As a Karate practitioner, I have decided visit Okinawa October this year and see the place where Karate has originated. Be staying in Naha most of the time. I may be a Kyokushin practitioner but I also have my appreciation and interest in the other systems of Karate especially those widely practiced within Okinawa and the rest of the Ryukyu Islands. Not just Karate but I also have interest in Ryukyan culture and how many of its aspects have a strong connection with the martial art. Yes, Karate training in Okinawa much different compared to outside the islands and it is not just authenticity but also its system, tradition, method and customs. Been checking out several sites on Karate training in Okinawa and what is interesting is that Shorin and Goju Ryu are the most widely practiced systems with the islands. And most of its dojos are friendly to foreigners. Despite that, Kyokushin does have its dojo in Naha and do plan to visit it as well. To me, I'm looking forward to its experience and the tour goes well! Osu!
Here is one interesting site on promoting Traditional Okinawan Karate. http://okkb.org One of the videos, [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JXtXs8Fjvc"]The Land of Karate Episode 2 - YouTube[/ame]
An interesting documentary of Nicholas Pettas, a known Kyokushin practitioner who visited Okinawa and experienced the traditional aspect of Karate. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB_f-mkyqtc"]Samurai Spirit: Karate (Documentary TV series) - YouTube[/ame]
nice! you should pop over to karatebyjesse and shoot jesse an email, as he's lived and studied in okinawa and should be able to give you some useful tips for different things during your stay there.
I actually did! In fact some of the stuff I posted were from his site such as Shorin and Goju Ryu being the most dominant.
As you'll no doubt know already, Kyokushin is descended from Goju-ryu so hopefully you will find interesting similarities between the styles. Have you thought about doing a vlog while you're there?
Awsome! How long is the trip? When I visited Japan the first time it was incredible, felt a connection to all the budo I had studied, just walking down the street and observing everyday life. I'd travelled to heaps of places before, but Japan was 'different'. I think Okinawa will be even more so! Hope you love it and look forward to reading your posts about it.
I don't have one but I usually post updates on my fb timeline. Yes Kyokushin is descended from Goju-Ryu but also Shotokan as well. Sosai Mas Oyama first learned Karate from Funakoshi.
The entire trip takes 6 hours. I'm from Manila so this includes the stopovers. It will be from Manila to HK and then from HK to Naha.
I would definitely try to visit some koryru - something you don't normally have exposure to back home. Don't forget about Uechi Ryu! That is a really interesting style. Do they have izakaya in Okinawa, or those $30 all you can eat and drink joints? If so, hit it up!
There is actually a Karate themed bar in Naha, [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtscNiitQZw"]DOJO BAR OKINAWA MOVIE - YouTube[/ame]
