By Dave Paulus
On the 3rd April 2006, I returned to Japan for another week of intensive training at the Japan Karate Association HQ Dojo in Tokyo.
I met Ohta Sensei at Heathrow on Monday afternoon before boarding our British Airways flight to Narita. Just over 11 hours later, we arrived in Tokyo and I made my way to my usual accommodation (Ryokan Tsutaya). On arrival, I quickly showered and headed off to the JKA Honbu Dojo for the afternoon and evening classes.
As soon as I arrived at the Dojo, I was greeted by some familiar faces, including my friend Ray Richards from the USA. After practice, a group of us went for dinner at a local restaurant with Takahashi Sensei and Okuma Sensei.
The next day (after a very long sleep) I returned to the Dojo for the morning class with Kurasako Sensei. I still felt very tired and this lesson was very tough!! There were only a few students training and by the end of the class, I was shattered and hoping that it might get easier as the week went on.
This routine continued for the remainder of my stay and I was very fortunate to train under such high ranking Instructors as Naka Sensei, Hanzaki Sensei, Imamura Sensei and Kurasako Sensei. |