As it's been a while since my last shout-out, I feel it's only fitting to feature the dojo which inspired me to make this part of the blog and much of the comic too actually. Standing around the corner from Suminodo station in the heart of Daitō Osakafu, the Iwabuchi Karate Kaikan was a bit of a train ride from my dorm in Hirakata, but one which I gladly made several times a week in the fall semester of 2007. The Iwabuchi kaikan is a local headquarters for the Japan Karate Association, and is run by the Iwabuchi family, who have been in karate for generations. Iwabuchi sensei (behind me in the picture), called simply, "shihan" by his students is a superb instructor who takes great care in those he trains at the kaikan. Meanwhile, his father holds a high position in the JKA as well as possibly some sort of public office (though I'm not entirely certain). I had many chances, such as the okanomiyaki night pictured above to talk freely with the whole Iwabuchi family and sempai of the kaikan about anything from technique points to my American sensei and sempai whom they had met years ago.
The karate-ka who trained at the Iwabuchi Karate Kaikan were quite plentiful and in the advanced class ranged in age from about six to sixty, yet even the smallest children had very strong form. Another truly remarkable thing about the Iwabuchi Kaikan, is that the Iwabuchi family welcomes foreign karate-ka to come and train, sometimes even securing a means of housing in the adjacent building for long-term stay. While there, I was very well taken care of by the whole dojo. They took me to tournaments, ate dinner with me, gave me a discounted karate gi (after I accidentally shrunk my old one), and even sent me New Years cards after I got back to the US. The next time I go to Japan, without a doubt, I would like to visit them again. What a remarkable place and remarkable people!
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