JAPAN TRAINING - July 27, 2013 - WAKAYAMA

Although I will be glad to leave this hellishly hot coastal plain, I`ve been so focused on the grading and then spending yesterday recovering, I haven`t even made any plans.  Check out time was 10 a.m. and there was no way I was going to be packed and ready to hop a train, so I extended for another night, which seemed to be the path of least resistance. 

Most of the karate folks did check out and were heading to either Tokyo or Osaka to fly for home.  I spent the morning looking at my Rough Guides - Japan book to figure where I wanted to go.  Since I don`t particularly like the big cities, and want to escape the heat and humidity, I`m opting for the mountains.  I`m drawn to a castle town called Matsumoto in the central Honshu highlands not far from Nagano.  Nagano is ski country in the Japanese Alps and Matsumoto is in the foothills, surrounded by mountains.  It has the oldest castle in Japan and was home to Dr. Suzuki, who originated the Suzuki method of teaching children to play classical music.  There is also a major Japanese woodblock print museum there.

If it is too warm in Matsumoto, I`ll keep ascending!  It is closer to Tokyo, where I need to wind up in order to fly out on Wednesday evening.  Truth be told, I`m ready to get back home to be with Terri and Jacob.  I want pizza and smoke-free restaurants.

We had our JKF Gojukai dinner last night at a swank hotel (very unlike the non-swank hotel we`re staying in).  There were probably 150 people in attendance, mostly Japanese karate sensei and some other guests.  I was fortunate to sit next to a local businessman who took great care of our table.  The food was pretty awesome -- about ten courses of everything from delicious sashimi to prime rib.  Some courses, like the cold milk curd & mushroom soup were pretty unique, but every bit of it was over-the-top great.  There was also a taiko drumming performance which was as good as I've ever seen/heard.  Of course there were all the typical speeches and multiple kompai!!!! toasts.  They had the different countries come up on stage and the head cheeses make a speech.  I forgot I was the head cheese by default until someone at my table elbowed me to go to the stage. The remaining USA group consisted of myself and Johnpaul Sensei from San Francisco -- pretty weak when you consider that Iran outnumbered us.  So I gave my  impromptu spiel successfully without any major breach of etiquette -- no easy task with people continually filling your beer or sake glass. 

                                                      My table mates at the banquet.

                                       The banquet menu and a Wakayama area guide map.

                                  Just one part of ONE course.  Exquisite food, every bit of it.

                     Our local table host, who took wonderful care of our table.  Thank you, sir!

And still no word about the grading from Fujiwara Shiahan or anyone.  Kind of a pisser really.  A senior Shihan unofficially told Glenn Stephenson, from Australia that he and one Japanese had passed rokudan (out of 18).  That`s an unbelievably low percentage and makes me wonder just what the criteria is.  Johnpaul told me this morning he heard 4 passed to rokudan -- still a crazy low percentage.  It costs 20,000 y just to enter the grading ($200), so I`d say it is a cash cow for the Gojukai.  It is irritating that no one will let you know even that you failed or what you night need to work on.  At this particular moment, I doubt I will participate in the ordeal again to be honest.  I enjoyed the experience of the grading, but the training pretty much took all I had.  I`ll spend the $200 on Lotto tix and maybe have a better chance...  But like childbirth, we forget the pain and remember the best of the experience and I probably WILL do it again.  As Tobias Wolff wrote,

"We are made to persist.  That's how we find out who we are."

I`m in the hotel basement internet area with the ever-present smell of cigarette smoke and the sounds of some private karaoke rooms filtering in even with the door closed.  There is no real wifi to be found anywhere here in BFE and I feel incommunicado with the world.  I`m using today as another physical recovery day and am just happy I didn`t have to board a plane today and sit with my knees bent for 15 hours.  They would have had to bring me a wheelchair to the jetway!

I have about a ba-zillion photos to upload when I return, which won`t be a moment too soon.  Here`s hoping the central mountains will be cooler.

Yours from the land of the rising sun...