photographs.... like I wouldnt be anyway!
We will keep you updated as we go.....
watch this space (o)(o)
It is no different than going on holiday to Spain, they all speak a different language but are sooo keen to help you out! It is very friendly and a great atmosphere....
We have been out for beers and food and really not that difficult to work out whats on the menu as they have mock up models of their food available. Some of it looks so delicious I could be here all day trying it all.......
Training here starts tomorrow at the Honbu Dojo with grand Master tomorrow and then on Wednesday at the Nichi Dai University. Then Thursday with Kamizawa Sensei. After that, we are then booked for a day at the Water Park....which is really good for flexing our muscles
and relaxing before the two days competition!!!
After that Bex and I are planning to stay with some friends in Kyoto and take lots of photographs.... like I wouldnt be anyway!
We will keep you updated as we go.....
watch this space (o)(o)
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