Training in Japan

Posted by: Shidokai

Training in Japan - 07/05/05 01:24 AM

Having had the privilege of coming to Japan and training, I am currently looking at ways to make this available to people across the world. My hope is to be able to help non-Japanese come to Japan and study the martial arts that they love, and get help in finding dojo that will train them. I've known several people here in Japan who have had trouble finding what they wanted to do, or even come across excess hostility, which drove them from doing what they wanted.

My idea is to set up a place for people to stay and help them find friendly places to train here in Japan. I was able to get aid from certain foreigners when I first came here, and this is something I would like to pass on and make available to others.

Is this something people would be interested in? Would you want to come to Japan and get additional instruction in your art? I'm trying to gauge interest and not trying to sell anything, so please either respond to this message or PM me if this is the kind of thing you'd enjoy doing.
Posted by: Kintama

Re: Training in Japan - 07/05/05 07:15 AM

lol...a budo boarding house w/ tour-guide?

Before you do that, try this: ask all of the dojo's Sensei in Japan that you now have connections with, if they think it would be a good idea. I'm thinking....no. If they wanted to be visible to tourists, they would have done so on their own.

Also, would Fukuoka be the most convienent location? Being 300 miles to Osaka, 600 miles away from Naha or Tokyo?

just some things to think about. sorry if it came off sarcastic.
[edit]here are also some things to think about:
http://www.koryubooks.com/library/mskoss6.html
Posted by: nenipp

Re: Training in Japan - 07/05/05 07:27 AM

Maybe if you'd have asked a decade or so ago, I might have played with the thought of going to Japan to train..
Posted by: SANCHIN31

Re: Training in Japan - 07/05/05 11:49 AM

I haven't even been to all the places I want to train at here.I would like to go to Japan,to visit,not to train.
Posted by: reaperblack

Re: Training in Japan - 07/05/05 03:12 PM

This is available: there is an international student program for Japan, China, and Korea. The idea is that you are there to learn the language, but it is done through immersion, you can take MA at the same time. It's called world link education. I don't work for them and I have never used their service so I have no idea of the quality.
Roger
Posted by: Salek

Re: Training in Japan - 07/05/05 05:04 PM

i think its a good idea... you just need to get a good number of people that can currently afford it and that want to go...

its a good idea, but it will take a little work on your part
Posted by: SANCHIN31

Re: Training in Japan - 07/05/05 05:14 PM

What would we have to benefit from training in Japan? Is it somehow superior? I don't see how it would be.
Posted by: shoshinkan

Re: Training in Japan - 07/05/05 05:44 PM

I plan to visit Okinawa in the future, with a view of training. However I think the main reason would be to try to expierience okinawan culture at its source, people, food, weather, living the lot......... ah and also train.

I plan to take a month out for this trip, I want to really expierience life in okinawa, and try to understand karates roots and history.

I hope to train in a few dojos, however this is out of my control.

I certainly wouldnt look at a 'pay' your money type trip, I need to be invited, therefore when and how and with who is out of my control.

Im sure i would benefit massivly as a martial artist from this expierience, and it would awnser many questions, and explain many things.

However I do not believe for 1 minute that the actual karate will be any better than what i currently do, apart from the fact that I hope to train 4-6 hours a day which is not possible in my normal life, I am lucky to have fantastic guidence from superb Sensei at home.
Posted by: GaryHanson

Re: Training in Japan - 07/05/05 05:47 PM

Quote:

its a good idea, but it will take a little work on your part



No, it doesn't take "a little work" ... it takes an awful lot of work.
It doesn't matter what business venture you enter into, people don't just come running to your door. If you want it to be financiable viable you have to work hard, plan, provide and sell your ideas actively.
It doesn't matter if it is MA or selling hamburgers, if you want bums on seats you need to work hard !
It is a very different matter, of course, if you are a non-profit making and purely interest based organisation/one-man-band; but even then you can quickly be out of pocket too.

Not "little work" ... it's bloody hard work to set up something new. (sorry, am I allowed to say "bloody" ... it was purely meant to stress that being an independant business person or organizer is not easy.

Gary
Posted by: GaryHanson

Re: Training in Japan - 07/05/05 06:01 PM



If you want it to be financiable viable



Sorry folks ... "financiable" my brain was working faster than my typing fingers ... I could have sworn that my left typing finger started out at the same time as my right finger; but by the end of the message one of them must have gone out of sync !
... combined, of course with the effect of two glasses of the finest bottle of red wine which accompained my lovely wife's home cooking ... oh boy, am I lucky

I shall endavour to correct my grammar in the future, to keep up with the standard worthy of this learned forum.

Gary
Posted by: Shidokai

Re: Training in Japan - 07/05/05 06:45 PM

Thank you for the feedback, everyone. It's given me a lot to think about.
Posted by: Shidokai

Re: Training in Japan - 07/05/05 07:47 PM

You're in a unique position. Not everyone can find training in everything they want. Run with that, man.
Posted by: Shidokai

Re: Training in Japan - 07/05/05 08:02 PM

You're not far off on the budo boarding house with tour guide. More like a place to live with no key money or multiple months of service deposit, and some help finding a dojo. One of the ways I'll be screening people to prevent it from being like the party house I ended up managing in college is through letters of recommendation and interviews.

All of the dojos I know and/or work with have been relatively supportive of the idea, but with differing levels of interest ranging from "Oh, that sounds like a fun idea. Let me know if anyone wants to train here and maybe we'll talk," to "Bring 'em in. 2,3,4 foreigners at a time? Sure! I love novelty. Can you start advertising today? How's that project going? Got any leads?" I was expecting more of a fight, but then, places that will train and talk to me have to be open minded, right?

Fukuoka is convenient for a few Koryu's, a limited selection of Okinawan karate, and most of the other stuff in mass. It's an easier and cleaner place to live than Tokyo or Osaka, and not so isolated as Okinawa would be for people looking to experience Japan. All my friends who have spent any considerable time in Okinawa say that it's a nice place but rather tough when you want to do something like go skiing or see another part of Japan for a weekend.

I read the koryu.com article actually, and it's one of the reasons I'd like to do this, as I think I could make it a bit easier for people who want to come here to train. Looking at it as a place to stay, the first issue that Mr. Skoss brings up is made about 10 times easier.

I do appreciate the answers and opinions you gave here, and don't think I have all the answers from this post, I'm just trying to debate the idea, and it does help to have differing opinions coming from all sides.
Posted by: Shidokai

Re: Training in Japan - 07/05/05 10:19 PM

The benefit wouldn't be different from training in any other country per se - training is training, no matter where you do it. However, you'd have the experience of living in a foreign country and training, you might pick up things like history or reasons for doing things that you wouldn't otherwise get, you might be able to learn the language if you try.

I don't guarantee these things, but I can introduce you to people who can offer some of these things.
Posted by: SANCHIN31

Re: Training in Japan - 07/05/05 10:27 PM

Shidokai,
It would be in your best interest to post these type things in the talk forum once,not in every forum.
Thread locked.