Tuesday March 15th.. The Final Post...

After 48 hours of traveling and almost 24 hours flying, I got home to Shanagolden at around 10pm last night.  Relieved, tired, excited to see my family and friends but also an empty feeling for Japan and its people..  About a month ago when I had a couple of "bad" days and missed home I could have seen myself returning early.. However, things really improved... I managed to find a better balance... my parents were due to visit.. my thesis almost complete.. and really looking forward to training as hard as I possibly and as much as I possibly could for the last few weeks..even driving myself to a point of exhaustion!  It had never crossed my mind that I would have to return home because of a natural disaster and a worsening crisis...

Even writing this blog this afternoon at the kitchen table at home, I have mixed feelings.. Sky News on in the background with all the bad news..  I emailed Matsue Sensei at the dojo and also Inada Sensei to explain that I decided to leave Japan...Inada Sensei was special for me as you probably gathered from my blog and that is why I sent him a private email..  It all seems a little bit like a bad dream..  But on the positive side.. I have had a brilliant experience in Japan over the last two months.. I have lived the dream by training full time at the JKS Hombu Dojo.  Many things come to mind with the several falls I had due to pools of water that my excessive sweating would generate...  Kanayama Sensei bringing me a towel on several occasions... Inada Sensei and his personal attention to me in the dojo with the cups of water (which I didn't get to drink...!) and being smacked by him on a few occasions with the shinai for not having correct technique... traveling to the championships with the Sensei's and listening to Inada Sensei's favourite CD of Eric Clapton... thinking that I was going to be knocked unconcsious by Yamaguchi Sensei as I held the focus pad as he did repititions of mawashi-geri jodan... feeling sorry for Taka-san as he was on the end of a couple of "beatings" from me as Inada Sensei looked on and wondering where the blood that was on my dogi came from when I was finished... the attention that all of the Sensei's gave me during my training... being felt welcome and part of the dojo by the members... leading the line as senior on several occasions and leading the dojo-kun... the post competition private party for the Sensei's which I was invited along to and really made welcome... the nervous, anxious feeling as I headed to the dojo everyday and the relief and sense of achievement after each training session... going to Akirano-shi and staying with the Sobajima family... cycling to Yagi Sensei's dojo on the bicycle which was far too small for me... Angelo and Michiko and the kindness and support that they gave to me during my stay... their wedding party and being there with all the members and Sensei's from the Hombu Dojo...  Eating with Nick and all the salary men under the railway tracks... many many more memories and let's just say that it has been an unbelieveable worthwhile experience...

I'm a full believer in "what's for you won't pass you by"... I know that it is unfortunate that my stay in Japan was cut short but maybe this was just supposed to happen the way it did... I mentioned in my blog previosuly that I am now anxious about how I will be able to maintain the intensity in my training on a daily basis no wthat I have left Japan.. I know it's very difficult and almost impossible to generate that same level of intensity that makes the Hombu Dojo a really special place to train... But on a positive side I can't wait to share my experiences and new knowedge of my karate with other people here in Ireland through teaching in some form or another... I have two or three days work to do on my PhD thesis and then I am very lucky that I'll have some time to relax and plan the next phase of my life... Where do I go next.. what avenue do I decide to explore... Post-doctoral research in the U.S.A... second level teaching or university level teaching... karate.. is it time to set up my own dojo... Lots of decisions to be made but I'm looking forward to it!

Finally, I'd like to thank everybody that has followed this blog and that I have shared my experiences with..  Your support was especially important to me when I had "bad" days and it always drove me on again.. Thanks to the many people that left comments on my blog, on facebook and the many emails I recieved..  This blog was something that Frank at Scott Sensei's dojo in Dublin suggested to me that I should keep before he left Japan with the group in early February... I set out with the intention that I would tell people exactly how it was.. didn't matter how good or bad I was feeling.. I wanted to be as brutally honest as I could... I didn't want to paint a picture that training fulltime in the Hombu Dojo was all a really good, easy experience and that life in Japan was brilliant and easy to adapt to.. I hope you now understand and appreciate the full experience :-)

Since I started this blog I have almost 6,000 views so there were many many people follwoing my experience... In time when the situation in Japan settles down I would like to maybe do some sort of a fundraiser for the people in Japan.. I'm not sure where we can send this money exactly and what to do with it but I do know for example that one particular Sensei who had two of his grandparents killed by the tsunami and I'm sure in time we will all be able to relate to people who have been effected... I'm sure when things settle down and areas that need financial assiatnce are identified that maybe we can arrange some sort of a fundraiser...  So for the time being.. I would like to say thank you once again.. Until the next time :)