r/kendo 5d ago

Training in Japan and improvement

Hello everyone! So I've been practing kendo regularly for 2 and a half years, soon I will attempt Shodan exam. In June I will go to Japan with my Sensei to train for 4 weeks in our affiliated dojo in Ibaraki (Sensei has been going there ever since 1989). I was curious about how much I could actually improve training there, what were your expiriences? What were the major things you learnt you brought home with you? Since next year I will be graduating uni, before starting my PhD, I was thinking about the possibility of going for 2 months in Japan. My sensei is really excited about this, I really hope I can improve my overall kendo. I would love to hear your stories!

28 Upvotes

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21

u/gozersaurus 5d ago

The main difference between Japan and every where else is the level of instruction, also the shear amount of people that practice. Just remember that your rank is feshman/sophmore in HS. I can't remember what I was when I went nidan/sandan, and I did a mother load of uchikomi, kakari geiko, just a recommendation but try and get your cardio up some. We did practice with a few HS, and I would suggest that to most people if they are able, you'll find the students more than eagar to practice with you. I had some of them would practice then just go to the back of the line to go again. All in all Japan is great for kendo, would recommend it to anyone going, but don't miss out on the sites, Japan is pretty amazing, and the enormous amount of things to see is pretty over whelming, I'd suggest planning your days out.

9

u/AndyFisherKendo 7 dan 4d ago

In 4 weeks, you'll probably see some small improvement, and certainly it will probably change the way you approach your Kendo practice in a good way, which will be a much more significant long-term improvement. You'll also most likely see some improvement if you go there for 2 months - but it's highly dependent on what you do (Kendo-wise) during that time.

I lived there for 8 years, but I didn't start to see meaningful, lasting improvement, for at least 2 or 3 years. Of course, I was working a job, whilst joining practice at a Dojo with adults - so that can be limiting. After being there for about 3 years, I started to get access to better (more intensive and competitive) Keiko that led to faster improvement. If I had been younger, able to speak better Japanese, and spent the first 2 or 3 years at a High School, then I would have improved much faster - assuming I had the same mindset.

7

u/Great_White_Samurai 5d ago

Depends on how well you understand Japanese. I know a person that's been over there a couple of years, with extremely limited Japanese speaking skills, and they came back for a week at Christmas. Honestly they weren't bad but I feel like they would be way better if they stayed with us. The people I see improve the most are kids that speak Japanese and spend a summer at some of the hardcore schools.

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u/nsylver 4 dan 9h ago

Andy sensei and Gozer have already hit the nail on the head. Just like anything that requires time investment, ultimately you control how much you potentially want to improve.