Richard Sensei’s Corner: Being a Japanese overseas home stay Karateka 海外ホームステイする空手家になる

JKFan karate magazine 2010 #5

The fifth article in the monthly Richard Sensei's Corner series is about being a Japanese overseas home stay Karateka. Since my main topic is only printed in Japanese in the magazine, the English version may be read here on my blog -just scroll down!

My bilingual interview this month is with Mark Waterfield is the Coach of Buntoku Gakuen Junior & Senior High School Coach in Kumamoto City. Originally from Canada. Mark has extensive experience competing at the Canadian National Championships and numerous international events.

第5回今月のリチャード先生'sコーナーは、海外ホームステイする日本人空手家になるです。メインになる話は日本語でのみ印刷されるので、英語版はこの僕のブログで読んでください

今月のバイリンガル・インタビューはマーク・ウォーターフィールド氏は熊本市にある 文徳学園中学・高校空手道部のコーチです。もともとカナダの出身で、カナダ選手権大会や数多くの国際大会で試合をしながら経験を積んできました。

To order this month's magazine go to JKFan's order page!

こちらからも入手可能です。

Japanese

English

Article 5 Being a Japanese overseas home stay Karate-ka

One of the great advantages about Karate relates to the many Japanese style associations having numerous overseas branches. For the Japanese Karate-ka, these connections provide excellent opportunities to see the world, make non-Japanese friends, learn foreign languages plus experience Karate in different countries.

The best way to take advantage of these connections is to find a home stay family through one’s own style association. Normally utilizing the personal friendship between a Japanese instructor here and a non-Japanese instructor overseas is the key as the Japanese instructor can make an introduction to the foreign branch.

For example, in my former Canadian dojo, if I received a request from a Japanese Karate-ka who wanted to come to Vancouver, I would find out how long they wanted to come for and what they wanted to do. If they are coming on a 90 day tourist visa, they probably wanted to travel around. If they were coming on a student visa for 6-months or 12-months, normally they were coming to learn English at one of the many English language schools. Many Japanese also received a 12-month ‘working holiday visa’ which allowed them to work as well.

With this information, I would offer the opportunity to be a host family to my club’s members. Normally several people would be interested because many Canadians enjoy accepting home stay guests.

In terms of Karate, the Japanese Karate-ka is normally warmly accepted into the overseas branch dojo as most members are happy to meet someone from their own Japanese style association. When any Japanese Karate-ka visits, everyone sees Japanese Karate for real in the flesh, making everyone more curious about Japan. This is motivating for the Japanese Karate-ka too because people are interested in them right away which helps them make friends and learn the language faster.

Like many countries, it is important as a home stay guest to realize is there is no ‘one Canadian culture’. Canada is made up of numerous cultures because it is a country of immigrants and First Nations, so a home stay family could be Italian-Canadian, German-Canadian, or in Vancouver where 50% of the population is Asian, it could be Chinese-Canadian. This is a bonus for Japanese home stay Karate-ka because they can experience not just typical Canadian culture, which includes eating maple syrup on pancakes and watching ice hockey on TV every night, but also seeing how immigrants have integrated into Canadian society while also keeping their own identity. It's is successful immigration policies keep the Canadian population from shrinking.

One of the great bonuses for Japanese Karate-ka visiting Canada is that not only can they compete in the local tournaments, but they may try out for provincial teams and thereby compete at the Canadian National Championships! While their results at the Nationals will not qualify them for the Canadian Team, the reason for this unique policy is for Canadian athletes to get more tournament experience with foreigners.

Home stay families and the overseas branch members normally become lifelong friends with the Japanese they host. Therefore being a home stay guest truly creates a precious international dimension to one’s life, which of course helps bring the world closer together.

Another school year ends また学年度が終わります。

Karate club graduation memorial album photo.
空手道部卒業記念写真

Since the school year in Japan runs from April to March, soon this year will only become a memory. The third year students have graduated now. As part of the Karate club they participated in several regional and one national high school championships.

Whereas in Canada the school year runs from September to June, I like this April start. The days are getting warmer, the flowers are coming out and it feels like the world is renewed. A good time to start the next stage. Good luck to the recent graduates. And good luck to the new students entering the school!

日本の学年度は４月に始まり３月に終わるので、今年度ももうすぐ思い出に変わります。今年度の３年生も卒業をしました。 空手部の３年生部員は関東大会に数回と全国高校選手権に一度出場しました。

カナダの学年度は９月に始まり６月に終わりますが、僕は４月スタートの方が好きですね。 日に日に暖かくなり、花が咲き出し、世界が再生する感じがします。 次の生活ステージを始動する良い時期。 卒業生の皆さんの幸運を祈ります。 そして新入生諸君の幸運も祈ります！

New Wadoryu manual! （新発売）和道流のマニュアル本！

Budo brand management.
武道のブランド管理。

As martial arts continue to become more numerous around the globe, proper dissemination of one's own budo art is increasingly more important everyday. If not cultivated correctly, traditional budo arts will become distorted and decline.

世界中でマーシャルアーツの数がどんどん増え続けるのをうけて、自身の武道を正しく普及させていくことがますます日々必要になってきています。きちんと培わなければ、伝統的な武道は歪められ減退するでしょう。

Therefore Roberto Danubio Sensei's new bilingual Wadoryu Karate manual (German/English) is timely and important. It packs a massive amount of Wado information into one publication. All the kihon, kata, kihon kumite, plus 8 oyo kumite and 7 tanto dori are represented with color pictures and clear explanations, while also including Japanese terms.

したがって、ロベルト・ダヌービオ先生著書の和道流空手マニュアルは、新しいバイリンガルの本で正にタイムリーであり重要です。和道流の膨大な情報がこの一冊にまとめられています。カラー写真と分かりやすい説明で基本、形、基本組手の全てと8つの応用組手、そして７つの短刀取りが示してあり、日本語の用語も明記してあります。

Inside are 352 pages with 1400 pictures. In addition, extra insert information is spread throughout the manual about being a karateka and the philosophy of budo.

325ページの中に1400枚もの写真が載っています。それだけでなく、空手家であることについてや武道のフィロソフィーの挿話がマニュアル本の中至る所にちらばれています。

Danubio Sensei has made a valiant effort to represent Wadoryu properly. Therefore I encourage all Wado practitioners in any Wado association to get your hands on his manual. Even Japanese karateka will find it very useful since no complete Wadoryu manual exists in Japan.

You won't be disappointed.

ダヌービオ先生は和道流を正確に表現するのに価値ある努力をされました。ですから、和道流の会員の方は、会派は問わず、この本を手にされることをオススメします。日本には完全なる和道流のマニュアル本は存在しないので、日本の空手家の皆さんにも役立つかと思います。
後悔はしませんよ。

To order, go to the Wado Ryu Karate Book website.

Richard Sensei’s Corner: Pro NJ Coaches 日本での外国人のプロ空手指導者

JKFan karate magazine 2010 #4

The fourth article in the monthly Richard Sensei's Corner series is about professional non-Japanese karate instructors in Japan.

Since my main topic is only printed in Japanese in the magazine, the English version may be read here on my blog - just scroll down!

My bilingual interview this month is with Richard Heselton. JKA 4th dan Heselton (32) came to Japan when he was 18, he is a Takushoku karate club alumni (which he captained) and he now teaches karate classes at Taishijuku's International School Karate Club in Tokyo.

To order this month's magazine go to JKFan's order page!

こちらからも入手可能です。

Japanese

English

第4回今月のリチャード先生'sコーナーは、日本にいる外国人のプロ空手指導者です。メインになる話は日本語でのみ印刷されるので、英語版はこの僕のブログで読んでください。

今月のバイリンガル・インタビューはリチャード・へセルトンです。社団法人 日本空手協会４段のリチャード・へセルトン氏（32歳）は18歳のときに来日、拓殖大学の卒業生です（空手道部では主将を務めました）。現在は東京にある大志塾のインターナショナルスクール空手道部で指導しています。

JKFan article 4, Richard Sensei’s Corner:

Non-Japanese Professional Karate Instructors

In Canada ice hockey is the national sport, it is extremely popular and the coaches are almost always Canadian. Yet I’m happy to report I have heard of a few talented Japanese coaches. These are people who tried hard to learn the sport very well over many years, they perfected their English, plus they assimilated into the culture by making friends and becoming part of the community. In comparison, this is exactly same way non-Japanese Karate-ka have become Karate instructors in Japan.

For NJ, we first came to here because of our curiosity of Japan and our desire to deeply improve our Karate knowledge. Then the friends we made in dojo became our best friends, which is always a motivating factor for NJ to stay in Japan because we feel through our efforts we have become accepted.

The transition from student to instructor is normally due to the good relationships NJ have developed with senior Japanese instructors. For example, Brent Regan, who teaches at the JKGA Gojukai hombu, said that luck and timing were two main factors when his instructor, Saiko Shihan Goshi Yamaguchi, asked him to start teaching there several years ago.

This is in part due to how NJ instructors have tried hard to make ourselves part Japanese society, without losing our own personal identity. When Dan Burgess use to teach English to teenagers in Gunma, he started to also teach them Karate when one boy’s father, an inactive Karate instructor with an unused dojo, asked him to. According to Dan, ‘’the father looked at me as someone who had something to offer.’’ This is common for NJ instructors, for people to look at us as individuals who have many important things to contribute.

For former Seto City, Aichi-ken dojo owner Patricia Taniguchi, ‘’I think a lot of students joined with the idea of being able to learn from an English speaking Sensei.’’ Other NJ instructors have also said the same thing, this interest to combine Karate with English.

Personally I have found students seem to pick-up English conversation and comprehension quickly when it is used with the physical actions of Karate. Actually the same is true to how NJ learn Japanese through the practice of Karate as well.

This is because ‘language is culture.’ Learning a language is not a cold scientific topic to memorize, but something to experience in a living, breathing way. As instructors we are trying to share something with other humans beings, through modeling, speaking, and of course, smiling.

Being a professional instructor is similar to being a craftsman, consistently refining one’s skills of explaining and analyzing over many years. For example, in conjunction with formal coaching training in Canada, Marc Waterfield, coach of Butoku Junior & Senior High School, is completing a Masters Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language so he can better understand how to teach Japanese students.

When speaking with other NJ instructors, we all agree that without a doubt, setting a good example is the most important thing about not only being a NJ instructor, but for all instructors. As Marc said, ‘’our actions speak louder than words.’’ Truly a way of life everyone can live by.

Hometown Olympic Fever? ホームタウン・オリンピック熱？

The 2010 Winter Olympics are over in my hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

僕のホームタウンで開催された２０１０バンクーバーオリンピックが終わってしまいました。

Many people have asked me why I am not there.

大勢の人になぜ僕は見に行かなかったのかと聞かれました。

Yes, I want to be there.

もちろん、その場にいたかったですよ。

But um, I need to work.

でも、、、仕事を休む訳には。。。

BC Place stadium - where the opening and closing ceremonies were held. It's a 10 minute walk from my old apartment and my old dojo!

BCプレイス—開会式と閉会式が行われたスタジアムです。以前住んでいたマンションと僕の道場があったところから歩いて１０分のところなんです！

... which were located in the middle of this picture!

それはこの写真のちょうど真ん中くらいに見えます！

I did read that if there was no snow and all the events, but ice hockey, were cancelled, most Canadians would be alright with that.

もし雪不足ですべての競技がキャンセルされたとしても、アイスホッケーさえ開催してくれたらカナダ人のほとんどが文句を言わないだろうって、いろいろなメディアで言っていました。