Ask questions: The student: “Why didn’t you tell me?” The master: “Because you never asked!”.It is a concept hard to understand if you have never been to Japan the sensei is like the father, the sempai are the oldest brothers and the regular students are like young kids! Without a doubt, you have to be respectful to all members of the “family” as they generously welcome you in their home – the dojo itself. Here in Okinawa, a dojo is like a family. Attitude: Most of the time, you will be welcomed in a real Okinawan dojo, not a gym or a martial center.Let’s go! “What are the top 3 most important advice for people who want to visit Okinawa for training Karate?” Read this guide carefully… Shuri Castle – a historical hotspot for Karate I learned this the hard way – like one time, when I was literally half an inch away from getting my nose broken by a 9th dan ex-world champion grandmaster, due to a simple linguistic misstep. There’s a LOT of stuff that can go wrong when you visit Okinawa for training Karate the first time.
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Trust me – being a foreigner in Okinawa is not easy. Miguel-san has lived in Okinawa for 20 years and is the “main man” when it comes to connecting Okinawan Karate masters with foreigners (together with my friend James-san at the famous DOJO Bar).
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So, today I’ve invited my dear friend Miguel Da Luz – founder of the Okinawa Traditional Karate Liaison Bureau – to teach you all about the essentials of training Karate in Okinawa as a foreigner. You want to use your time in Okinawa wisely! Greetings from Okinawa! -) When you go to Okinawa, you don’t want to spend your few precious days running around barefoot in the jungle, getting bit by mosquitoes, searching for ancient graves, sweating gallons, kicking in front of old castles, ducking bats during night training, or wasting all your money on repulsive bean goo. There’s much to discover around the island – both in the regular tourist sense, and in the Karate Nerd™ sense.įor instance, as my most dedicated readers will remember, during my own travels around Okinawa I’ve personally both infiltrated the last living Funakoshi super-granny clan, discovered the holy burial place of master Kyan Chotoku, found the unknown hideout of Tomari-te legend Kosaku Matsumora, dug up the secret weapon of legendary Karate warrior Bushi Matsumura and much, much more. Okinawa, or “ Uchinaa” (as the locals call it), is a special place for Karate people to visit. This “mythical” island southwest of Japan, where Karate was born.