Jukendo Training!

On Sunday Mr. Furukawa invited me to come and train with him and his friends in Jukendo. Jukendo is the Japanese martial art of fighting with bayonets. The techniques in Jukendo are like spear fighting. Each person has wooden bayonet and attempts to strike their opponent in the upper left chest region.

It was such a great experience. I learned the 4 main strikes of Jukendo (though I couldn’t really do them very well). I also got to spar. This is where I and another opponent battled to attempt to strike one another in the upper left chest region with our bayonets. It was so much fun. I tried very hard but it was easy for them to block my strikes because they are so experienced.

On the left is me sparring with an opponent!
After I trained in Jukendo we all went out to eat. We had noodles, Yakitori and many other delicious foods. When it came time to pay the bill they told me that they did not want me to pay. They said it was a present. I loved eating lunch with them because these were all true martial artists. There were many conversations about Samurai. They all are striving to be modern day samurai. They believe that Jukendo helps train them to be modern day samurai. One of the men told me he believed that I was "an American Samurai". I can imagine no greater compliment.




Experiences like this make me realize the limits of my own writing abilities. As I look at what I wrote I feel it does no justice to how wonderful an experience this was for me. I loved training in Jukendo. I loved eating the food. I loved being around these men. It was a great experience. I owe this wonderful experience to many people. I want to thank Mr. Furukawa and Masanao Hayashi especially. Masanao thank you for putting me in contact with Mr. Furukawa and all your priceless pieces of information prior to the trip and during the trip. Mr. Furukawa thank you for giving me an unforgettable experience. Your spirit and strength as a human being are an inspiration.

Fireworks in Tokyo

Me and Mr. and Mrs. Iizuka. They hosted the party. They were wonderful hosts.

I got into Tokyo around 2:00 today. I found my hotel, relaxed and got some groceries. Around 5:00 My friend Mr. Fukuwara came by the hotel. He had invited me to come see the fireworks at a party with him tonight. Before we went to the fireworks he showed me all around Asakusa. It was really busy. There were tons of little shops.

We got to the party around 615. The hosts were Mr. and Mrs. Iizuka. They were both very kind. They told me to make myself at home and offered me beer and lots of food. The food was great. I don't know the name of a lot of the food but it was really good. As the night went on I found out that Mrs. Iizuka was a master at Braille art (art for the blind) for children. I loved seeing her pictures and touching them because all the pictures felt so nice and soft.
Some food at the party!

The mother of Ms. Iizuka is 90 years old. She is a master archer in Japan. She teaches classes. I saw her. I could not believe she was 90. She was extremely aware of her surroundings and had no issues climbing 3 flights of stairs. She had focus and poise. It was amazing to meet her. Unfortunately I was too shy to ask for a picture. I actually felt a little bit star struck to be around a woman of her stature. It was incredible. 90 years old and a master archer that teaches people of all ages. She has been training in the art of archer y for 70 years. 70 YEARS!

Mr. Furukawa was very fun (as I am beginning to believe he always is fun! Lots of fun!). He introduced me to Mr. and Mrs. Tsunashima. They were both very kind and spoke good English. Mr. Tsunashima is 53 years old and had just recently run a half marathon in about 2 hours. He is in excellent condition. Mr. and Mrs. Tsuanashima knew that I was coming so they got me a present. It is a beautiful towel that shows the emblems of different Japanese lineages. At first, I told them I wanted to frame it but they told me that I must use it to wipe off my sweat when I do Aikido. I told them it was beautiful and that I would really like to frame it but they insisted that I use it for Aikido. So from here on out this towel will be used for Aikido.

Me, Mr. Fukuwara and Ms. Tsunashima eating food and hanging out.
Mr. Fukuwara is a great host because of his excitement and positive energy. He is probably about 5 feet 5 inches tall (maybe smaller) 63 years old and filled with tons of energy. He is a master in the art of Jukendo and has invited me to train with him tomorrow. I am very excited (and of course a little nervous). He is also in incredible shape. 2 weeks ago Mr. Fukuwara ran a half marathon. I asked him "how long did you train for it?" He laughed and said "I didn't really train". I said "not at all". He said "Well, I tried to run but I only did once a month". He didn't realize how incredible this was. He said it with embarrassment that he didn't train. I listened with astonishment that this man ran a half marathon with no training.

While all this was going on there was awesome ("sugoi" in Japanese) fireworks going on in the background. I enjoyed my time so much.

At the end of the night they wanted to make sure I made it home safely so they went with me on the subway (even though I told them I was sure I would be fine) and gave me very clear directions on how to get to my location. They went out of their way so much to help me.

Me, Mr. Fukuwara, and Mr. Tsunashima (maybe having a little too much fun)

I am constantly filled with gratitude for all the kindness I have been given while in Japan. Repeatedly I have wished that I could speak Japanese for the sole purpose of thanking people for their kindness. Unfortunately I am always left with only being able to bow and state a brief "Domo Arigato".

The Kawahara Family

I am right now in the train station getting ready to head to Beppu. I am leaving Shimonoseki City. It is hard to put into words an experience that has never existed in my life. From the second I stepped foot into Shimonoseki the Kawahara family treated me like family. I did not know I could be made to feel so at home so far away from my home. The family is so warm and kind. They live in a beautiful and very big home. They did every little thing to make me feel welcome. Both the mother and father had me call them "Mama" and "Papa". They called me Izzy-san. I think the direct translation of this is "Mr. Izzy". This made me smile. In the house there was Mama, Papa, Miyu (pronounced Myou), Taka and myself.

They were so kind to me and so welcoming. I will miss them very much. I feel that they gave me more than simply an experience to remember. They gave me friendship and warmth that can only be given by a very good heart. Taka showed me all around Shimonoseki. He showed me all the beauty that Shimonoseki had to offer. He took me to Japanese gardens, an Acquarium, Tsunoshima (Masanao, If I spelled it wrong please correct me), an Onsen, and so much more. Miyu was friendly and her positive spirit put me in an even better mood. She is so funny that her humor manages to surpass the restraints of language. Even though, her English was limited she still had me laughing constantly. Mama made sure I was comfortable at all times. She always made sure I was well fed, the temperature was good, and that my clothes were clean. Also, her kind spirit could be felt so strongly that it made me feel very welcome. Papa taught me about Japanese history. He also explained to me many things about Japanese culture. He was very interested in American culture. I loved having drinks with him every night. We would drink and talk about Japanese culture and American culture. His love for his family emanates in all his actions.

This is me and Taka about to eat Fugu fish!


Without a doubt the hardest part of being in Shimonoseki was having to leave. I will miss Shimonoseki and the Kawahara family.

The Kawahara family has made my experience in Japan one that I will never forget. I thank them for that. It is hard to find people as kind and warm as them in the world. I feel so lucky to have met them, to have stayed with them and to have them as my friends. I look forward to the day they come to California so I can show them the beauty of my town.

I will go more into detail about my experience in Shimonoseki in future posts. I wanted to put up this post to express my gratitude and to let my friends and family know I am still alive (as I haven't posted anything in a few days).


This is Papa and me