This trip was similar to the our previous trips with the exceptions of the Okinawans trying to outdo themselves in hospitality. We were treated as honored guests from our greeting at the airport to our sayonara party .

 

 

 

This time, in addition to seeing many of the cultural attractions, we were asked to participate in demonstrations at places that had amazed us before. We spent time in the homes and small dojo’s of many of the greatest Okinawan karate masters. Our karate seniors and their students fed us, kept us entertained, loaned us their personal vehicles, and even drove great distances to train us.

 

 

 

The aspect that was most reinforced on this trip is that karate is not so much in one’s physical ability as it is in the heart. In addition to hard training we experienced a good balance of what true karate is all about. The way a person trains in the dojo will be reflective of this personal development. Seeing the Okinawan heart and life helped us to realize these things in our lives.

 

 

Karate-do does not end when you leave the dojo but rather is a way of life. More specifically, having a good heart and the right attitude are the things that are developed by karate training. These are things that are practiced throughout one’s life.