My Journey to Okinawa

Group Photo in the Hombu Dojo

Every Martial Artist who practices Karate has the ultimate dream of going to Okinawa to train. People train really hard their entire lives and build up to train in Okinawa but I was fortunate enough to receive this opportunity very early in my Martial Arts career.


Since I started training in Karate in 2010, I had the dream of going to Japan. There was always something about this place that intrigued me, even before my training began. It could have been the fact that I was a huge Batman fan and in the comics Bruce Wayne the alter ego of Batman travels to Japan for Martial Arts training. I made a promise to myself that no matter how long it took, I would go to Japan  at least once in my life.


But Japan doesn't let you do that, you can't just go there once. People who have traveled there fall in love with the place and many decide to move there permanently. It has this effect on you. Japan mesmerizes you. I went there to train with the Yagi family as a Brown belt and they welcomed me with open arms and treated me like family. I wish I had the space for all the stories, I could write pages for all the amazing things that happened to me.


I plan on going back in 2017 as a Black belt for a seminar that takes place every 5 years in Naha, where members of the Meibukan organization gather from around the world. Naha receives thousands of Martial Artists from almost 15 different countries for this seminar. It's a family made by blood and sweat.

Some Friend's I made on my Amazing Journey

Okinawa's Lion Guardian

Okinawa: The Birthplace of Karate

Entrance to Okinawa Prefecture Museum

In today's post, I want to talk about Okinawa, the place that gave us Karate. I want to talk about the history of the island and how Karate came to be. The Okinawan islands are the most southern part of Japan which is made up of thousands of small islands.

These islands are called Prefectures. The Okinawa prefecture is a hub of tourists. Many of the tourists are there to enjoy the warm climate and the beaches which Okinawa has no shortage of but there is a group of tourists that is there for a deeper purpose and that is to find the roots of any style of Karate they practice. Okinawa is the base for all styles of Karate. It is where it all started.

The headquarters for most of the world's biggest Karate organizations are in Naha, Okinawa. So how did Martial Art come to be? People living on the island were not allowed to carry Katanas( Samurai Swords) so they had to learn how to defend themselves from raiders and thieves. This was purpose Karate was invented by mixing Chinese Martial Arts and local forms of self-defense called Naha-te.

Okinawa was taken over by the Satsuma Samurai clan of Japan and it was forbidden for commoners to carry Samurai weapons. The local people found a very effective way of defending themselves by inventing not only Karate but by also turning everyday utensils into weapons. The practice of weaponry if called Kubodo.

A Chinese Scholar, Chinese Gardens, Naha

Takashiki Island, Okinawa

Training With Sensei Akihito Yagi

A poster of Sensei Akihito Yagi's film 

One of the biggest honours I have had while training in Karate is that I have had the chance to train with Sensei Akihito Yagi. Akihito Yagi is the grandson of Sensei Meitoku Yagi, the inventor of Meibukan Goju Ryu Karate. He is the current president and he took the position from his father Meitatsu Yagi.

One of Sensei Akihito’s responsibilities is to go to different countries to promote the Meibukan organization. He leaves Japan for almost 8 months a year to conduct seminars and make sure that Karate is being practiced properly in the satellite dojos.

I have had the opportunity to train with Sensei Akihito many times. The reason training with him is so special is because he has been given the responsibility of carrying on the Meibukan tradition and he has to make sure that it survives.

Sensei Akihito Yagi is also a Martial Arts actor appearing in 4 films and he is also a part of a rock band called RyuKyu free style. Sensei Akihito started training with his grandfather when he was 3. 

He is currently 38 years old and is and 8^th degree black belt. He has dedicated his life to making sure that his grandfather’s teachings live on.

Even with all his accomplishments, Sensei Akihito is one of the most down to earth people one can ever meet. He has no ego and he is a very good teacher. Taking a seminar with him is one of the best learning experiences for any Martial Artist. 

Me in the Home Dojo in Okinawa

Sensei Akihito in Canada

Introduction to Okinawan Karate

Shuri Castle, Birthplace of the Matsuhiga Weapon Techniques

The first post is to inform people about what Karate is. Karate is a Martial Art originating in the most southern part of modern day Japan, known as Okinawa. Okinawan Karate is a combination of a local Martial Art Naha-te which was invented during the early 19th century in the city of Naha and other Chinese Martial Arts, mostly White Crane.

If people are interested in taking up Karate, they should be aware of its origin and history. Karate has become one of the most popular Martial Arts in the world and people always confuse it for being Japanese, but the fact is that it was invented in Okinawa which was a separate kingdom known as the Ryukyu Kingdom and was taken over by Japan during the late 19^th century. Karate was taken to mainland Japan in the early 20^th century and took years to become part of Budo, which are the Martial Arts Japanese consider to be the “Way of the Warrior”.

The original spelling of Karate meant “Chinese hand”, giving a nod to its Chinese origins. When it was taken to mainland Japan, the spelling or the Kanji characters were changed slightly to make it “Open Hand”. The Japanese wanted to show that Karate finally belonged to them.

Today it is practiced by thousands of people across the world with many sub-styles in the mix. The most popular ones are Goju-Ryu, Shotokan, Shorin-Ryu, Uechi-Ryu, and Kyokoshin. All these styles originate from Naha-te but have adopted different techniques and philosophies to match their unique approach to Martial Arts. I will be focusing on Goju-Ryu through this blog, as I practice that style.

Dojo Tournament 2014

Bruce Lee Impersonation