News

The 2nd GKJN Cup (Chicago Youth Judo Championship)   The GKJN Cup, the summer JUDO festivity with 500 JUDOKAs will return to Chicago!! Due to the construction of our new DOJO, we had to postpone the event in 2023, but in June 2024, the 2 day event will be back even bigger!! We are in negotiations of inviting Olympic Medalist from Japan – please look forward to the improved US Judo and the GKJN!! 1. Event Details (1) Dates 2June 15～16, 2024 ① Sat, June 15th：The 26th Tohkon Cup (Adults & Youth Individuals) ② Sun, June 16th” The 2nd GKJN Cup (AM: Judo Clinic by Top Athletes/PM: Youth Team Match) […]

US Judo Clinic Caravan @ Los Angeles This month’s stage is in Los Angeles!!  Who did I meet?  What did I accomplish?  This edition is Megumi’s Challenge in the Wet Coast. They even prepared a flyer for this. Is this Hollywood??? 1. 102 years since its opening, 110 JUDOKAs in a legendary Dojo Athletes lining up is the same anywhere!! The DOJO is located in San Fernando Valley which is about a 30 minute drive north of LAX. It has a history of 102 years – which goes together with the history of the Japanese Community in Greater Los Angeles. It was a tough schedule with 3x 3 hour sessions

  5409 West Devon Ave, Chicago IL., USA (15 minute drive from O’hare Airport) Floorspace: 8,000 sqft (including basement) Schedule to be in Operation： April 2024  (Construction has started) Fund Raising Target: $50,000 Fund Raising Period: Nov 1 ~ Dec 15   Conceptual Drawing 3 JUDO Rings to be placed   Finally, the new Dojo Construction Project in Chicago will commence.  Tohkon Judo Academy – partner of GKJN and I also participate as a Board Member – has decided to leave the Dojo in Downtown Chicago after 27 years and move to a new permanent facility. The total cost including the acquisition of the real estate is $926,000 – most

Judo Clinic in a rural city in Indiana On Saturday, September 30th, I was invited for a Judo Clinic by the city of Muncie Indiana located about 220 miles southeast of Chicago.  2 hours in the morning and another 2 in the afternoon.  Although it was only 4 hours, I met with a lot of great people, and was able to pickup some findings.  I made me realize again that my activity of cultural exchange and healthy youth development through Judo has no limits. Please allow me to share the experience with a lot of photos. Muncie Indiana Yup, driving through the middle of nowhere １．JUDO Lovers!! Muncie Indiana, the

3 years after founding GKJN, 3 years after moving to the USA Thanks to everyone, GKJN will reach our 3 year mark this 1st of October!! I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone that help support our activities. Still a baby, but here’s what we have accomplished   Creating our LOGO was tough enough (FYI – this was designed by my Mom!!)   3 months after acquiring my Athlete VISA, I met 3 girls at a Clinic. I keep in touch with them still today.   Judo class in Japan was also filled with great findings and memories.   4th Year Goal Our activities will be based on

2 Boys from the US participating in the US Open after their training camp in Japan During end of June to mid July, we have sent 2 of the premier athletes at the Tohkon Judo Academy to Japan for 4 weeks.  They experienced the boot camp at the Mecca of Judo, the Kodokan, as well as at Kyoto Ryukoku University, and Aichi Seijo High School.  After their return to the US, they fought at the only international event in the US, the United States Open (July 28~30) With limited budgets, everything was “hand made” including homestays in various locations as well as staying at my home 😊  It’s the first

Acting as Main Coach in the Women’s Camp Where all women JUDOKAs in the United States get together I participated as the Main Coach in the Women’s Camp which took place in Denver, CO from July 14th to 16th and experienced another way of JUDO.  A 3 day event where 60 women JUDOKAs got together, a really precious experience.  Please read the article as though you were part of this Camp. Below is the entire schedule.  My portion is highlighted in yellow (Yes, there’s a lot!!) (80% preparation, 20% execution – I did my best in the preparation) Camp Schedule 2023 1. What is Women’s Camp? (Official Name：Keiko Fukuda Joshi

US Junior Olympics, my students were in 5th and 6th place On June 16th and 17th in Shreveport, Louisiana the Junior Olympics were held where 3 members from Tohkon Judo Academy participated.  The other mission was to look for next generation potential candidates for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.  This article shares the excitement of the games and the efforts of our students.  Please enjoy the article as it also contains our “funny’ trip down there. １．Site is in Louisiana, requires a layover Our flight to Shreveport was from Chicago via Dallas Fort Worth – a 5 hour one way excursion.  Yes, it’s summer, dead summer and everyday the temperature

A fruitful stay in Japan, grateful to meet everyone Last month, I was invited to a Judo Class in Japan (Takahagi City, Ibaraki) and made a round trip to Japan. In this article I would like to tell you about my activities as well as the meetings I had with various people. 1. Highlights of Japan My mission JUDO is the same, but a lot of content filled activities (1) Met and dined with my dream Prof. Kaori Yamaguchi (May 7th @ Tokyo) I was very nervous, but with a bit of help from alcohol we talked about being a woman, a mother, and a Judoka. (2) Judo Class in

There’s drama for everyone in the annual promotion test On March 23rd, the promotion test at Tohkon Judo Academy took place and I participated as a judge.  At this academy, the promotion test takes place twice a year (but for each individual, the opportunity is once a year) and if you pass, your grade becomes higher and the belt color also changes.  It’s a BIG event for kids. This article talks about the thoughts of the kids taking the test, and the difference of this test between US and Japan. Nervous kids before the test Judging must be strict but correct.  I too was a bit tense. 1. Promotion Test