At The Budokan 7/23/2004 7:50am:
Training is scheduled to begin at 9:00am on this day. I get there early to stretch. Cannot sleep and no time to do anything else prior to training. We bow in as a group and again as a group go through Higaonna Sensei's killer warm-up. One hour later we move to our specific groups. I choose to stay in the Shodan group and we work on Sanseru kata in detail for the next three hours. (See pages 12-16 for notes on Sanseru kata and bunkai and teaching this particular kata.) Next we perform Gekisai Ichi kata for thirty minutes straight as a means to fill time. We break for lunch. My heavyweight gi is soaked from sweat adding an additional fifteen pounds or so to my weight…it is so hot and humid! My feet have blistered up and are sure to break open tomorrow - maybe even today! For the next two and one half hours we train Gekisai Ichi kata. (No kata notes as we train the kata much the same and as in depth as the IOGKF.) The next two hours are spent training yakusoku kumite or pre-arranged sparring along with kakie or push hand training. We train with Kazou Terauchi Sensei who is an Okinawan full contact fighter. He is obviously rough and tough and at 5'7" and 220 pounds, built like a bulldozer. He knows two English words, "faster and understand"! Everything else he barks out in Nihongo! My arms are black and blue after this session! Hope I can participate in two man drills tomorrow. My partner for this session was Lars (Lars from Mars he said), a big guy from Denmark. We trained full power on these sets. He was fifteen years my younger and a good karateka. He was strong with lots of power and the reason for my arm conditions. I made sure that he looked and hurt as bad as I! A great day of training! It is now around 5:30pm and we all move to the main arena for Aragaki Sensei's lecture. He is 73 years young now. There is no way that I could ever write down this two hour lecture and do it justice. All that I can say here is "WOW"! What a once in a lifetime opportunity. (See video for lecture.) It is almost totally about Miyagi Chojun Sensei and the training at his Garden Dojo.

At The Budokan 7/23/2004 5:00pm:
There is one more training session today, Uechi Ryu. I choose to watch versus participate in order to allow my feet to heal somewhat. As we watch, David Chambers,  the editor of Classical Fighting Arts Magazine, tells me a great story about Aragaki Sensei. David hosts Masters Seminars in Sherman Oaks, California at the Suiho En Dojo on the grounds of the Japanese Gardens. From time-to-time Aragaki Sensei will teach a seminar. On one occasion three swat team members from the New York City Police Department, all three over 6'5" and 230 pounds, walk in and see Aragaki Sensei. One of the guys, somewhat cocky, leans over and asks David (referring to Aragaki Sensei), "what's that little guy going to teach me"? Early into the training session Aragaki Sensei recognizes the attitude of the guys training and chooses the largest of the three and body checks him (slamming elbow to the rib area) and immediately takes the breath completely out of the guy! After the training session the NYPD guy states to David that that little guy (Aragaki Sensei who is about 5'3" and 160 pounds) really hurt me! How does he generate so much power? David asked the guys on their departure to stay in touch. The big guy who was the beneficiary of the body check has since stated that all three of the swat team members use the body check technique on all of their tough arrests and have used it successfully thirteen times! They also send a NYPD cap, a special investigations badge, and a note every Christmas thanking him for hosting the seminars. The session ends around 7:00pm and I begin my walk back to the Hotel Sun Okinawa. I shower, wash my gi in the tub and hang up for drying and then to Kentucky Fried Chicken!

In Room At Hotel Sun Okinawa 7/24/2004 6:00am:
Today Robin and I decided to rise early, get a quick breakfast, and go straight to Shuri Castle via monorail before training. We had thought about walking but chose transportation instead.

At Shuri Castle 7/24/2004 7:30am
Sure glad we did not walk! A long long way from our hotel! Upon arriving at the main gate to Shuri Castle I cannot explain the feeling. To tread the same paths of so many warriors and royalty is amazing and humbling. The castle has been destroyed and rebuilt four different times. The last destruction coming at the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. This last restoration was completed in 1992. It is truly a magnificent work of beauty. We take a few pictures at the Shurimon Gate (main entrance) and once inside, at the main gatekeepers quarters. Robin and I had previously decided to take our gi's and gi up once inside the castle for a photo. We dress and begin the long walk to the steps of the castle. We notice out of the corner of our eyes a policeman running over and yelling "No Kamae No Kamae (No Martial Arts Postures) No Kumite No Kumite (No Fighting)"! We finally convinced the guy that we were friends and only wanted to take a picture in front of the castle! Apparently, on occasion, he gets guys who gi up for kumite! We just wanted a picture! It was a little scary initially, especially with the language barrier. It was a big laugh for all of us, including the officer, afterwards! The Okinawan's are such a great people! We did not stay here long as we had to be back at the Budokan for training at 9:00am. We catch the monorail and head back.

At The Budokan 7/24/2004 9:00am:
My feet are so sore from all the training and have broken open in places. We train Sepai kata in detail for three plus hours today with Nakamura Sensei. I trained this kata in detail in California with Higaonna Sensei in 2003. (See those notes plus notes on page 22 and 23 from Okinawa.)

At The Budokan 7/24/2004 1:00pm:
We break for lunch and I decide to catch a taxi and head over to the Shureido store, the very famous karate store on Okinawa. This is an interesting taxi ride! The driver asks why I'm in Okinawa and I tell him I'm there studying with Higaonna Sensei. He tells me that he practices Kobayashi Ryu and that he is a 9^th Dan. He asks me what Dan I'm at and I tell him. "Kancho" he says! He proceeds to teach me technique and grade me while driving, making corrections and looking in the back seat as necessary! When I get it right he says, "hai" or yes! He also tells me that "Goju Ryu - the best"! Miyagi-san he said was very good and very respected. He made Okinawa be known to all the world he says. I am sure glad at this point that I took my language training seriously during the previous six months or so. If I had not I would have missed out on this opportunity to learn from another Okinawan Master. What a great experience! A little nerve racking with him driving and looking at my technique in the back seat! As we arrive at the store we exit the car and bow to each other knowing that our paths will probably never cross again. We each made a friend in the arts for life. The store is very small but carries very high quality merchandise. There is not really much that I can buy that I can get on the plane and back to the states. I buy a book in here called Karate Site Guidance and it shows all the places to visit concerning karate on the island. It will prove later on to be a valuable tool for finding places of interest. Upon leaving here I decide to walk over to the monorail and ride back down to Kokusai Dori (street) to shop for Julie, Jordan and Kellie. It is a very long street of shops and is the place to go if you want to buy gifts they say. While I'm riding the monorail with nothing much to do I'm going to write down some interesting tidbits about Okinawa and they are as follows:
· Okinawa is the cleanest place that I have ever visited.
· The Okinawan people are the nicest people that I have ever met anywhere. They always smile.
· The monorail reminds me of Disneyworld.
· Upon entering the main lobby of the Budokan there was a six inch step up or ledge. You walk up to the small ledge, turn around backwards and remove one shoe and place your foot on the main floor and then the other the same way. This way the floor never gets dirt on it. No shoes whatsoever are allowed on the floor once inside the Budokan.
· The bathrooms have little wooden clogs that you must slip on when entering so that germs are not brought out onto the Budokan floor. Neat but weird experience. The clogs were even little for my feet! I can only imagine the challenge the clogs presented for some of the larger karateka!
· The Budokan floor is built on some kind of spring and roller system. It moves when a tremendous amount of weight shifts in any direction. Amazing!
· The Budokan is approximately 80,000 square feet easily and all floors are for martial arts training. There is so much pride in this Okinawan treasure! This place is absolutely spotless!
· Okinawa has the neatest taxi's in the world!
· Monorail is the best way to travel. You can see everything and it is reasonable in price.
· Some of the smallest cars I have ever seen!
· A very helpful, smiling and serving people!
· Talked to an old man (80 years) today and he was telling me about being a gunner on a ship during WWII. He said that he was very lucky to be alive. One in three Okinawan's died during the war. He was shot directly in the mouth and he showed me. I wondered at this point how much animosity toward the American people is now felt by the Okinawan people. I have seen absolutely none. That alone is astounding to me!
· Lots of traffic but no horns blowing!
· No trash cans on sidewalks and no trash! Could you imagine US streets!
· Saw my first police car today.

At The Budokan Miyagi A'nichi Sensei Lecture 7/24/2004 6:00pm:
I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that they allow me to video the lecture. A'nichi Sensei was the only student in Miyagi Chojun Sensei's dojo for five years during the war. A'nichi Miyagi Sensei was taught everything by Miyagi Chojun Sensei. Chojun Sensei's wife told Higaonna Morio Sensei to learn kata from A'nichi Sensei as it is the most pure. This is a fact also stated by Ken Miyagi the son of Chojun Miyagi. (They let me video! See video as I could never transpose on paper the depth of this two hour lecture! Lots of stories about Miyagi Chojun Sensei and many that I've never heard before.) It is now 8:15pm and I begin my walk back to the Hotel Sun Okinawa stopping along the way at Kentucky Fried Chicken for supper. It has been a long day but what a great day to learn! I learned so much today.

Back In Room 7/24/2004 9:30pm:
I now have three hours plus of video on the last two living disciples of Miyagi Chojun Sensei - wow! Aragaki Shuichi Sensei who is now 75 and very mobile and Miyagi A'nichi Sensei who is now 73 and a little more fragile. What a great day. There was less training but I needed the break to heal up a little. Sore feet and a sore body today. Tomorrow is the Masters Demonstration and I'm looking forward to the experience. There is no training tomorrow as it is dedicated to all the Masters on Okinawa. There will be lots of performances of kata, kumite, old training, kata by old masters and much more. I do my washing and ironing and prepare for the night. It is now past midnight and I turn in for the evening. Still not sleeping and hope this night proves to be a better one.

In Room  7/25/2004 6:00am:
Well not much better as far as sleep was concerned. I get up early and head back to Kokusai Dori at 7:00am. Guess the Okinawan people take Sunday, the day of rest and relaxation seriously. Nothing is open! I wander the streets for an hour or so and things finally start to open. Looking for items for the family that will pack flat! Will be much easier getting through the airports on the return home. The markets resemble those in Mexico only much cleaner. Must have walked ten miles this morning. I found a McDonalds! Finally something besides KFC! (Guess you can tell by now that I did not like the Okinawan food all that much!) I have found gifts now but feel bad they are not nicer. Hopefully all will understand that it is so difficult to travel now especially with baggage. The family was so generous in giving me up for this trip. It is now about 11:30am and I begin my journey over to the Budokan. Today is my dads birthday so I need to call him sometime. Hopefully the call will go through.

At The Budokan Masters Demonstration 7/25/2004 1:00pm:
On the way back to the Budokan it strikes me again at how clean Okinawa really is and how polite and warm the people truly are…totally amazing! Upon arrival I am again concerned about the ability to video. I set up the camera and no one says anything so everything is okay! The demonstration is great although it is not as good as I had expected. Probably because of my lack of interest in some of the other styles and performances. Chojun Miyagi Sensei's two great grandchildren performed Gekisai Ichi. They were probably five or six and remarkably good for their age. I think the children of Okinawa take more pride in their training and practice more on their own than children in the states.  It was really good to see the old Masters doing kata. Aragaki Sensei performed Sepai and A'nichi Sensei performed Tensho. The demo finishes at around 5:00pm and I walk back to the hotel to relax for a couple of hours. (see video for complete performance)

Back In Room 7/25/2004 7:00pm:
After taking a brief break I decide to walk down the street to KFC. As I approach I hear music. Upon rounding the corner I see a street dance in progress. Sore feet and all, I immediately turn and run back to the room to get the video camera and I'm able to film about 25 minutes or so of the performance. Wow! How lucky to be able to see a mix of traditional dances being performed on the streets of Naha City! All the performers were dressed in their traditional attire. What a great cultural experience! After the performance was over the two leaders of the dance noticed me with the video camera and wanted their picture taken. I obliged and they were so happy! Again, so many happy people here! Also, it seems so safe here. I have absolutely no concerns about walking around alone at night. What another great day on Okinawa! Finally, it is now about 8:45pm and I sit down for supper at KFC - again! I've trained a ton, visited various places, shopped, saw a masters demo, and lucked into seeing a street dance. Maybe it was not luck as I had told Robin yesterday that I sure would like to see one before I left for the states - maybe it was meant to be! Sure missing my family right now and I'm ready to go home but have three more days to go. We will train again tomorrow, Monday. The closing training and ceremonies are Tuesday and I will finish shopping on Wednesday and prepare for the flight on Thursday back home. I love Okinawa and the people. If the family were here I could stay forever but I'm so ready to see them again. I will try to find Chojun Miyagi's home and grave on Wednesday. Sure that will be luck - maybe not! Will also visit and take a photo of the Goju Ryu Memorial Monument in Matsuyama Park adjacent to Naha Commercial High School. The monument is dedicated to Miyagi Sensei. He used to teach at this school.

At The Budokan 7/26/2004 9:00am:
After an early breakfast I begin my walk to the Budokan arriving around 8:00am for an 8:00 to 9:00am special session. My feet are so sore from all the training and have broken open in places. The morning session in conducted by the legendary Hirokazu Kanawaza Sensei of Shotokan. He instructs black belts only in Shotokan fighting techniques. He is very articulate and detailed with his teachings. Although his class is very informative much of what he teaches on this day is very basic probably because of the Goju stylists unfamiliarity with Shotokan technique. Since Sensei Mallin is a black belt in Shotokan as well as Goju I was a little ahead of most in the group. The first training session starts at 9:00am. As we break from orientation we move to our respective areas. Our first session is kakie training with Sensei Bakkies Laubscher of IOGKF South Africa and would go on for three hours. We train grappling skills out of kata. We also work on quickness drills while on the ground and maneuvers to avoid traps and trapping. What great training! (See teaching and training notes on kakie on pages 28 through 30.) The next three hours are spent on Tensho kata. (See notes on pages 30 and 31.) And lastly for this day we did Higaonna Sensei's basic training for one solid hour plus non stop! Really wild no kidding! So much energy in the room. One person passed out and several had to quit to avoid passing out. Personally I loved it! So intense and so much positive energy in the room! I will never forget the energy! Below was the routine:
· Higaonna Sensei's warmup 15 minutes
· 15 minutes non stop of chudan tsuki in shika dachi
· 15 minutes non stop three strike chudan tsuki combination with kiai on each repetition
· 15 minutes non stop mae geri keagi with kiai after every repetition
· 15 minutes non stop with hands at cheek level. Bob down and kick and then alternate to the other side with kiai for each repetition

Well another nine plus hours of training in. I had planned and paid to attend a kobudo (bo staff) session but there were not enough bo staffs. I could have bought one at $40.00 but there is really no easy way to transport back to the states. I watched for a while and chose to return to the room to shower and go to…guess where?…McDonalds! Tomorrow is the Symposium. I thought it was training but it is a lecture on the future of traditional karate and what is in store from the masters perspectives. It should be really good.

Back In Room  7/26/2004 7:00pm:
I shower, do my washing and prepare for dinner at McDonalds! Went walking on Kokusai Dori again. There are so many beautiful things in Okinawa in the stores but no easy way to get home so I just look. I bought postcards today and mailed to family and friends. I have not heard one thing on TV that I really understood well! Cartoons are unique in Okinawa as the plots are geared toward their culture. As midnight approaches I ready for bed.