Читать книгу Martial Arts Training in Japan. A Guide for Westerners онлайн

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Another important question to ask yourself is “What is my purpose for going to Japan to train in the martial arts?” What do you want from your experience in a Japanese training environment? Personal challenge, knowledge, a good workout, meditation, aerobics, self-defense training, traditional art experience, self-confidence, a chance to experience a living history? Any traditional martial arts dojo will touch on all of the above topics over time. At the same time one can find teachers, martial arts styles, and schools that naturally—or because of commercial considerations—cater to a particular martial arts training approach. There are many: the physical intensity of judo; the meditative effects of iaido; the flow of aikido; the surge and snap of karatedo, the auditory and physical clamor of kendo; the stateliness of kyudo (traditional archery); the esoteric mysteries of ninjutsu.

Studying a completely different art from the one you train in at home might also be worth considering. It is an ancient dictum that creativity is stimulated by contrast. You might consider practicing more than one art. You are probably not going to be training in Japan long enough to fundamentally affect your mind/body, but you could take the opportunity to more broadly educate yourself. Most advanced martial arts teachers are, in fact, ranked in more than one art. To really know what you are doing necessitates knowing what you are not doing ... and why. Bonsai (the culturing of miniature trees), ikebana (flower arranging), sado (the tea ceremony), and go (Japanese chess) are also excellent ways to polish the warrior soul.