GROUNDHOG DAY - TEXAS TO JAPAN

Do you remember the movie Groundhog Day?  Egocentric weatherman, Bill Murray, is sent to cover Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, PA only to find himself living the same day over and over again. That's pretty much how the two-day sojourn from Johnson City, Texas to Omagari, Japan felt. Trains, planes, and automobiles . . . Southwest, American, and JAL.  All flights were good, just long!

Haneda International Airport - Tokyo

I traveled from Santa Monica with my Sensei and dear friend, Vassie Naidoo, who is one of two Vice-Presidents, along with Satoru Takahashi, of Seiwakai International. He asked me to teach his Thursday night class at USA Honbu, which is always an honor. His students are always open to new instruction and we had a great class.

I focused the teaching mainly on the more circular and flowing JU aspects of Goju-Ryu, since these karateka are mainly big strong fighters who can smash you with only the harder, more linear GO side of our art. In my belief, it is the blending of Go and Ju that truly makes our karatedo both effective and beautiful. I was very happy to be asked to teach. Afterward, we had dinner and drinks at the Mediterranean Grill on Pico Blvd., and of course I stayed up too late before a long travel date.

This morning I am in my tiny room at the Ohara Ryokan, enjoying the quiet of this Sunday morning, happy that training does not start for a couple of days so I can get acclimated and lose the jet lag. Shihan Fujiwara's family owns and runs this ryokan, which is most well-known for the amazing food and I always feel like it's a homecoming to be here again. Sunday is the Fujiwara family rest day, so no meals will be served.

The only furniture in my room is one low-slung wooden table and a couple of cushions on the tatami. This table becomes my office work space, writing desk, snack space, conference room, and general clutter-catcher over the course of my time here. I like that the tiny room makes me so much more aware of space usage and storage, and the importance of finding, and keeping my belongings in order. I have a single futon on the floor with one small pillow, but it's my home for the next 11 days, and I like that it transports me out of my usual reality. The Ohara is a favorite of many working men who are on assignment to jobs in Omagari, good hard-working truckers and tradesmen, many of whom are smokers, so I leave the room window open the first couple of days to air out the residual cigarette smell.

Ohara Ryokan is so much better than I am probably making it sound. They have delightful sento baths for both men and women, and the food is absolutely to die for. There's a grocery store just across the street and a Family Mart (similar to Lawson's or 7-11's) where you can find espressos and snacks of all kinds. I don't have any yen on me so I went to the ATM machine at Lawson's, which declined both my debit and credit card,despite the fact I notified my bank of my travel dates. Grrrrr...
I managed to rustle up some Nescafe in the kitchen and begged some cream and sugar packets from the Family Mart, so I am caffeine fortified -- a necessity after 4 hours sleep last night.  It gets light at 4 am and only rice paper window covers, so that's when you wake up. My days and nights are now reversed and that takes time to adjust.

Omagari, Daisen in Akita Prefecture is in the wild and mountainous Tohoku region of northern Honshu (the largest of the islands that make up Japan.)  It is a land of cold winters and warm people 
and has a reputation for having the best rice, and therefore the best sake in Japan , and also has a reputation for having the most beautiful women. All of us in Seiwakai count ourselves lucky that our Honbu Dojo is far off the tourist track and we get to experience Japan without all the bling. This is country where the winter snow is as deep as the roof eaves and the inhabitants are strong and uncomplaining. Like Texans, there is a certain pride in being from this region of high mountain passes, deep lakes, and fertile valley farms. The people are survivors and take pride in that fact.

Last night, Vassie Sensei and I arrived Akita from Tokyo Haneda Airport around 8:00 pm and were met by Fujiwara Shihan who was accompanied by Paul Penasse Sensei, our dear friend from Belgium, which was a nice surprise. An even nicer surprise was when we arrived at the ryokan and Shihan told us to leave our bags in the lobby, that we were going to have dinner at his daughter Mariko's new restaurant.  From the photos, you can see what a delightful gastronomical experience that was. The dinner was a treat from Fujiwara Shihan, along with some of that famously delectable Akita sake. If Mariko had her restaurant in Austin, Texas, I guarantee she would be a millionaire within two years! We were also joined for dinner by Rob Crawford Sensei from South Africa. Thank you Shihan!  Thank you, Mariko!

Oh, Yum!!!

Mariko-san

Today we will be taking it easy and get our bodies on Japan time.  I am about to ask Shihan if I can use the dojo to do my yoga and stretching this morning, and later we are going to observe his students who are training for the All Japan Goju-Ryu competition in Nagasaki in two weeks. I'm always amazed at the perseverance and quality of Shihan's youth in particular.  I learn so much from them despite 47 years of karate.

Glad to be here!