This is what they say down at the dojo:
礼に始まり礼に終る
Not that I have ever set foot in one. But if you watch the judo or sumo on TV you get it.
Bow;
Kick arse;
Bow.
My student said he was keen for his son to learn karate because it would teach him these things about life, as well as kicking [...]
Ever wondered what these guys are called?
They are おかめ and ひょっとこ, and you will see them all over Japan in souvenir stalls and at festivals. They are 神楽 (かぐら “god-entertainment”) and are a kind of Shinto dance. I started reading up about it, but got a bit bored pretty quickly. I did find [...]
You know when the company sends dad away for years at a time to some far-flung corner of Aomori?
There is a word for that, I found out. It is somewhat poorly translated by my trusty as “a commuter marriage”. That hardly conjures up the image of a father absent for years at the behest of [...]