My Okinawa Family

This here is a group of people I couldn't be more blessed to have been welcomed into.

They are my family when I'm halfway around the world from everything I've ever known.

They teach me more than just incredible karate, they teach me how to love, laugh, solve problems and grow into a person I'm happy to be. 

They've given me some life memories I will treasure forever, this picture I'm sure, will become a part of that. 

Back the beginning... Goju Ryu...

Today was amazing. 

In total I've spent 8 hours of the day training karate, I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing. It made me feel so alive, I've learnt an immense amount and met the most amazing people. In my world I've met my inspirations- my role models. 

'Have a Devils fist and a saints heart' (Nagamine Shoshin Sensei). The Sensei I've met so far are the epitomy of this.

The longer I'm around people like this the less I want my own dojo- living up to the role of Sensei is an immense responsibility. 

I got to train Goju Ryu with Higaonna Sensei and Seneha Sensei today. It was amazing, Higaonna Sensei says training karate is like sharpening a pencil, getting more precise as it gets sharper. 

He said to look, listen and sweat (and then repeat, a lot!) 

He said to have a cats feet and a tigers hands. 

He is just the nicest guy ever, another guy I'm incredibly lucky to have been able to train with and experience today. I could not have asked for a more memorable first time ever doing Goju Ryu. 

To make things a bit more fabulous I got some more signatures in my book. 

Sakumoto Sensei was very cool too. He was the most popular with the young athletes because he trains the world champion, he is the national team coach!

Nakahodo Sensei was lovely too. 

It was amazing how many incredible karateka were in the same place. From the new younger generation to the sports karate athletes to the incredible current generation of masters. 

Teryua Sensei and Seneha Sensei were bonuses, couldn't get a pic with Seneha Sensei but my book is really starting to become special now. 

What a special day I've had. A great way to end November and hopefully start a good December. 

I feel like me again. 

Karate, Castles, Coffee and Cake

Today was a action packed day and it's not even over yet. 

It's cold here. Not as cold as England but by Okinawa standards it's cold! 

Was a early start today because I went with James for his morning karate class. We did three almost hour long classes, I helped a bit, was all a bit nerve racking but by the third class it was going well! The plan was then to go and see Soma Sensei who does famous pottery on the island, but he was busy today so instead I found a new castle ruins I wanted to see ,it wasn't far away so we decided to do that on the way back instead. 

Chibana castle ruins is one of the lesser known ones on the island as far as I can tell. 

In fact after climbing for what felt like forever, we made it to the top of these stairs and there was no castle there! Just a tourist viewpoint where the castle was. This wasn't great news but there had to be more to see. 

We followed the other path to find that this was where uni- ufugusuku's Haka is. 

He has a really interesting and cool story of his life. Check him out on Wikipedia if you have chance! He's a cool dude! 

This was a really impressive Haka- really built into the hillside. 

This was a bit of a jungle explore and there was lots to see! 

We found a cave too- naturally, I let James go first... 

Then we headed back to Naha to meet Chris and Yuki, I was pleased to let Chris know I've got to 30 signatures in my book- just another 26 to go!! Hopefully I'll get a few more over the weekend at the competition and seminar. 

So we went to a really nice hotel for coffee and cake! 

Anyone would think we have nothing better to do! Except it's important for us to have some time to get together and chill, well more me tagging along for the cake and coffee really. 

Then I got to cuddle my chichai tomodachi. 

I adore this babe. 

Then work tonight. Today has been non- stop, but it's good. 

The dark clouds are lifting and I'm feeling like me again. 

Okinawa Times Covers Karate Day

Today at my English class I teach once every 2 weeks or so, one of the students gave me this! 

It's us in the Okinawa times from 27th October. They were covering the karate day activities and turns out the Arakaki Dojo is the picture they chose for the 100 kata section :) 

Pretty cool. 

Itokazu Castle Ruins

I went to the Budokan with James to practice some kumite today. The new move we have is 'spider in the face' -not really something I think anyone would want and considering I don't like spiders at all, every time he did it proper freaked me out. Still- hopefully with a few weeks practice I can start making progress. 

After that I had a few hours free and so decided to go and explore, headed south to Itokazu Castle ruins today. 

As I started heading down this path, it started to feel like a proper little adventure, not a single soul around, it was almost like stepping into another country.

Melvin didn't really like this path so I decided to leave him halfway up it and walk from there. 

There was this name marker for the castle, but from there it just got more and more jungly. There was a few paths I had to retrack because I came to a dead end because of overgrown trees and bushes. 

I had to climb over one of the walls of the castle to get inside and then it was okay from there, except I feel there is a lot more I didn't explore. 

I'd like to go back here because there is also a cave to go inside. The cave was one of the places people hid during the war to try and stay safe. 

I will be going back here. It's not far away but does seem to be hidden away and aparently not many people have heard of this one. 

And well in my world, the less people around the better. 

Karate Stupid...

This new book appeared at the bar. 

And obviously the title caught me, it was a quiet night at the bar so I got to spend ten minutes or so reading it, from there I was into it and wanted to understand this karate journey.  

This turned out to be a really good book to read right after my Sensei left and I started year two here, there was a lot of things in the book I can relate to, and I think that's probably why I fell into it for basically two days. 

I hope one day to write my own book. I realise that my situation is not a very common one and that I am extraordinarily lucky to be able to be here and do what I am doing here. 

Although it is amazing and incredible and mostly everything I dreamed of and imagined it would be, it doesn't make it easy or great all the time. 

While being on Okinawa I've made it though some of the most difficult things I've ever had to do in my life. Some necessary, some optional (ish!) but all unbelievably difficult physically and emotionally, usually both! 

But because of this and the people helping me/ making me or guiding me through these things I am growing and getting stronger, even if I don't feel it most of the time. 

And this book, was Scott making it through his amazing, incredible, roller coaster of a journey that karate inevitably takes you on and along the way changes you forever. 

Baking, Okinawa Style...

Today we baked. 

I made pizza for the bar as usual but while we were waiting for the yeast to do its thing we made touganzuki and cinnamon scones. We made it smell like Christmas! 

This is a apple pie that one of Hisano's friends brought to the bar for us. We gave him some scones in return! 

James decided he wanted all the cream. More cream than scone, but hey, if we can't have the real thing we will get as close as we can!! 

Next on the baking list is mince pies. I don't think they will match proper ones because it's impossible here because half the ingredients don't exist! However I will do my best and hopefully some kind people from England will take pity on us and send us some. 

I don't even really like mince pies. It's just a Christmas thing that you have to do, right? 

It simply isn't Christmas without them.

Rengokai 25th Anniversary Demonstration

Today I got on Melvin and did my biggest explore yet. Except it wasn't exploring, I went to Okinawa city for the Rengokai 25th Anniversary karate demonstration. 

I got a free ticket off of James, so why waste it when I have Melvin that means I can disappear off to these things by myself for the day now. 

I had to ride Melvin all the way to Okinawa city for this one. It took about a hour and I wasn't going stupidly slow either! (But also not going stupidly fast, firstly because it's scary and secondly because Melvin doesn't go very fast!) 

This was the closing speech, again Shimabukuro Sensei wowed with his version of kusanku. I remember the first time I saw him do it in 2012 at the Seibukan karate demonstrations, I was speechless then, as I was yesterday. 

These Sensei are just incredible. 

Saw some fantastic karate demonstrations and got my book signed by 5 more of the masters. This means I'm at 30 signatures now, just 26 more to go! 

I'm really glad I went, and driving Melvin that far helped me feel a bit more comfortable with him. 

Okinawa Kempo karate and Kobudo seminar 2015

So this was a bit of a last minute decision I decided to go just 2 days before  it started. 

Bit of a impulse buy so to speak! 

Either way, I was having a bit of a crap time with life and needed something I love and something else to think about so off James and I went to yomitan for 2 days. 

The first night training was good- got to see and try different styles of karate, including Motobu Ryu, Uechi Ryu, Goju Ryu And Okinawa Kempo. 

Then we went for dinner with habu Sensei. 

Again we had sashimi..... 

Not really my thing, but when you go for diner with sensei's there isn't much choice in the matter. 

I ended up leaving the restiraunt with a new pet- yes, this is a dead, blown up blowfish. 

We call him spike. 

Day 2 of the seminar involved Kobudo, 

We did bo and nunchaku. 

It was good fun, a good start back to being happy in the place I love. 

Night 1 of sensei's trip- Naka Sensei comes to the bar!!

This was the day that Sensei arrived. I was working in the bar and Arakaki Sensei brought Steve Sensei to the bar for a drink after the Ozato Matsuri. So at one end of the room was the guy that became my Sensei and completely changed my life for the better and then left me in a foreign land to change my world some more and then a year later comes back to see me, alongside one of the best karate Sensei in the world who I have the honor of being taken in by here in Okinawa. Between these two I'm getting probably the best karate training anyone could wish for. 

So, tonight started as a great night. 

Then in comes Naka Sensei. He is the star of 'Kuro Obi' and 'High Kick Girl'. 

He trains Shotokan Karate and trains mainly in Tokyo. I had heard he makes trips to Okinawa often but in my whole year I hadn't had the chance to meet him. 

Then he rolls on into the bar, I'm like 'wow, it's Naka Sensei. He is SO COOL!' and there's my two Sensei and I'm boucing from one end of the bar to the other. 

This was a great night for me and my karate obsession. 

World Heritage Sites

What can I say, this day was insane one something I won't forget for a long time! 

Aunt penny was visiting at the same time as Sensei's trip- you wait a year for a bus and then they all come at once (so to speak!) 

So we had the car for two days and wanted to show penny a good overview of the island. 

The idea- to visit all the main world heratige sites in one day! 

We started at 8am, straight onto the expressway heading as far north as we could go. 

Castle and world heratige site number 1- Nakijin. 

Slightly off plan we stopped to find king sho-hashi's Haka. 'Twas a bit of a adventure off the beaten path... Walked into a spider web (the first of a few!) 

But a lot of fun! 

Number 2 was Zakimi Castle in Yomitan

Karate in the sky....! 

Number 3 was katsuren 

The highest of them all- there was a sheer drop here... So here we are centimetres from the edge... 

Number 4 was Nakagusuku 

We found a mantis- had to stop to learn a thing or two... 

We go exploring in the places people don't go, to find the coolest things of them all... 

Decided to stop off in the haunted hotel along the way. It seems we can't ignore a No Entry/ Danger sign... 

the last we did was Seifa Utaki- not a castle- just a giant stone, but important to the island and meant we did basically the entire island in a day. 

Then off to karate.