New Intern! Welcome Jonas!

From today Shiramizu warmly welcomes Jonas Holm as our 10th Shiramizu Karate Intern to date! Jonas is from Sweden and he is a Japanese studies specialist now on his 4th long-term visit to Japan.

He initially become interested in Nippon when he began learning Shotokan karate as an elementary student and since then, his Japanophile passion as grown to the point he has now passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 2, which is quite an achievement. Probably his Japanese ability can surpass some of the high school and university students in the club!

Jonas speaks fluent, native level English, and he has worked with children leading language and music classes as he is also a musician who plays the guitar. I'm sure the English classes will look forward to having some guitar fun.

Later on this week we will interview Jonas to find out what makes him tick, and if he is a lover or a hater of umeboshi and natto.

Jonas will be completing the remaining months on the 2011-2012 internship position that runs until March 2012.

We will be accepting applications for the next internship position 2012 to 2013 from next month.

Every time each intern comes to Shiramizu, a new atmosphere is always created. Since Peter is still kicking around here too, and he's a silky piano playing jazz singer in his spare time, perhaps the two will form a band specifically for Shiramizu party performances...

Richard

Welcome to the latest Karate Intern, Erica Jones!

Erica just after she arrived at Narita Airport - the customary arrival photo

Peter Here!

Shiramizu's latest intern has now arrived! Erica Jones touched down at 4pm Tuesday May 3rd, at Narita Airport. We met at the airport and took the very swanky Keisei Skyliner train service back to Nippori (after all, it was Golden Week and we deserved a little luxury!), before swapping to the local trains and getting her to the intern apartment. We also did a little whirlwind tour of the local supermarket, so she knows where to get her snacks from!

Here's her opening interview!

1. Welcome to Japan! A softball question first, where are you from?

I'm from the United States of America- Dayton, Ohio to be exact. The Midwest has a boring reputation, but Dayton's claim to fame is being the birthplace of the Wright Brothers- inventors of the airplane and therefore, a pretty big reason why I can be in Japan today!

2. Have you been to Japan before and if so, why?

I visited Japan two years ago for about 6 months to study Japanese language, history and culture at Sophia University in Tokyo.

3. How did you find out about the internship and what motivated you about it to apply?

Ever since my college days, I would scour through the local Craigslist to try to find some kind of bargain in the "for sale" section. I guess I'm kind of a weirdo, because after leaving Japan, I continued to occasionally look at the Japanese craigslist postings as well. Looking at the "for sale" section would lead me to casually look through the "jobs" section and I happened to see the internship posted there. I didn't know what to think at first, as Craigslist can sometimes house sketchy things, but I was actually motivated to apply by reading this blog and learning about the fantastic experiences past interns were having. It seemed like such a unique and challenging opportunity that I thought I absolutely had to apply...and I'm glad I did!

4. Being a karate beginner, what are you initial impressions about this 'amazing martial art of ours'? - no pressure, answer freely :)

I'm definitely still developing my thoughts on this, and my answer will be a bit multi-facted, but so far I've found that the people I've interacted with are extremely welcoming and eager to help others to learn, and that Karate itself consists of thoughtful, systematic and controlled movements. Also, when I went with Arakawa Sensei to watch the tournament (第４７回東日本大学空手道選手権大会, 47th East Japan University Kumite Championships, May 5th, at the Nippon Budokan), I was surprised at how everyone was much smaller than I imagined "ripped" karate practitioners would be. So my other big impression is that Karate is about making what you've got work for you in a powerful way. As a smaller person, that thought is encouraging to me, and I also feel like it acknowledges the uniqueness of each human body.

5. You've now been Japan a few days, is it different or the same as when you were here before?

So far, I've spent more time in Saitama than Tokyo whereas before I spent most of my time in central Tokyo, so I suppose I can't say for sure. However, the people are just as polite and the trains are just as crowded as two years ago so maybe it's the same! But, while the overall environment has stayed consistent, what I'm doing this time around is radically different, so I feel like I'm experiencing Japan in a different way.

6. Last question, anything you would like to share with us, perhaps some of the non-karate related things you would like to try while you are here?

Well, I'm very excited that I was selected as this year's intern and I look forward to working with everyone. As for non-karate related things I'd like to try, learning calligraphy, and making a trip to Fuji-Q are at the top of my list!

Exit Interview- Louise, Intern 2009-2010

Louise & Erica at the Shiramizu 'Goodbye Louise & Erica, but Welcome Pete' Party!
(June 2010) from Sensei's blog

Pete here!

While I was busy distracting Erica with her exit interview, Louise made good her escape back to New Zealand. But such is the power of the internet she could not escape my ever-impending questions (evil laugh)...

Pete Williams: So, after a year of Japan, how has your image of Japanese life changed? What are your positives and negatives?
Louise Fisk: Maybe now I understand the Japanese world view a bit better, how it is based on obligations to and respect of others, and how important the good opinion of others is to them.

In some ways this is very good, because it generally creates a society which is on the surface polite, respectful, law-abiding and safe, especially compared with many other countries. And I think it is comforting to live within set social boundaries.

But I also think that the weight of obligations is very heavy on the Japanese, always having to worry about if you're doing the right thing, and worrying about what people think of you.

PW: What has been your crowning achievement for the year? Is it the same as your most treasured memory?
LF: I actually think that my greatest achievement is something that's accumulated quietly throughout the whole year. That is, a step up in the level of my karate, especially my speed and kihon. Most of the lessons at Shiramizu were very much the same: kihon standing on the spot, stepping kihon, kata then kumite drills. We also had to keep up with the high school students we often trained with who,were very fast, so I feel the combination of these two factors as well as Arakawa Sensei's valuable teaching helped me to achieve better karate.

My most treasured memories (there are several of them) are of the Shiramizu people supporting each other, while working, training or having fun together. For example, during the Shiramizu club tournament, and at the parties we had together. I am honoured to have been included in the Shiramizu clan.

PW: Did you get to see much of the rest of Japan? Where is your favourite place?
LF: In the public holidays and weekends I tried to travel a bit, though mostly within Honshu. I went north to Akita Prefecture, to a few mountains around Tokyo and the Kanto area, and on my big New Year trip I went west to Nara and Hiroshima, among other places. In Golden Week I also visited the northern part of Kyushu and looked at volcanoes there.

My favourite place is a beach on the northern Kyushu coast, about an hour's drive from Fukuoka. It has the softest sand, very clear water and lots of cool granite rocks at the end to climb on.

PW: What was the low point of your year?
LF: Catching influenza was pretty low. I seemed to get sick easily in Japan, maybe because I have a different Southern Hemisphere immunity, and was not used to being in contact with so many kindergarten kids.

PW: Erica said she found the Shiramizu sensei like family and friends as well as respected teachers. Have you become close to them too? Who will you particularly miss?
LF: Yes, the Shiramizu dojo has become a lot like another family. They welcomed us with open arms and always looked after us extremely well. I think this is truly outstanding when you consider that they do this for a new foreigner or set of foreigners every year.

There are too many people who are special to me at Shiramizu to list all of their names, but we had the most contact with Arakawa sensei, and our two dojo mothers, Yoshihara sensei and Yamazaki sensei, so I will miss seeing them and our conversations together.

PW: So with all that contact with Arakawa Sensei has he challenged, or changed, or even reinforced your perception of karate? If so, how?
LF: Training with Arakawa Sensei has reinforced my perceptions that karate is a discipline that should develop a person mentally and emotionally as well, not just a sport that is only about physical development. Maybe it is because that is how the Japanese are generally, but Arakawa Sensei was big on respect to your teachers, seniors and classmates. This was shown through proper greetings as well as behaviour. I liked this aspect of Shiramizu, because I felt it created an environment where people were training their hardest in order to lift their classmates as well as themselves, through competing with each other but also supporting each other.

PW: With this in mind, what are your plans for your future? Does it involve a deeper relationship with karate, or teaching children?
LF: My year in Japan has certainly strengthened my plan to continue training karate or some form of martial arts for the rest of my life. There always is something more to learn, and my progress this year has encouraged me that I am still learning and am still able to learn. Teaching children is a big responsibility, but at the moment I don't want to settle down in one place and take up that responsibility as I have plans to continue exploring the world.

PW: Finally, how awesome is the current intern, and what advice can you give him to make his year go more smoothly?
LF: Ha, ha, oh certainly, your awesomeness is off the scale. In the short time we worked together, I noticed that you have the right attitude and openness of mind to learn all the new things and ways of thinking in Japan.

I'd advise you to learn as much spoken Japanese as you can, which will make communication with the staff at your jobs and at the dojo much smoother. This also makes it easier to make friends, which is my other bit of advice: make as many Japanese friends as you can. Then they can show you around, tell you things you'd maybe not find out otherwise, and you can become more of a part of the country you've adopted for a year.

PW: Yep, I'm following your great advice already!

Karate Interns Past & Present!

This is a great picture of all the interns past and present, which I snatched from Carl's English Shiramizu website. (Thanks Carl!)

While we've had 2 interns the last couple years at the same time, there are two reasons why we're going back to inviting one intern from 2010. First, the part-time jobs can be maximized for a single intern increasing their income hopefully. Second, the intern's acquisition of the Japanese language and understanding of the culture should progress faster by being on their own.

While there is no religious comparison, the internship was originally thought of to be something a little difficult to succeed at, like trainee monks who enter a Buddhist temple for a few months, or even years, to go through a rigorous study program (shugo) in order to qualify for an official monk status.

It really all depends on each intern's effort. The internship is only as good as the interns in the program, and to date, our interns have been great, very motivated and positive, plus they have gotten involved in as much as possible.

We've received lots of interest in the 2010 position, so we're looking forward to starting the interview process soon.

Richard

Update Interview with Paul (intern #2)

Intern #2 Paul with his girlfriend Natsumi.

Erica here.

For those of you faithful readers who have been following the blog since the beginning, you will remember Paul Atkin. For the recent blog readers, Paul was intern #2 (2006-2007). He’s from Kelowna BC, Canada (a town not too far from my hometown Vancouver!) and he has come back to visit for one month. I took this opportunity to meet up with him and spring an interview. So if you ever wonder what happens to the interns after they leave the internship, well keep reading!

What have you been doing since the internship?

I went back and I have been enhancing my karate dojo (Kelowna Shotokan Karate). My father retired and I’ve taken over the dojo. Since returning, I went from 30 students to 90. I have about 50 kids and I’ve also opened up a second branch location of the dojo.

Aside from the dojo, I competed in the Canadian ShotoCanada Shotokan Nationals. I got gold in kumite and silver in kata.

What brings you back to Japan? The Wado Kai Nationals?

I’ve come back to visit all the friends I’ve made here, plus visit with my girlfriend's family.

What do you miss most about Japan?

The kids that I taught and the sense of purpose that the Japanese people hold. That respect and loyalty are very prominent. I find that if I ever get off track at home, coming back here puts me right back.

What do you miss least?

The weather. The hot, hot heat. That’s it.

What was the most memorable moment/event for you?

I got take part in a Budo martial arts festival. Arakawa Sensei’s dojo was chosen to represent Karate at the Nippon Budokan for the Kagami Biraki Festival in January 2007 when I was here (see post when later interns Carl Intern #4 & Lawrence Intern #3 attended the festival). I went to watch the event, but I got to partake in it. There were sumo wrestlers and people representing Judo. They broke a huge mochi (rice cake) and pieces were passed around to everyone. I stood amidst all these Japanese people representing different styles of martial arts and it was such an honour to be able to be a part of it...being non-Japanese and all.

What advice or words of wisdom do you have for Louise and I?

Just always try your best. Remember that you’re carrying something that someone else had started and you are trying to make it better for the next person. If we keep finding the right people, I don’t see why that's not going to happen. Oh and never quit.

Thank you Paul for those encouraging words and the best of luck at the Shotokan World’s!

Coming soon: An interview with Carl Jorgenson, intern #4!!

New Recruits... Part 2! (Erica)

Carl here,

Erica arrived late on Monday evening, so after training at the Branch dojo is Satte City, Louise, Arakawa Sensei and I went to Kuki station to pick her and Lawrence up. Lawrence kindly agreed to chaperone Erica from Narita airport because Arakawa Sensei couldn't make it.

Once Louise and I had finished working at the Sugito Shirayuri Kindergarten (Louise' first day of work), we (Louise, Erica and I) had a walk to a local restaurant to grab some lunch, talk over the intern work schedule and generally get to know each other. I'd say we all 'gelled' very well, with each of us making fun (in a nice way!) of the differences in the way we all talk... I was trying to explain that I spoke 'Queens English' or 'Correct English', whilst they both speak a version of English that isn't quite as pure... I'm not sure they agreed though!

On the afternoon, Erica joined me at the Shiramizu English class for two lessons which were both very loud, high energy affairs. Erica settled into the classes immediately, the kids quickly got over their initial shyness around the 'new foreigner', and Erica helped me run both classes. Meanwhile Louise was asked to assist at one of the kids karate classes.

Sorry, I don't have as many photo's as the last blog post - I didn't realise I had my camera in my kit bag until after the English Classes!

On the evening, Erica had her first taste of Japanese Karate - Shiramizu Style, with the adult class that was taken by Uehara & Kikuchi sensei.

Sensible pic: Louise (left) and Erica (right), at last nights adult karate class (Erica's first Karate class)

Trademark 'Intern-Style' Pic: Louise (left) and Erica (right)

Wednesday morning, both ladies attended the Adult Karate class at the dojo and afterwards we joined some of the Sensei and went for lunch.

Louise (far right) & Erica (2nd from the right)

New Recruits... (Louise)

Carl here,

As you will probably be aware, the first of the two new intern's has finally arrived in Japan. Louise Fisk a 3rd Dan from Robbie Smith Sensei' New Zealand Wadokai arrived early on Saturday morning.... and was asked by Arakawa Sensei to watch the 'high performance' class on the Saturday afternoon (where I met up with her after I got home from work). Louise was itching to get stuck in to training and could be seen practising when she thought no-one was looking! In the evening, Louise could finally put her karate suit on and do some training...

Amy (left) & Louise (right)

Sunday
Louise had a few days to settle in to her temporary apartment before Erica (the other new intern) arrived and before she started work, so Amy, Louise and I decided to use Sunday to do some sightseeing, souvenir shopping and get to know to know each other a bit better.

Amy, Intern 4.5 (left) & Louise, Intern 5.0 (right)

We headed to Asakusa, the site of one of the most popular temples in Tokyo, Senso-ji, and a great place to pick up souvenirs.

Pose!

Then went on a 45 minute ferry cruise along the Sumida Gawa (Sumida river)....

...to the Hama Rikyu Tei-in (Detached Palace Garden), a very nice example of a Japanese garden with the city of Tokyo looming in the background. Being a nature lover, and a scientist, Louise had a great time there...

...We spent a long time in the park/garden, mainly because every time we walked past a tree, Louise did this:

which looked like great fun, so naturally I gave it a go too:

I ended up walking around the park in the opposite direction to the two ladies and thought it would be diffucult to find them again, but then I saw a sign for a '200 year old pine tree' and knew instantly were they would be headed!

...a 200 year old pine tree - wow!

When we found each other again (at the 200 year old tree!) we left the park and had a walk up to the popular shopping district in Ginza, and naturally visited the big toy shop there. We grabbed some noodles at a basement restaurant and caught the train to Ueno, bought an alarm clock (for Louise) and headed to the movies in Satte city with David and Chris (two other Canadians from Shiramizu) where we were planning to catch the new Star Trek movie, though sadly, our organisational skills were lacking and the only show times had a very late finish... so we grabbed some snacks instead... We all had a great time, and I already feel like I've known Louise for years!

Monday


Louise joined Arakawa Sensei at the Sugito Shirayuri Kindergarten for her interview, then shadowed me for the last hour whilst I tought an English class. Then she was 'invited' to help out at the Monday Kindergarten karate class. Arakawa Sensei gave all the kids a 'mini' English lesson, and got all the kids to introduce themselves in English... 'My name is...., Nice to meet you'...

Louise helped Arakawa Sensei teach this class and then I joined them to go to the branch dojo at Asukaru Sports Centre in Satte city. Louise then trained in the Special Kata class whilst I helped with the rest... Afterwards we all went to Kuki station to pick up Erica who was chaperoned from Narita airport by Lawrence (Intern V3). We had a very quick introduction and by this time it was getting very late so we took dropped off Erica at her temporary apartment for some sleep with an agreement to have a 'proper' introduction tomorrow...

Sorry, no pics of Erica yet - the battery died on my camera....!

Lolly Pop Kindergarten

Carl here...

I'm fully aware that the last few posts (excluding the intern interviews) on here have been all about sightseeing. I thought that I should write a post about work, since when not training, eating chocolate, sleeping, reading the mammoth 'Wheel of Time' series (I'm onto book 11 if you were wondering!), climbing mountains and generally having a great time, I do occasionally have to work... OK, not occasionally actually. I work Monday to Saturday and my schedule is crazy busy, even if I do say so myself...

Anyway...

I landed a job at the Lolly Pop Kindergarten in Iwatsuki in October last year, where I now work every Friday morning. It's really a dream job, all the teachers are really cute... I mean, nice... really nice people... the kids are great, the pay is very good and they even feed me! What more could you ask for?


This is me working hard!

My usual routine is this:

09:30
I get picked up at Kita Kasukabe Train Station

10:00 - 11:45 ish
I have a great time with the kids, building sand castles, playing football, playing Sumo with the kids (no really!) etc...

11:45 - 12:45
I help the teachers serve the lunch to the kids. This is actually pretty impressive, the kindergarten cater for approx 300 people everyday, the foods always delicious and totally healthy and it's all done like clockwork.

12:45-13:45
Teaching, yes I do actually do some proper work too. My hour is usually broken down into 3x 20 minute slots for 3 different classes. The classes are soooooo easy to teach because the kids and teachers are so enthusiastic...

After finishing work here, I get dropped off at Toyoharu Train Station on the Tobu Noda Line. I catch the train to Omiya and chill out for an hour or so before I catch the 15:30 new shuttle to Yoshinohara for my second job of the day.

The past two weeks however, have been a little different... Apparently the principle decided that I'd been working too hard so I should go with the kids on their next field trip. And this is what we did:



...we went to a nearby farm... and were met by a local farmer and a Cable TV Crew!



...were given a short talk about 'chicks'



...we then handed out the animals to the kids... with mixed reactions...



...uncertainty



...indifference




...fear(?)



...though most of the kids had a great time...



After stopping a few of the poor animals from getting squashed to death by over-zealous kids, and 'saving' a few birds from their occasional bids for freedom, the kids were all instructed to turn around and face the rice field and release the birds en-masse...





All that was left was the interviews with the teachers...


This is the kids bullying a shy kindergarten teacher into giving a TV interview...

...and the kids for the evening news...



After the birds had been set free, and the interviews finised, we loaded up the kids and headed to a local supermarket where we were all treated to small ice cream and chocolate snacks. Then it was back to the kindergarten for lunch and my short teaching stint.



The following week was just as good... I went on a very short bus trip to the local temple with the kindergarten 4 year olds, which is around the corner from the kindergarten.



We split the kids into two groups, the first group went to see the small garden and pond and the second went to the temple.





Camera shy... indeed!


Pose!

It was a very sunny, but very windy day and more than a few of the kids caps were teken away by the wind. After looking around the temple and garden the kids went hunting for acorns and seeds for the craft classes back at the kindergarten.



Then it was back to the kindergarten for lunch.

See, as my readers will no doubt agree, I DO work sometimes....!

Intern V3 outgoing interview...

So Lawrence, you're Intern V3. Why don`t you tell us all a bit about yourself?
My name's Lawrence Liang and I'm a 25-yr old Canadian from Pacific Spirit Wadokai in Vancouver.

How and when did you get started in Karate?
I started karate back in the summer of 1996 through a summer school program my Sensei offers every year. I just thought it'd be fun to try it out and, as it turns out, I'm still training......

So, why did you originally apply for the internship?
I had planned to come to Japan just to get out into the world and see someplace new. I also was quite sure I wanted to be a teacher as a career and I had applied and I was accepted to start my teaching degree. But then I heard about the internship and thought it'd be perfect- I'd get to travel, I'd get to teach (English), and I'd get to do karate.

So after staying here for a year, what has been the best thing about this whole experience?
I think the best thing to come out of it was the relationships I've built with everyone. Even though I've only known these people for a year, already it's hard to imagine leaving them. Be it support for each other's training, good times at dojo get-togethers, or even simple after-practice joking around, the Shiramizu atmosphere is something I'm very glad to be a part of.

I`ve had a taste of the Shiramizu atmosphere, it really has to be experienced first hand to truly appreciate it. So, what's been the worst/most difficult thing about this experience?
It'd have to be the competing. I never competed in Canada so the learning curve was very steep when I got here. And that wasn't helped by (what I realise now were) rather unrealistic goals for myself. But I readjusted my perspective, got my nose to the grind stone, and just kept pushing.

That's usually the best way forward... I know you're staying around for a while longer, but how do you plan to use what you've learned when you go back to Canada?
Broadly speaking, I've learned that I really do enjoy teaching both having taught English and now at my current job, so it's helped me see my future goals more clearly.

In terms of karate, it's renewed my interest in it. I'm more driven than ever to try and pass on to my own dojo the feeling of hard work and fun that I've experienced at Shiramizu.

So, what about any lasting impressions of Japan...
"What?! You're not Japanese?!" haha........ but really, Japan is a really interesting place steeped in historical culture while openly embracing the modern world. I may not agree with everything about it, but having lived it has helped me broaden my senses.

That and being elbowed by old ladies on the train......... good times!

and lasting impressions of Shiramizu...

Shiramizu Summer Camp, August 2007

Chiba Dan Grading, February 2008

Mr. Mike Spain's 2nd visit, February 2008

Need I say more?? =)

It seems a bit pointless asking after the great time you've had but, would you recommend the internship to other people?
In even-less-than a heartbeat. I thought my past year really immersed me in both a new world/culture and a good example of strong karate without overwhelming me. But even for those not in the karate world, not able to devote a year to something like this, or desiring to travel some place other than Japan, I think "living" something new is a chance to be taken.

...interview by Carl, Intern V4.0