It all started with chocolate...

I was working in the bar, as i usually do when these really bouncy, happy looking Belgians rocked in looking for James.

They wanted to give him Belgian beer. I said if they came from Belgium they should have bought us chocolate. 

The next day, they came back with a big box of Belgian chocolate eggs.

And that was it. 

The start of a whole new adventure and new friends. 

There is Pie-man Pieter, Olivier, Marian, Koen and Sofie. They are one of those dojo groups that are way more than just training partners. They are clearly a Dojo family. 

They attended Hubert Lanen and Yagi Sensei's seminar at the Asato Dojo on Saturday and also took part in Yoshida Sensei's Seminars on the Sunday so we all had the opportunity to train and learn together. 

Then on the Thursday they were making a trip to Tokashiki Island and invited me along. I'm not sure whether they actually meant it or just said it to be kind, but that was it. I wanted to go. 

So i did. I went with them, overcoming a few obstacles to make it to one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever been to. First was getting out of bed and to the port on time. The 3am finishes mean I've been sleeping through all the alarms. Then the boat ride- all the wobbling makes me feel pretty sick.

We went exploring through big rocks and caves and then up to the viewpoint which was stunning. 

Then we made a rock village where everyone's imagination came into play.

Then the snorkelling- even though its a super touristy beach, they've done a pretty good job of keeping the fish and coral there.

I bet there used to be much much more but there was still plenty to explore.

We Found the real Nemo and not the aggressive imitation ones that like to swim at you all angry so it was most definately a success.
Pieter and I made a good team to end up getting such beautiful pictures and videos of the underwater life.

It is literally like going to another planet and is so peaceful and relaxing.

Everyone got sunburned somewhere, no matter how much or what brand of sun cream that was put on. For me, it was my legs which meant i didn't do the race the following Sunday because i couldn't put shoes on yet.
But it was so worth it.

We managed to get a final picture of all the DB staff together (with my flamingo) before half of the group leaves to continue with their own adventures in life. 

My goal for summer is to cross another three islands off my list because just as all the others are showing me, you have no idea where life is gonna take you or where you will end up so you must take the opportunities while you can.

This is why i'm so grateful to Pieter and his crew for giving me the opportunity to realise there is so much more to still explore. 

The kanji Kentei

The Kanji Kentei is a test to evaluate your knowledge of kanji.

What is Kanji? 
Kanji are Chinese characters used in the Japanese writing system.

What is the 'Japanese Writing System'? 
The Japanese writing system comprises of Hiragana, Katakana and kanji.

There are 46 basic Hiragana  and Katakana characters.

Then there are Kanji.
The Zhonghua Zihai (the largest Chinese character dictionary available for print) contains over 85,500 characters. 
In Japanese compulsory education kids are required to learn 2100 kanji. 
It is estimated that a well read person (professor etc) knows around 5000 kanji. 
The highest level of the kanji kentei (level 1) tests 6000 characters. 
The Kanji Kentei tests from 10th kyu to 1st kyu (10 being the easiest, 1 being the hardest). 
Below is the breakdown of how many kanji are tested at each grade. 

Level 10- 80 characters (Grade 1)
Level 9- 240 characters (Grade 2) 
Level 8- 440 characters (Grade 3)    
Level 7- 640 characters (Grade 4)
Level 6- 825 characters (Grade 5) 
Level 5- 1006 characters (Grade 6 - End of Elementary School) 
Level 4- 1322 characters 
Level 3- 1607 characters 
Pre-level 2-  1940 characters 
Level 2- 2136 characters 
Pre-level 1- 3000 characters
Level 1- 6000 characters 

'Well, thats easy' I hear you say.
You just memorise the characters and the meaning.
It's not quite that simple.
Each character has multiple readings (Usually a Chinese reading and a Japanese reading many of which are identical) you must also know the correct stroke order.

I was looking for something besides the standard JLPT that every foreigner that wants to test their Japanese level does and i came across the kanji kentei.

Applications are only accepted in Japanese (but if you have a computer that translates the web pages it is easy enough to apply for) and the test is only conducted throughout Japan.
It takes place 4 times a year and you can apply for any level at any time.
Me being me, decided that I would start at level 10 and work my way up logically and collect all the certificates along the way.

In February 2018 I Passed 10th Kyu. Then, I missed the next couple of opportunities being busy with work- but really I didn't make it a priority.

This year though, I have decided my goal is to pass 8th kyu by the end of the year.
So in February 2019 I took the 9th Kyu test. I passed that.
Now I have applied to test for 8th Kyu in June.
At the current rate of study and progress i'm making I will fail that if i don't get my act together and learn more each day.
People decide what their priorities are and make time for what they want to do. I want to pass this and so i know what i must do over the next six weeks.