globetrotter persona

  Women fencing

I was surprised to see Japanese women practicing kendo. I thought Japanese women were supposed to be docile and feminine, but the ones I saw were quite aggressive at the sport.

Fencing class

This is a picture of young men learning the Japanese style of fencing known as kendo. This is a very popular activity for young people in Japan. The room is very similar to the facility where I took my first class here.

  Men doing judo

There was a judo class going on where I did my kendo class. I had never seen anything like it before. It is a form of combat that involves a lot of throwing. I was told you can use it to counter attacks from someone with a weapon, but I find it hard to believe that it would be effective against someone who is armed.

  Sumo wrestlers

I laughed when I saw this picture. These are sumo wrestlers. They are really overweight and look like they wouldn’t be able to wrestle at all. And their outfits are outrageous. They look like they are wearing diapers. It is a barbaric sport!  

    Samurai

This is a Japanese warrior known as a samurai. I have been disappointed because I have not yet seen any samurai on my travels around the country. I would like to see one and get a close look at his swords.

Initial paragraph:

I have been wanting to take up martial arts for a while, so when the opportunity to take a trip through Japan arose, I had to go. I really wanted to take a kendo class where the sport started, and compare it to real fencing. Kendo is the practice of samurai swordsmanship, and I would like to see some samurai fighting. I have not seen any yet, but I am hoping that my next class will be taught by one.

Final paragraph:

Westerners went to Japan with their own preconceptions about Japanese people and their activities. They found sumo wrestling to be barbaric, but the Japanese understand that it is a real contest of strength and skill. It is a professional sport in Japan. Also, many Westerners believed that samurai were still in existence in Japan in the late 1800s, but the samurai class had been phased out of existence by then. Westerners also stereotyped Japanese women as docile and child-like. They did not expect to see them practicing martial arts.