help! find a dojo in japan

[cluster2600]

Hello,

I'm studing japanese and i love kendo. i want to go for one year in japan with a cultural visa, for learning both japanese and kendo full time. i'm looking for a dojo or school to do that. please help me. thanks in advance.

Maxime Grenu

[ChowYunFat]

finding a dojo in japan must be as easy as trying to hit an elephant's ass with a dart standing while standing 2 feet away

what town are you moving to?

[chidokan]

its not quite that easy.... you need a dojo to match your skill level, age times you can make it etc I know a few people who have gone over on English teaching programmes and been stuck out in the sticks where the local dojo is for under ten year olds and run by the primary school teacher who has 2nd dan. Just be careful. Your best bet is to find out exactly where you are going first and work from there.

[Hyaku]

Hello,

I'm studing japanese and i love kendo. i want to go for one year in japan with a cultural visa, for learning both japanese and kendo full time. i'm looking for a dojo or school to do that. please help me. thanks in advance.

Maxime Grenu

Well that might have been possible some years ago. I did it initially and later on acted as a guarantor for quite a few students.

But you will find it much harder to do now. Apart from getting a full intinerary from your teacher as to what you will do everyday from morning until night there is the question of who will guarantee your stay financially as well as residential. Schools with good Kendo teams dont even allow in other Japanese. They have a schedule to keep and Taikai to win!

No one practices Kendo "full time" Fancy a days kakarigeiko? I can guarantee one solid hour especially in 39 c will be more than enough.

But I dont want to dash your hopes. Keep trying and good luck

[kanyil]

I guess I can see the rationale behind dojo's reluctance to take on "strangers" for an extended amount of time.

What about people who visits Japan for a few days to a week and just want to attend a few lessons and hopefully improve a little more? Are there particular dojos that may be more suitable for such casual visitors? And where do such visitors usually go to find less expensive accommodation? Hostels? Temples?

Thanks!

[mingshi]

What about people who visits Japan for a few days to a week and just want to attend a few lessons and hopefully improve a little more?

??? Is that ever possible? A few days you can experience the dojo floor and smell their air, hear their kiai. Getting to a Japanese dojo does not necessarily make you better at kendo. Well, there is no short cut, if you choose not to work hard in your own dojo...

[JSchmidt]

??? Is that ever possible? A few days you can experience the dojo floor and smell their air, hear their kiai. Getting to a Japanese dojo does not necessarily make you better at kendo. Well, there is no short cut, if you choose not to work hard in your own dojo...

While that is to some extent true, it's a great source for inspiration. Sure, my kendo hasn't improved during my trips to Japan (as they have been too short for that), but it has been a great benefit in terms of inspiration and have helped my progress enormously that way.

The same goes with seminars, competitions, etc. Your kendo doesnt improve during a seminar, but it provides ideas and inspiration, that you can use for further improvement in your own practice.


Remember that improving/learning is always up to you, not the teachers/sempais. They can guide and inspire you, but it's always up to you to actually do the learning.

Jakob

[Musha]

I'm in Japan again now with a cultural visa kind of scheme. I went on a home-stay two years ago for three weeks and a friend of the family I stayed with introduced me to a dojyo.
I think most dojyo in Japan are split into maybe:

Police dojyo=For Japanese police (every work day x?)
University dojyo=For university students (every school day x2?)
School dojyo=For school pupils (every school day x2?)
Privet dojyos=Usualy any one. (one week x2 +events)

Unless you enter a school I don't think you could practice everyday and would you really want to? Or check out the shops, resutorans, temples and practice Japanese.

I would say find some one to help you in Japan who can speak Japanese and knows a dojyo near-by. I was thinking of visiting a kenjyutsu dojyo and it so happens my employer's friend lives near the dojyo. I'm sure some one you find will will be happy to help you find some where that will be happy to have you .

[JSchmidt]

Police dojyo=For Japanese police (every work day x?)
University dojyo=For university students (every school day x2?)
School dojyo=For school pupils (every school day x2?)
Privet dojyos=Usualy any one. (one week x2 +events)

The amount of practice varies, depending on the police station, uni, school, etc.

Jakob

[Hai_hai]

Try the International Budo University.

[kanyil]

??? Is that ever possible? A few days you can experience the dojo floor and smell their air, hear their kiai. Getting to a Japanese dojo does not necessarily make you better at kendo. Well, there is no short cut, if you choose not to work hard in your own dojo...

Thanks to all for your comments.

I am not planning visit to the holyland that will transform me for life. Many of my senseis organize trips to Japan for casual visits to the various dojos (it's a 2-3 hour flight from Taiwan to Tokyo/Osaka). Over the course of the 5 day trip they may keiko at 4-6 dojos and drink in as many pubs. Obviously they also do the touristy things on top of that, and that's what I hope to do on my next trip.

I think each country tends to have their own view of kendo, and it's nice to get some exposure to different kinds of kendokas when possible, and to find out how much more I have to improve. It's the experience. Call it tourist kendo.

While I might get to tag along on these trips, because I am required by the immigration law to leave Taiwan every 3-4 months, I travel overseas much more frequently then my senseis, and I would like to use those chances to visit Japan, and hence my question.

[Yo...osh!]

Schools with good Kendo teams dont even allow in other Japanese. They have a schedule to keep and Taikai to win!

I am going to Kobe University as an exchange student this year.

Certainly the university team must be damn good!

From the above quote it seems that they won't allow me to participate? I am also new to kendo... That doesn't sound right because even in Japan there must be new beginners at university.

Anyone with experience at Kobe University or other Japanese universities please help!

Thanks

Yo...osh!

[pierreabe]

This is Akihito ABE of www.isenokami.com
Please e-mail to me if you would like to practice in Japan.
I would love to show some dojos near you!

E-mail must be contained following data
-where you stay(prefecture,city,)
-your arriving & leaving dates
-your homecountry
-language you speak
-your Japanese language skill
-your grade(if you have)

pierre[atmark]isenokami[dot]com

[Hyaku]

I am going to Kobe University as an exchange student this year. Certainly the university team must be damn good!
Yo...osh!

I like Uni Kendo. Its nice to see so many people from different backgrounds rather than the cloned Kokosei.

Interesting to practice with them. My local uni has some rank beginers. One my age went on to Hachidan.

But again some are hard. I used to go to Ryutsu Keizai Dai's Gashuku. They did an hour and a halfs disco suburi just for starters in the morning.

[mingshi]

Privet dojyos=Usualy any one. (one week x2 +events)

Eh... Did you say you actually teach English there...?

BTW you missed out those company dojo. They train like hell (as in everywhere, really).