365 days until....

the next World Okinawa Tournament.

So the Okinawan government has just officially announced the 3rd World Okinawa Karate Tournament is coming back in 2026. Woah, can you believe it’s been three years already? It feels like the blink of an eye, yet somehow like we’ve aged a solid decade since.

I still remember it clearly. Back in 2022, Japan was still playing international hide-and-seek. The borders were locked down tighter than a nun’s… yeah, unless you were a diplomat or the Prime Minister’s second cousin. The idea of a full-scale international karate competition felt almost surreal. But for the smart (or sneaky) ones, the loophole was simply to apply to enter the 2nd World Okinawa Karate Tournament which got you a sports sponsorship visa, a golden ticket into the country, at a time when most could only dream of getting in.

Anyway, fast forward three years….the announcement is official. For those of you who are keen on competing next year (regardless of age), here is the site.

https://okinawa-karate.okinawa/en/