It’s been over a week since we all got back from the land of karate chops. And what a truly fulfilling trip was had by all. Who would have thought that one day we’d be bringing along 5 students to our own dojo in Okinawa, when we never even wanted a single one to begin with. The odd stress attack prior to going was felt as we’ve never actually had to handle being a tour guide for anyone before. Would it mean we would have to hold our “kid’s” hands to every karate session? Would they be ok by themselves when the 3 of us go out for ninja turtles training? What about the language barrier – hotto porko sando? How about the dynamics and extreme differences in personalities and body odours everyone has? Well, after 10 days of intense training, over-indulging in local cuisines, and more shit-talking to last a lifetime, we needn’t have worried as all went smooth as a baby’s bum crack! I guess it takes a special kind of someone to actually fit into our dojos, and if they do, regardless of personality differences, can all get along.
After years of babbling on about Okinawa this and that to our students, hopefully now they can finally get a grasp on how much more Okinawan karate is than just merely punching and kicking. For them to be able to recognise and experience a special kind of hospitality, humility, and generosity first hand is more than any karate lesson itself. And to the rest of our students, hopefully one day you too can encounter the same.
I won’t go into the specifics of training or what happened on a day-to-day basis, but what I can say from this trip was preserving Okinawan Goju Ryu means a lot to our sensei and in particular - Minei Dojo. And to be asked directly to continue spreading it just like the way we have been taught means so much more. It’s hard to imagine that we would ever be put in this situation, but at the same time are fortunate enough to have students who inspire us. Enough to want to continually improve and motivate ourselves and future students too we deem earnest enough to pass on our teachings.
I hope our students enjoyed and had a satisfying trip – I know I certainly did!
