Tall person in Japan

[Hyarion]

Well, I'll be heading over to Japan again early next year. Last time I went for a holiday, but this time I intend to stay for as long as possible (working visa lets me stay for a year). I'll be living with my girlfriend, and I'll mostly be working on research for my degree while there.

I've been doing solid kendo training for more than a year now, and feel I'm slowly getting the basics right (insofar as that is possible for such a short amount of training).

The problem, however, is that I'm very tall. About 197cm (I think that's 6'5"?). I feel that many people struggle to train with me, and am worried that this might affect being able to do kendo in Japan...

Will it be any harder for me to find a dojo in Tokyo?

Other than the hight thing I think I'll fit in ok, I'm quiet, patient and listen well.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

[The great I AM]

Well, I'll be heading over to Japan again early next year. Last time I went for a holiday, but this time I intend to stay for as long as possible (working visa lets me stay for a year). I'll be living with my girlfriend, and I'll mostly be working on research for my degree while there.

I've been doing solid kendo training for more than a year now, and feel I'm slowly getting the basics right (insofar as that is possible for such a short amount of training).

The problem, however, is that I'm very tall. About 197cm (I think that's 6'5"?). I feel that many people struggle to train with me, and am worried that this might affect being able to do kendo in Japan...

Will it be any harder for me to find a dojo in Tokyo?

Other than the hight thing I think I'll fit in ok, I'm quiet, patient and listen well.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)
I'm 190cm and so far the worst I've had is people saying dekai na or you're a big fella. Thats it. Nobody as said no, you're too big.

Dunno about you though. And you should worry more about buying clothes and shoes....

[Moose]

The problem, however, is that I'm very tall. About 197cm (I think that's 6'5"?). I feel that many people struggle to train with me, and am worried that this might affect being able to do kendo in Japan...



When you say "many people" I assume you mean people shorter than you?

Do people struggle to train with you? ...... Or do you struggle to train with them?

[JoDuncan]

I'm about 193cm (6'3") and i've never had problems!

Never been to Japan like but my Sensei was Japanese and he never told me to piss off.... well not because of my height.

By the way, you do get tall (>6') Japanese guys too!
:D
My teacher's teacher is about the same size as me (and Japanese).

[walnut]

I'm 198cm and don't have any problems. Sometimes I have to crouch a little when doing motodachi for little kids, but that's about it. Oh, and you might want to be careful of dojos with low ceilings. There was one I used to practice at that if I wasn't careful I would stab the ceiling doing zanshin from hiki-men. It's a miracle I never broke a light...

[Sparv]

As a short beginner (172 cm), I think that training with both tall and short (from around 155cm to 195cm) people helped me to improve my understanding of maai. Even for the others, your height is an asset.

[nodachi]

The height won't be something to worry about. It won't effect how they treat you. They are just going to say, wow, you are tall. Or what happened with me all the time is that they try to hit dou and hit my tare because they are hitting at their own height and not mine. Just train diligently and don't worry because they are going to be so good that if they want to hit your men, your height won't deter them. :)

[Hyarion]

Thank you all for your responses :) It's great knowing there are other tall kendo-ka out there.

I get the feeling people struggle to train with me (especially other beginners) because I imagine it would be quite hard for me to hit someone much taller than myself. But no one has ever complained, and I try to bend my knees as motodatchi to help shorter people out a bit (maybe that will come back to bite me in the future).

I have no trouble whacking shorter people over the head (read: men cuts), and I always try to do it more softly than with taller people.

And as for children, I generally get on one knee and that works ok.

Thanks again.

[Kenshi]

I struggle fighing tall people but thats a deficiency in my kendo, not so much a problem for you.

You are a giant though.

[The great I AM]

I get the feeling people struggle to train with me (especially other beginners) because I imagine it would be quite hard for me to hit someone much taller than myself. But no one has ever complained, and I try to bend my knees as motodatchi to help shorter people out a bit (maybe that will come back to bite me in the future).Anyone using your height as their excuse needs to take a good hard look at their own kendo, in my opinion! But I doubt you would get much of that in reality.

Oh, and unless they are kids don't bend down for shorter people, you are helping them more by standing up straight.

[Kagerou]

I'm not as tall as some of you sasquatches but I'm tall enough (185cm). For me the problem isn't with kendo, it's with naginata. I've gotten hit over the head (NO MEN) by so many little old ladies that I'm considering putting reflective tape around my forehead before practice. Too many 'AHH!! Gomenasai!!' After the first 5 the room goes a little funny for the rest of class. But my sensei says I'm good to train with because it teaches everyone else better control and distancing......yeah for me.