There & Back - Japan




You knew it was coming! =)

I'm sitting here at Rowsters Coffee in a Jet Lag haze, trying to re-adjust my body to being back in the U.S.while I reflect on my trip to Japan.

Great trip: Meeting new people, training, experiencing different interesting things, eating, walking, spending time with friends, getting away for a little while. A lot to process. Things that I will be unraveling for a time to come.

Here are some visual glimpses of the trip:


Arriving at your destination is always a good start! =)



Taking the train, both confusing yet convenient... and entertaining!




Saw this cat on the way to the Bujinkan Hombu.







                                              Bujinkan Hombu w/Jack



Nagato Sensei      -     Hatsumi Sensei & Jack singing    -   Naguchi Sensei


Running with the Tengu on Mt. Takao





Good friends, a bowl of Soba, a bottle of Kirin and a view of Mt. Fuji...Great day!



               

                                            


     Another Shrine on my last day in Japan.


We packed a lot into a week. Much more than these pics show. Many cool experiences, conversations and epiphanies. Japan's a great place to visit. I'm already looking forward to my next trip there.

I'm sure a lot of insights from the trip are yet to surface in the future, but until then I'll just Keep Going!

All the best,
~Craig



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Uncomfortable Situation

Image
  Funny pic (and movie) about a not so funny situation… In training as in Life, it’s better to treat people with dignity and respect. However… What does that look like in the moment? Being that I’m teaching a Women’s Assault Prevention and Response Workshop this weekend - it’s probably a good time to talk about… Uncomfortable Situations Let’s talk about training at the academy for a minute… We run open co-ed classes at the local academy. What does that mean? Men and women train together, but we don’t stop there. People of different skill levels, backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual orientations, careers, religious beliefs, political affiliations, ages, injuries, pre-existing conditions, life experience, training expectations etc. etc. train together! We ALL work together! Overall, I think it’s better this way. Of course sometimes there’s static, you know, conflicts, and misunderstanding. When something happens, most of the time it’s just that, a misunderstanding… Sometimes people simply do
Read more

The Shot Heard Around the World

Image
Even though many could see where all of this division and hatred in our country was leading to, when we witness the actual violence, realty once again floods in and has a way of shattering the comfort of our complacency, if only until the next headline. Some may find all of this shocking, others may see it simply validating their own fears. Regardless, of your political views, we have to take into account what this level of violence can do not only to the former President and his family, but what does to the state of our entire Nation. Yesterday as news broke of former President Donald Trump being shot, I can’t say that I was entirely surprised. Saddened, but not surprised. Regardless of your political stance, this act of violence is a dark reminder of the dangerous consequences of a society steeped in hate and division. Our collective heartbreak should not be about politics, but about the division and hatred that fuels this erosion of our humanity. We live in a time where traditional
Read more

Cutting Through the Static

Image
  Me and the crew at Venue 3 Two after a PeaceWalker Conflict Communication Workshop Remember in the old days when you used to listen to the radio on a road trip? No, not digital or streaming. I’m talking about old school FM radio. When you’re putting some miles on and crossing state lines. The radio stations you listen to don’t broadcast far enough for your entire trip, so you have to channel surf to find new channels as you move on down the road. You continue to push the search button until you hear a song in the genre that you want so you can lock in a desirable station for a spell. Sometimes you’re listening to a song you really like but the station is fading… The static starts feint, almost imperceptible, than grows in intensity to the degree that you can no longer ignore it. If you really like the song, you try to hang on as long as you can, listening to the tune through the white noise and times it cuts out completely, hoping to hear as much of the song as you can before the sta
Read more