Climbing Fuji: Fujiyama, 16-17th August

Peter Here;

As mentioned in the Wado World Cup blog post, I had to make an early exit from watching the championships to ascend Mount Fuji with Setsuko-san, an English Student of mine. We were climbing as part of a tour group - Big Holiday - with about 30 other people! Before now, the largest group I had been hiking with was 15, so this was very new.

Leaving Shinjuku at 7am (and the apartment much, much earlier- eurgh), we arrived at the 5th Station hotel at about 10am, and were forced to wait until the previous day’s climbers had rested before we could change and prepare ourselves for the climb. Even by that point the temperature was soaring and I could tell that the sunlight would not be our friend today- although it did make for good photography conditions.

We got into our hiking gear, and after a lecture from the group guide, we started the ascent. The plan was that we walked up to the 8th station, rested until after nightfall and then make the rest of the climb by torchlight, so that we'd reach the summit before daybreak.


At the beginning the track was clearly carved out for large groups, however this narrowed to bare rock the higher we went, which slowed the group down a bit more than I would have liked.


After about 4 hours of steep hiking we finally arrived at the 8th Station, where we would eat, rest and wait for nightfall before tackling the rest of the mountain. I must say that the views from here were somewhat amazing. It was something special to see a city gradually become smaller and lower just by walking- the only time I’ve seen recently something similar was through a window of a plane.




After a somewhat uncomfortable rest in my hiking gear, we stirred, including Setsuko, and we prepped ourselves for the long night ahead. We again received a talk from from the guide, warning of the dangers of night hiking up Fuji-san etc. Setsuko willingly for me, but now I am happy to say that I am starting to understand conversation just by myself. We all donned our headtorches and set off and upwards.


As we ascended more and more could be seen, and on a perfectly clear night too. When resting to allow less experienced people catch breath, I was mainly looking up at the clearest sky I've ever seen.




With the dawn threatening to break imminently, we broke for the highest point on Fuji (that was reachable by foot anyway) to meet the sun. I caught a quick glimpse down to the paths again; people were still climbing up- the Mountain was full to capacity!


The sun rose at 4:32. You can capture the light all you want on a camera, as many of us on the top did- but you will never be able to capture the power of witnessing the sunrise when it happens. We all stayed put and marveled at both the sun and our individual efforts for a good while, the cold suddenly disappearing with the morning fire.


Another phenomenon that not many people take notice of though is the ‘Fuji shadow’; that is, the shadow of Fuji which spans hundreds of kilometers onto the foothills behind. Almost as impressive as the light is, so was the shadow- a very zen moment, if I do say so myself.

The Mt. Fuji shadow!


Afterward we walked round the crater peak, and rested at a cafe until 6:30, when we began the descent. After feeling slightly restricted on the ascent (and possibly fueled by lack of sleep), it was good to be allowed to descend at one's own pace.


Time to go up Fuji: 11 hours; time to go down Fuji; 3 hours and 10 minutes. Halfway down I did stop to consider that I should take care - I did have a tournament in 4 days after all - but the gravelly shill was starting to make my legs ache and I wanted to be at the bottom again.


While waiting for the rest of the group, I caught up on some sleep. Travelers and walkers were surrounding me, getting ready for the day’s challenge as we were the day before. My eyes closed… and opened about an hour and a half later, making me one of the last people to meet up with the group. Oops.

Before home, we were treated to a nearby onsen. My first experience with Onsen was at the Shiramizu Gasshuku, and that was very nice. But let me tell you this: The very best time for Onsen, the time you will think you have died and gone to watery-spa heaven, is after a 12 hour long walk. I felt rejuvenated and relaxed in a way people would charge you thousands for. Afterwards, Setsuko and I had ice cream, the icing on the cake!

Eventually, the group returned to Shinjuku bus station, and the group of strangers departed, the rope of Fuji which bound us slowly burnt away by fatigue and memory and train timetables. Setsuko and I headed back to Sugito, half-dazed, half happy and discussing our adventure.

JKF Wadokai Zenkoku Taikai: Chiba and Nippon Budokan, 21st-22nd August, 2010

Peter here;

After months of preparation (and dread), the event was finally here: the 46th Wadokai Zenkoku Taikai (Wadokai National Championships). Held over 2 days and in 2 locations, this tournament was filled with more competitors than the World Cup, and with a larger audience as well.

My events were Yukyusha (kyu grade) Kumite and Kata. Why Kyu grade? This is because my dan grade isn't JKF Wadokai verified, therefore for all JKF official tournaments I would be regarded as kyu grade until I pass my JKF wadokai shodan test in Japan. It was not lost on me however, that the last time I wore a brown belt was almost ten years ago to the day (when I earned my shodan), and although I'm not an overly superstitious fellow I was hoping that it would provide the same fortune.




After a very short welcoming speech, the events began. Carl was one of the first competitors up; having rested his knee he felt that he could compete. His knee lasted about 2 minutes into his first round before giving out, but fortunately it wasn't as bad this time; plus Carl was also commanding a very good lead. He held out, and won the bout practically on one leg! Unfortunately the next round wasn't so fortuitous and despite a good effort he was eliminated.

Ladies' Kata was up next, and it was a good turn for all the England Squad and Louise from New Zelaand, everyone getting through. Time for a much warranted pose, back by popular (i.e. Carl's) request:

Kamihamihaaaa! (spelling may differ from actual spelling)



Among the categories was the men's team event, which I had been really looking forward to: Arakawa Sensei was fighting in the team. It's frightening how someone who exudes positivity and a friendly approach can suddenly 'switch' to an aggressive fighting mentality, and this is exactly what I saw. Impressive, but very scary. The Shiramizu team won their rounds to go through to the last 8 in the Nippon Budokan the next day.

As I was with the Kyu grades, I was hoping that my Kumite event would get me to at least the last 8. However, despite a positive first round my second round fell apart. I was in the lead and let it go, which I was very annoyed at myself for (However, as a late concession the fellow who beat me was a finalist the next day, so it wasn't too bad). Kata I was lucky enough to be straight into the last 8, and performing at the Nippon Budokan the next day.



Although I had visited the Nippon Budokan with Arakawa Sensei and Fabien Sensei before, there is very little to compare with actually competing there. The atmosphere is electrifying.


Electrifying quickly turned to petrifying as I learned at 9:30 that my even started at 10am and not 11- I practiced as much as I could, but as Kata is definitely not my strongest point I was semi resigned to failure.

Imagine my surprise then, when I received all 5 flags for my Pinan Godan! I was through to the final, the second tournament in a row!

Unfortunately as I was spending all my time rehearsing Pinan Godan and not a secondary Kata, my Seishan was a mix of nerves and excitement- definitely not my best performance for the final. That said, I was surprised and happy to get one flag in my favour against a very good Kushanku.

So, two tournaments, two silver medals. I feel very lucky.


Louise's category was much more competitive in Women's Individual Black Belt Kata, and she burst through several impressive Kata before narrowly losing out in the semi final.

Katrina Wilson (England's Wadokai Junior Women's Kata World Champion from the weekend before), also ranked in the Bronzes, as did Lee Minion Sensei. Shiramizu's Uchida-san added to the Bronzes with his veteran Kumite category.



The other finals took place throughout the day, but most of them happened after the interval.

The break in a tournament is a new thing for me, being from England each event just tends to happen subsequently- were there a interval the tournaments would get longer than they are already, which on some particularly disorganized ones can be as late as 8pm. However, in Japan the interval is a requisite for entertainment and demonstrations. For the National Wadokai tournament, Arakawa Sensei leads the hundreds of younger participants of the tournament in some basic drills, while the massive o-daiko drum thumps out the rhythm of the movements.



Back to the events, the Shiramizu Men's Kumite team sadly lost out to the eventual winners Shinobu Kazukai, an unfortunate disqualification making it very difficult to regain the points needed to win. But the Shiramizu team did place 3!

Time for some camaraderie shots:

Lee Minion Sensei and Amy.

Carl and Louise, pulling 'genki' faces.

The interns, Lee Minion Sensei and Arakawa Sensei.


Group Victory! That's Dr. Hideo Takagi in the center.


So, a good result for Shiramizu, and a very good experience for me; not just with the tournament but also meeting new people and building new friendships both here and in England. After the tournament, I headed out with the England squad and Louise one last time, where we saw Louise depart for the next part of her adventures and also saw off a couple of beers, drinking a toast to the last couple of weeks (and of course, our success and endeavors!).

Kibishi, surely: Training with England Squad after Fuji, and up to Wadokai Nationals, 16th-19th August

Peter Here;

Well how do you relax after climbing the tallest mountain in Japan and only having 2 hours sleep to show for it? More Karate training of course!

Seriously, the England Karate Squad, including Carl and Amy, was at Shiramizu for some training after the Wado World Cup (Aug 14-15), and I wanted to participate as much as possible while they were there.

It was hard training, with fast-paced kick exercises and intense sparring. The kata was pressed heavily too; you could feel that everyone was starting to really feel the pressure of the Wadokai Nationals upon them that was the weekend after in Tokyo. If this wasn't Shiramizu training at full tilt, then I would be very scared to find out what would be.

Over the four days leading up to the Nationals I only rested on the Wednesday, having finally succumbed to the exhaustion of Fuji-san. However Thursday saw much the same paced sparring and Kata practice as the Tuesday; it seems that 'taking it easy' on a tournament week may not exist here.



On the Thursday The 'I-Team' (I just made that up) and Lee Minion Sensei with his son, Ryan, headed into town to do a bit of sightseeing. Visiting the Meji-jingu shrine and seeing the sights around Shibuya and Yoyogi park was a good break to take the mind off of training for just a little bit.





We even got to see the lighter, cuter side of Louise as we piled into the disney store!

Orrrr Maybe not.

Thursday evening saw even more England Squad members join training, along with Intern Alumni Louise and Amy. Carl was still on the sidelines resting his knee in the hope that it would recover for the weekend.



It was great to see everyone in the dojo train towards the same goal, feeding each other with the competitive atmosphere.



Friday came, and we had several guests: The Fujimoto Sensei brothers from Fujimoto Guseikai Dojo in Tokyo attended and gave tactical advice, Carl, Amy and Louise were present and training as hard as they could, members of the Romanian Wadokai team including Nobuyuki Nukina Sensei, and a Sumo Wrestler friend of Arakawa Sensei. I can honestly say this was the most multi-cultural dojo I've ever had the joy of training in.





After the final session, the Shiramizu Sensei and guests each gave a speech for the upcoming tournament, after which we toasted to our success and endeavors. Kampai!!

Wado World Cup: Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, Nagoya, 14-15th August

Peter Here;

On 14th and 15th August the World's Wadokai elite filled the Aichi Prefectural Gym in Nagoya in the hope of winning glory for both themselves and their country. I had traveled to Nagoya the day before, enduring a crippling 8-hour train ride in the process, and met up with the England Wadokai squad to travel to the arena with them on the opening morning.


Nagoya Castle - Image Courtesy of Wikimedia

The Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium is established among the grounds of the Nagoya Castle, which in the humid-heavy Autumnal haze gave an impressive and intimidating setting.




It was very hard not to be swept into the competitive nature of the event, even before the opening ceremony. Even the mere observation of squads doing warm-ups made me want to reach for a dogi and join in (a good thing, surely?). I sat down with the England Squad supporters (I was going to root with Japan, but their area was filled to capacity with kimono-clad supporters) and watched as the day's events unfolded.



England got to a decent start, with several people going through to the next rounds, but an unlucky few facing an early elimination. For Shiramizu's old guard though, Carl was first up. Unfortunately, just after about half a minute in, his knee gave way again and he was forced to withdraw. Worse still, despite doing his best to continue, Carl also had to withdraw from his Kata event. Everyone's heart went out to him. Fortunately, Amy got through to the last 8 in her kumite event, for her to participate the next day.


Also in Men's Kata was Fabian Sensei, Who had an extremely unlucky draw against Japan for the first round. His Seishan was incredibly well drilled and precise, but it didn't stop his opponent from going through.



Next up was Women's Kata, with both Amy and Louise taking part. As you can see, their rivalry was incredibly fierce.

Both of their Kata looked sharp, Louise's in particular drawing coos of admiration from the England group. It was funny, but as you train next to someone, you spend so much time concentrating on yourself to notice the other person's form. With this opportunity I saw really how astonishingly good Louise's Kata was. Amy was knocked out just on the verge of last 8 placing, but Louise went clear through, with some convincing 5-flag results from both of them on the way.

While I was here I had the opportunity to become acquainted with not only some of the world's best Karateka, but also some highly experienced people from each country. From England Carl introduced me to Sensei Sakagami, who is the Head of Aiwakai in England (Aiwakai was my home Instructor's association, and Sakagami Sensei was my Sensei's instructor, so this was something of an accomplishment).


Also, I met a friendly face in Mike Spain, who had returned to Japan to take his nidan grade after the competition. Mike, who trained with Shiramizu while Lawrence was the intern, also brought along one of his students, with the intention on showing him the wider picture. It was great getting his experiences of Shiramizu training as well, and hearing how it still affects his teaching (which may be for another blog, perhaps).


The later afternoon was Team Kumite. England's Ladies' team were through to the last 8 and didn't need to fight before the finals on Sunday, but the Men's team lost out to the Iranian team despite a spirited performance.

After the close of the day, shattered after watching and participating, the Intern, the ex-interns and a few new-found friends went and got dinner at a local Ramen bar, before retiring early to look forward to the next day's events.


Amy's kumite draw had lead her to eventually fight a familiar face for a place in the final: Rie Hirai, who is also a former Shiramizu member,Utsunomiya Bunsekai Girl's High School graduate (famous for producing very strong female athletes) and current All-Japan National Kumite team member. Although no longer at Shiramizu, these two get on really well outside the mats- although with the pace of the fight you wouldn't guess it! Hirai-san eventually won the round, and went through to win the event, Congratulations! Amy is also due congratulations too for winning bronze, an excellent achievement that was made double by the England Ladies' squad earning a bronze medal place as well.

For Kata, Louise managed to get to the semi-finals before being eliminated, but that meant she was a bronze medal winner as well! Furthermore, Katrina Wilson from the England Squad won her Cadet Kata event, making her a Wadokai world champion, so congratulations there too!

Unfortunately, despite being on holiday I was on a very tight schedule. Between this world cup and the following weekend's Wadokai national championships, I had arranged with Setsuko-san (one of my Eikaiwa students) to climb Mount Fuji with her, so I had to rush off to catch the train back to Tokyo!

The Following Pictures are courtesy of former Intern Carl.


England Ladies' team Kumite place 3rd, while Japan takes gold, with Hirai-san part of the winning team.


Rie Hirai wins the Individual ladies' Kumite event too, with Amy placing Bronze.


Louise takes the bronze for her Kata, though personally I thought she deserved higher!


England's Katrina Wilson wins gold at her event, Cadet Female Kata World Champion!

Champions Seminar: 1st August 2010

Pete here!

Over 100 children and adults filled the Kuki Recreation Center's dojo in Kuki City, despite sweltering heat, for the Shiramizu Champion's Seminar, taught by Imai Shuzo Sensei (Wadokai instructor in Germany for the last 40 years) and Yoshitama Munesei Sensei (former Japan Self-Defense Forces karate instructor & multiple-time Japan Master's kumite champion) on August 1, 2010.


The insightful training focused on different principles from the two different Sensei. Yoshitama Sensei was advocating the power of the Tanden - the home of the spirit in Japanese religion - and how keeping the core strength of your lower torso powerful you can maintain your form and power.


Imai Sensei's lesson was the use of gravity to increase speed and power, using Tobikomi tsuki as an example of proper use (his examples on Okano-san convinced everyone with wincing authority). With the kids he had a great exercise where they had to avoid a partner swinging their belt towards him from different directions- teaching balance in a fun way, but would probably have stung a bit if you were hit!

Yoshitama sensei's training for the adults was definitely painful, however; a set of core stability drills that started on elbows and gradually spread to the extreme of your ribs as you tried to stretch out yet keep your back straight. I found this very difficult, but I was happy to see that I wasn't the only one!

In terms of kumite sparring, there was very little - Yoshitmama Sensei had a drill where one person sparred against 5, expanding the peripheral vision - but this day was more for taking in principles of movement and focusing of energy, then implementing it into one's own kumite artillery. This meant that it may have gone over the heads of some of the youngest students, but for the adolescents upwards the day was filled with inspiring thoughts and realizations and different ways of improving your technique.

Despite the day lacking 'intensive' training drills, it was quite possibly the hottest day of the year so far. The amount of sweat that happened just standing and observing the examples of these two top Sensei was incredible- where I was standing a small pond was forming, as with other people. Possibly more intensive work would have been done had it been cooler, as in this heat it was dangerously close to causing collapses, but that is not taking anything away from a great event that changed my way of considering how I keep myself strong.

Return of the Interns: the run up to the Wado World Cup

Peter Here!

With the Wado World Cup and Wadokai National Championships happening last August, that month saw the return of Intern Alumni Carl Jorgeson (2008-09), Amy Coulson (2008-09), and Louise Fisk (2009-10). They were representing their respective countries of England and New Zealand at the World Cup on August 14-15, and then taking part in the national championships a week later. So, to make sure that they were on peak form where else would they get both excellent training and a warm 'welcome home' feeling than Shiramizu?!

I would only be watching them for the World Cup, but I was also training hard in the run up to the National Championships. As it was during the holiday season the usually quite sedate Wednesday morning session had been turned, like all other sessions, into a heat entrance drill with the High performance kids, occupied with constantly repeating Kata and Kumite.

Carl had suffered some bad luck in the week before coming here- while participating in a tournament his knee had been heavily injured. He was trying his best to practice as much as he could while also resting up, which unfortunately meant that we couldn't spar together (when I get back to England, Carl!). Amy and Louise looked very ready for their Kata entry, and it was warming when Louise said that "I'd come on a bit".


As is mandatory with the Wednesday Class, we all went for lunch afterwards, giving the ex-interns some nostalgia and chatting about the challenges and rewards of the internship, and how much more I had to look forward to.

Ein Besuch von Herr Fabian!

Peter Here:

On Tuesday 13th July Arakawa Sensei, Yoshihara Sensei and I went to Narita Airport to pick up our latest guest: Juergen Fabian 4th Dan Sensei from Germany. He stayed with us to train for the Wado World Cup in Nagoya, 14-15th August.


Although Fabian Sensei was naturally exhausted from his flight, Arakawa Sensei took the opportunity to take us to the Nippon Budokan. Impressively large and imposing, it doesn't take much to inspire one to train or work hard here.



Fabian Sensei had his first taste of training in Japan that evening, where his comments on the children were: "they're very fast, aren't they?" They are indeed! Fabian Sensei also presented a gift to Arakawa Sensei- a landscape photography book of Germany. Kireii!