I wake, rub the sleep from my eyes, and let my brain wander to thoughts of what lie ahead.  Nervous energy transports me to the bathroom, I can’t feel my legs, but I am aware of the trembles that emit from my toes.  I look back at the crumpled sheets, and wish that I was still in there, curled up safe and warm amidst the coverings, waiting for my routine morning cup of tea, waiting for the urging voice that prods me every morning to get ready for work.  I stumble to the porcelain god, sit and wait...my bladder contracts just as a voice yells, “hurry, we’re late, we need to get going....”  

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” I yell back “Keep your knickers on”...  My stomach starts to cramp, and I linger over the pot a little longer.  The voice becomes more urgent, and my little girl starts to bang on the door “Come on mum, we’re off to Japan today, aren’t you excited?”  

 

I am excited....I think,  I love Japan, well I’m sure I’ll love Japan....never been!  But to get there, I have to get in one of them plane things....they’re huge, with engines, and buttons....lots of them, and wings that don’t flap....and the worst thing is, I didn’t do the quality control on any of it’s parts, and people that I’ve never met, are sitting at the controls.  I should be at the controls, or at least standing by them, talking to the pilot, getting to know him, scrutinizing his character, his skill level.   I mean, what sort of outfit do they think they’re running anyway...We the People should be in charge here, but NO, they expect us to sit in cushy seats in the business class lounge, drinking Bloody Mary’s and eating peanuts and cookies until they come out of our ears....it’s not on I tell you, it’s just not on!

 

So, here I sit, typing out my nervous energy, next to the window in an ‘in your face cushy’ business class lounge, periodically scanning the tarmac for Nobel Laureate maintenance crews, whilst whiling away the time eating cookies.  My stomach cramps, and I run for the bathroom....

 

JAPAN....a world away, separated by sky, sea, and runway tarmac.  A culture that is moons from our own, but one that I have had the privilege to peek at due to my years of martial arts.  I’ve glanced into this world, and from what I’ve seen, this is a culture of honor and a respect that must be earned.  My first impression however, is one of bright lights, and enormously tall buildings, and Anime mania.  During the trip from Narita International Airport, I imagined ‘Lost in Translation,’  the opening scene; however, was of a dark night afire with bright lights blazing from concrete enclaves, followed by visions of hawkers exhibiting their eateries tantalizing selections.  As we wandered the streets of downtown Tokyo the cacophony of cries offering sushi, udon and teriyaki mingled with the never ending ching chinging of Pachinko machines, and the pungent, urban aroma of Japan seemed to ooze from every building.

 

During the day, white shirted males hustled their way to their concrete offices, and fashionably clad ladies browsed the department store counters in an effort to remain one step ahead of the latest fads.  Charms dangled dangerously from every single cell phone, whilst school kids and grandma’s took cat naps on the underground trains.

 

 Bridget and I whiled away the hours meandering through lush green parks, surrounding temples and palaces, a reminder of the bygone days.  We payed our respect to the Japanese gods, and cast offerings of coins into the wells.  We marveled at the intricacies of the shrines, and imagined ourselves wearing kimonos with whale bone in our hair.  We ate noodles and cold soup and things we couldn’t quite recognize and laughed instead of gagged.  Meanwhile a cool breeze penetrated the warmth that was carried on the air....

 

Over the weekend we rode the ‘Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto, and stayed in a hotel room overlooking the ancient city.  Our first trip out was to Nijojo palace, former residence of the  Tokugawa Shoguns.  Ornate wooden buildings stood amidst well tended gardens dotted with pools alive with golden, white and orange koi.  We felt a peace and tranquility  emanate from the carefully raked designs within the rock gardens, and noted how well they reflected the waves made by the fishes majestic fins.

 

As darkness fell, we wandered the streets along the river, passing through Gion, Kyoto’s oldest and most famous Geisha district lined by beautiful old buildings, teahouses and restaurants.  Meanwhile, a cool wind blew, daring the summer leaves to leave their trees.

 

The following day, we ventured out on the ‘Philosophers Walk.’  Following a canal path, we hiked past cherry trees preparing to blossom.  With every step, the cool wind blew a little more ferociously, and the skies began to darken.  Soon, the gray clouds, hung heavy and wet, directly over our heads and with nowhere to run we were soon drenched as they released their load.  The Typhoon had come.

 

During our stay in Tokyo, I was honored to be asked to attend Tomitaka sans’ dojo for a training session, Tomitaka is a Karate Grand Champion and my Sensei (Nishimura) hosts him when he attends our Annual Championship here in the US.  To my surprise, Grand Master Setamatsu 8th Dan, was waiting at Tomitaka’s dojo to teach me, I was so excited, I almost pee’d my pants, good job I didn’t cuz I needed the extra water to get me through the grueling training session.  Afterwards, as is customary, our generous hosts; Tomitaka and his wife, took Sensei Setamatsu, Keith, Bridget and I out for an ‘Italian.’  Setamatsu Sensei spoke no English, so a lot of the evening was spent playing charades. Bridget fell asleep face down in her noodles!

 

Leaving Japan, I reflected on my journey.  Within the concrete structures packed together like matches in a matchbox, I was aware of the uniformly dressed men and slim, elegantly dressed women, hustling to their desk jobs along streets completely devoid of trash.  When asked for help or directions, I noticed how everyone breaks into a polite and willing smile and broken English.  Modern technology in the form of cell phones, and nintendo’s were evident on almost everyone, but never talked into on public transportation.  And I decided that approximately 99% of Tokyo’s population fall asleep on the subway trains.  I love Japan, I admire its people, and I think everyone else in the world should look into their trash situation.