Our yearly pilgrimage to Japan this time was even more challenging than ever.
We arrived a few days before the JKA Gasshuku and therefore managed to relax (walking literally miles every day) all over Tokyo, and training at Naka sensei dojo in two different premises, the first very near the JKA Honbu dojo and the second one quite far from the centre of Tokyo.
The actual training was unique as usual, with Naka sensei brilliant way of making people realize how little they know about even the simplest of techniques.
The first day of the Gasshuku was great, as we met up with old friends and made new ones.
The new Chairman (Kusahara Katsuhide) speech was very passionate and we were all impressed by his English as he spoke first in English (for us gai jin) and then in Japanese, telling us all about JKA and their goals for the future.
It was then Ueki Masaaki turn to welcome us, with another speech (this time with the use of an interpreter).
Training took place in different floors of the full time Shotokan Karate building, with the members being divided in groups of various levels.
The second day was not different, but because of the vast number of participants we had to travel to a Gym in Hongo Sanchome (luckily for us the place is only a few minutes away from our accommodation at the Ryokan Homeikan Daimachi Bekkan.
At the end of the superb sessions we were given the bad news, because of the Typhoon (Hagibis) the next two training sessions at JKA Honbu were cancelled and so was the party (we only went to Japan for the latter) the grading was somehow allowed to take place on that Sunday, the only other event allowed was the special rights where instructors take an examination in order to qualify (allowing them to grade students to the various levels, 1st dan, 2nd dan etc.) according to the qualification obtained.
The day after was the anticipated Typhoon day, and we anticipate the fact that most shops would be closed, so shopped for food and beverages the night before, as we were told by the staff at the Ryokan that it would be safer to remain indoors.
That day was horrendous, with extremely strong winds and furious rainfalls.
Finally, Sunday arrived and we managed to go to JKA Honbu as we were promised a refund of our seminar fees.
We could hear the buzz upstairs where the grading was taking place.
The next few days were spent soaking in the sights of Japan and travelling to a new and unexpected place, a natural SPA (Onsen in Kusatsu) where visitors took advantage of the natural hot springs to bathe in them.
We look forward to our next Japan trip in October 2020!
