{"id":7832,"date":"2020-01-28T15:11:07","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T13:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/karateisrael.co.il\/?p=7832"},"modified":"2021-08-20T18:09:58","modified_gmt":"2021-08-20T15:09:58","slug":"impressions-from-okinawa-michel-sensei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/karateisrael.co.il\/en\/impressions-from-okinawa-michel-sensei\/","title":{"rendered":"Impressions from Okinawa – Michel Sensei"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Impressions from Okinawa – Michel Sensei<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Seven\nyears of waiting and anticipating to return to this place \u2013 Okinawa.  Just exiting the airport into the tropical\nheat and humidity soothes something inside of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\narrived with my student Vered and her father about a week before the Gasshuku\nand already the day after our arrival we were in Higaonna Sensei’s dojo for\ntraining: Hard, sweaty and very satisfying. \nKuramoto Sensei taught most of the classes.  Sometimes Uehara Sensei led and we even were\nprivileged to train with Higaonna Sensei himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nGasshuku passed very quickly; at each training session I learned a lot and was\namazed.  It was a big honor to train\nunder people who dedicated so many years, so much time and effort and who,\ninspired by their passion, turned karate into a way of life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nreally loved the way that Sensei Mistries from India explained Sanchin and the\nlittle tips that he gave about how to feel more confidence and stability while\ndoing this important kata.  Every class\nwith Masuyama Sensei from Sweden shot motivation straight to my heart and\npushed all of us to do and be our best. \nWith Terauchi Sensei, despite a lack of verbal explanation, it was\npossible to understand him and, most importantly, to see the treasures of\npossibility beyond the performance of the techniques he demonstrated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\nthe Gasshuku ended there was a period of about two weeks that I couldn’t train\ndue to medical reasons.  I was pleasantly\nsurprised that many people whom I didn’t know that well were happy to help; I\nwas referred to good professionals who recommended I take a short break from\ntraining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happily,\nafter this period, I returned to training in the Honbu dojo.  The pain had subsided and I returned to\nregular training.  I went to the dojo six\ndays a week.  The extremely high humidity\ntogether with the intensive training caused me to leave each evening with a gi\nsoaked in sweat \u2013 after I had stayed to clean up the river of sweat I’d left on\nthe floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After\none training session with Higaonna Sensei, it seemed to me that he was\nimpressed with my ability to leave behind puddles of sweat everywhere I just\nstepped.  After a few days he connected\nme with, ‘the fellow who sweats from his legs.’ \nThe training with him was particularly hard because you don’t know what\nto expect and you don’t know when the class will end, sometimes at 11pm.  Usually the training sessions with Kuramoto\nor Uehara sensei don’t go later than 10. \nIt’s very impressive that at his advanced age (he’s now 81) he is still\nactive, trains himself and teaches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On\nmost days Senseis Kuramoto and Uehara taught. \nEvery day, right after the traditional warm-up, we would do basics and\nthe next day Hojo Undo \u2013 supplementary training with traditional Okinawan\nweights (usually chi-ishi and nigiri-game). \nSet exercises were done after the water break (and for me, the\nopportunity to clean the puddles of sweat I’d left), kata, bunkai or\nself-defense \u2013 depending on the day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One\nday, after working with nigiri-game, my fingers were really sweaty and it was\nhard for me to grip the jar; I had to set them on the floor after each step so\nI wouldn’t drop and break something (either the jar or the wooden floor).  I managed to survive the class without\ndropping the jar.  We had to return them\nto their places.  There was a line.  When my turn came the jar slipped from my\nhand and broke another jar.  I felt\nterrible!  I apologized to Kuramoto Sensei\nand offered to pay for it.  He agreed but\nsaid that I’d need to tell Higaonna Sensei the next day when he arrived.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nnext day I was ready to take responsibility and tell Higaonna Sensei that I’d\nbroken the jar.  When I asked Kuramoto\nSensei, at the break, if I could approach Higaonna Sensei he said yes, and he\naccompanied me and even said (in Japanese) that ‘because the sweat last night\nthe jar slipped too fast and fell.’  I\nbowed to Higaonna Sensei and said that I apologize and will pay whatever cost\nincurred.  Higaonna Sensei simply smiled\na very wide smile and said, ‘No.  No\nproblem.’  Again, I apologized and\nthanked both him and Kuramoto Sensei (from that point on I was really,\nreally <\/em>careful with the jars).  I was\nreally astonished by his modesty and kindness. \nGood heartedness abounds in this place and infects all who visits; it’s\nthe nature of the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generosity,\nkind-heartedness and compassion is what typifies Japan, especially\nOkinawa.  Even shopping is pleasant, be\nit in a supermarket or mall.  The moment\nyou walk in the door you are greeted and welcomed; You get to the register,\nagain you are greeted.  When you buy\nsushi, they wrap your chopsticks.  If you\nbuy yogurt, they wrap the spoon.  If you\nbuy a cleaning product it is wrapped again so as not to mix with the food.  Your money is taken with a bow and a thank\nyou and your change is counted in front of your eyes before it is deposited\ninto your two hands.  And of course, when\nyou leave, they bow to you a bow of thanks, wish you a good day and say that\nthey hope you’ll return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nis the case in just about every transaction, business or otherwise.  There were places I frequented regularly when\nI visited Okinawa previously, until someone recommended a tasty restaurant that\nwas cheaper.  He wasn’t mistaken.  A very old woman worked there, she looked to\nbe about 70ish, or older (I didn’t ask because it isn’t polite!), entirely\nalone.  No helpers or cleaners.  With her own two hands she operated a\nrestaurant that seated 20 with a varied, regular menu of more than 20 choices\nat a very reasonable price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nfirst time I arrived there was another customer inside who explained how things\nworked there.  After you chose what you\nwanted you told her through a small window situated between the tables and the\nkitchen, and so I did this.  Every time I\nsaid ‘Hello’ before ordering and she always responded with a smile.   Shortly after, she’d emerge from the kitchen\nwith my order on a tray.  Placing it on\nmy table she’d say, ‘Sorry you waited.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\ntried several items from the menu in the course of my stay and they were always\ndelicious.  Weeks passed and I didn’t\neven know her name until the day that I glanced at the wall; her business\nlicense was hanging there with the name, Yamaguchi.  I asked her if this was her name and she said\nyes, and afterwards she asked me my name and from what country I hailed.  She understood that I was here for karate\ntraining because of my t-shirts.  She\nserved each customer with a smile and a soft word and made the orders generous.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two\ndays before my departure I asked her if it was okay to bring her spices and\nother kitchen items.  She said yes.  The next day I arrived relatively late with\nthese things.  I couldn’t eat there\nbecause Kuramoto Sensei had invited me for lunch and I was stuffed.  I greeted her and before I could give her the\nbag she said, ‘Wait a moment.’  She\nturned toward the kitchen counter and took an envelope, gave it to me and said,\n‘This is for your mother, she must certainly be sad that you were away from\nhome so long.  It’s not a lot.’  My jaw dropped to the floor and I could\nbarely say ‘Thank you.’  (But of course,\nI did, several times.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had never spoken to her about my mother and here, a woman who barely knew my name, had given me 2,000 yen (about 70 shekels or $20) to give to my mother, whom she had never met.\u00a0 We chatted a bit more.\u00a0 She asked about my marital status, if I had children, and so forth.\u00a0 I really wanted to take a picture with her but she was shy, said she was already an old grandmother, so I just took a photo of the place. We parted with a smile and I said that if I return, I would be happy to eat by her regularly.\u00a0 The next day I arrived a few hours before my flight, sad, because something about this place had really touched my heart.\u00a0 Kindness, empathy, compassion are things are saturated in the spirit of Okinawa and can be felt even by visitors.\u00a0 If only I could bring some of that back with me in my suitcase!<\/p>\n\n\n\n