Part 3 of the How to Advance as a Martial Artist:
Be open minded
Try new (more…)
Japanese Sake: Nihonshu vs Shōchū
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
This is a deeper dive, based on the previous article Alcohol in Japan: A Public Service Announcement. Read the rest of this entry
Alcohol in Japan: A Public Service Announcement
Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com
Photo by Aleksandar Pasaric on Pexels.com
I was at an izakaya with a few friends in Tokyo when a guy (non-Japanese) a few tables down started yelling in Japanese about wanting some sake. He was pretty upset since he was speaking in Japanese, yet the waiter still didn’t know what he wanted and kept asking him what he wanted… Read the rest of this entry
Making of the Katana: Behind the scenes with a Master
A few days ago I had the amazing opportunity to meet, speak with, and watch the famous Japanese blacksmith Masahira Fujiyasu work during a special event at the Minka-en grounds in Fukushima City, thanks to the hard work and planning of Andy Coombs and the Fukushima City Tourism and Convention Association. This type of event hasn’t been held for over a decade and the majority of Japanese people never get this opportunity, let alone a foreigner. Mr. Fuhiyasu’s master was a national treasure of Japan and I am told that Mr. Fujiyasu is the last classically trained blacksmith that has mastered techniques of making Kamakura and Muromachi period styled blades. What added to this even more was the opportunity to speak with him and his students during lunch and while he was taking a break in the afternoon.
Read the rest of this entry
Part 2 of the How to Advance as a Martial Artist:How to Advance as a Martial Artist (1)
A friend of mine recently asked “How can I become a better martial artist?” That’s a pretty general question, so I said Read the rest of this entry
How to Advance as a Martial Artist (1)
This is my new page called Aizu Arts, I will be focusing on Japan, Martial arts, and more. Check out my first post in the new series!
A friend of mine recently asked “How can I become a better martial artist?” That’s a pretty general question, so I said
View original post 685 more words
Iaido Experience
Last night I had the amazing experience of trying out Iaido for the first time with a weapons master and a national champion of Mugai-ryū 無外流, a Koryu (traditional sword style). The experience was even better than I had expected. Read the rest of this entry
Flu Vaccines in Japan
The Flu season here in Japan is coming to an end as spring is slowly arriving. There are still a few students out with the Flu, but that`s a major improvement from the 10-20 percent of the students that were out due to the flu a few weeks back. That percentage was pretty consistent from elementary schools to Middle schools in my area. I thought that was an alarmingly high number, but the reaction was more of “仕方がない” (it can’t be helped). From there the students that have the Flu are to stay at home and the students remaining are to wear medical masks and should be extra vigilant when washing their hands. You also can`t forget about “うがい,” the act of gargling tea or water.
I had not thought much of it recently, but it came up again in conversation and an interesting but basic question was asked.
“Does Japan have the flu shot?”
Yes, Japan has and uses the Flu shot, but it`s apparently a bit expensive and not covered by insurance most of the time. This was a bit of a surprise as the health insurance here in Japan is usually pretty solid.
The Flu shot is free or cheap to the elderly, but can be 4,000 yen (~$35 USD) or more for anyone else. There seems to be the mentality of it`s too expensive to do get done yearly, but if you get the Flu and go to the hospital for treatment, it`s covered…
What is Kung-Fu?
A while back I had the opportunity to watch a Chinese presentation led by a martial arts master regarding kung-fu. When I started watching, I was expecting a lecture on historic lineage leading up to today. Luckily it was anything but that. The master started out by asking the question “What is kung-fu?” A few people did in-fact reference history and martial arts styles.
After listening for a few minutes he shook his head and everyone was confused. Read the rest of this entry
mindofryan 