20.08.2017 Sunday – Day off We’ve decided to head to the Tsuruma Park, which, up until now, we’ve only passed on our way to, and from, the dojo. The park is really nice, distinctly Japanese, and big enough to give me the much needed feeling of space and quiet. We’ve also watched the Japanese no.1... Continue Reading →

16-17.08.2017 As something kendo-related happened in the Kasugai dojo, for these two days we’ve been training in sensei’s house, either on his driveway or in his office. As you may guess, there’s not plenty of room there, so we focused on the very basics (how a thrust should look like, especially with the energy driven... Continue Reading →

13-08-2017 Sunday - day off. Time flies! Today we went to Kyoto to enjoy some more of Japan. We’ve hiked to the top of the Inari mountain, fending off numerous spiders and other deadly creatures instead of other tourists by choosing the least populated and definitely the most adventurous and picturesque path with numerous forgotten... Continue Reading →

09-08-2017 Nathan – the American guy – brought with him some infection that makes everyone ill, one by one. Yuck. Luckily, I got knocked out by it yesterday’s afternoon, so today I felt quite all right, even despite the raging heat. Today was also the day that I felt that everything I’ve learnt somehow got... Continue Reading →

06-08-2017 Sunday – Day off As Nathan, an American guy, came to visit, we went for some sightseeing. Yesterday we went to the Cosplay festival and as our previous days off consisted of Osu Kannon and German Beer Festival, this was the first time we had the chance to see the Nagoya Castle. It wasn’t... Continue Reading →

01-08-2017 – 11th training Yay, a new month of stabbing begins now. Though maybe I shouldn’t be that optimistic, as it means we’ve been here long enough for the trainings to start to be even more exhausting. There are some aspects of jukendo that are particularly frustrating i.e. the limited number of targets and their... Continue Reading →

27-07-2017 – 7th training No jukendo in the morning, as sensei had to go to Osaka. It felt truly wrong to be sleeping until 8 am, to be honest. I was there thinking about the things I need to improve and wanting to work on them, as the previous day brought those little moments of... Continue Reading →

2017-07-24 – 4th training 57.8Kg, 28.6% bodyfat Slowly getting accustomed to boarding the train and going to Kasugai every morning. Or maybe I am lying to myself and the critical moment is still ahead. My body is doing some weird shit, as every single part started to move on its own without any control. More... Continue Reading →

*This is part of an ongoing series of posts by Jukendo World translator and guest author, Klara, who has only recently started jukendo and is undertaking a 3 month visit to Japan to further her training with her partner, Lukasz.* 2017-07-20 – Thursday, Day 2 in Japan, 1st training 58Kg, 30% bodyfat The initial question... Continue Reading →