General impressions on my training in Tokyo

Think of everyday life as Karate training - Gichin Funakoshi

I have just came back from an interesting trip to Tokyo where I have spent 4 days training under the Instructors of Tokyo and with people coming from all around the world.

I wanted to share with you what I have felt and experienced during my stay in Japan.

1) Everybody at the highest level is humble

First thing that strikes you when you arrive is that all the practitioners from around the World and Highest Instructors from Japan are humble. You cannot believe how simple and generous everybody is. Don't get me wrong, we train hard and they emphasize on all the small details , but they do it in such a way and with smile that you will never forget the session.

Even in the changing room, in the stairs and in the class, everybody shows respect to one another.

2) Trainings are very simple

Second thing that is striking : Do not expect complicated training. Indeed, all the trainings that I have joined were extremely simple and focused on basics. For example, you can spend half an hour bending your knee in zenkutsu dachi (front stance) or throwing kicks for an hour or even repeating a kata for 2 hours. This for Occidentals can be unusual as we have more elaborated trainings. But Japanese, they train like this and they stances, kata and even kumite are far better than any country in the World.

3) Karate is global

The third point that I would like to mention is that Karate is a "Global Nation". You can't imagine how many different nationalities where gathered to train. I saw people coming from Africa, Australia, Europe, Latin America and Asia. This was an amazing message for all of us. Karate is a Martial Arts that get along with all the different cultures.

When you look at the group picture you can clearly see that I was not alone.

Karate is truly more than a Martial Arts it is a link, a bond between human beings.

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