News

Local Tournament in Wisconsin Sunday, March 5th a Judo Tournament took place in Wahadachi, a suburb of Milwaukee.  Local Tournament? 354 participants and 600 including spectators. 24 kids from Tohkon participated in the tournament.  The seconds were Doug and myself.  This article is about a wintery day where we fought together with the kids. 90 minutes straight north from Chicago is Milwaukee Lutheran High School had a huge gym. We laid out 4 rings in this gym. 1. Always straight and honest – seconds for kids are more important. My mission is to as to assume the second for kids and have them win as much matches as possible. Last […]

an endless battle with inferiority complex – your challenging spirit is vital 18 months after my move to Chicago.  I am at a point where daily Judo Coaching is part of my routine. However, doing something different than when I was competing, I question myself “Am I showing any progress?”  This article talks about my mind and coflicts with my daily life.  I hope this could be a message to those who are struggling with their lives abroad, or those that are looking forward in a professional career in a different country. (1) Conservative and Aggressive One thing I understand to be important is when to be conservative, and when

Tohkon Judo Academy Kagami Biraki (Jan 14th) On Saturday, January 14th, a tradition of the start of New Year Martial Arts Training, Kagami Biraki took place at the Tohkon Judo Academy.  This article is about this event. Due to the pandemic, it has been 3 years from the last time this took place.  The event is hosted by Tohkon Judo Academy, JASC (Japan American Services Committee) where 200 people participated including the kids and adults of the Dojo as well as the coaches and staff.  We also had an honorable guest, Mr. Tajima, the Counsel General of Japan at Chicago. Kagami Biraki Agenda 8:00 ~ 12:00 Kagami biraki preparation –

Annual Schedule and the Kangeiko on Jan 8th I hope everyone had a very happy new years into 2023.  I heartfully thank everyone that is supporting GKJN activities. This article talks about the GKJN schedule for 2023 which has been approved by the Board Members of GKJN as well as the Kangeiko that took place on January 8th. Continuing in 2023, I will be marching forward being honest to my belief.  I wish for the continued support to my activities. 1. Annual Schedule 2023 Our network has grown where there will be events EVERY MONTH!!  Below are the main objectives of my activities. Promoting Judo in the United States as

~ Gratitude to sponsors, Public Lecture, Preparation for 2023 and returned to cold Chicago ~ After my move to the United States, I have made a visit to my home country Japan after 16 months.  In this article, I wish to share the activities there together with what I felt, what I was surprised at, etc. The objective of my Japan Trip was to show my gratitude to my sponsors (with the tight schedule, I couldn’t visit all of them – my apologies), my first public lecture (Rotary Club in Odawara-Naka) Preparation for the US Kids Judo Camp in Japan, and visits to Adidas Japan, Mizkan, Ryukoku University, and meeting

~Participation in the USA Judo Presidents Cup and meetings with Chairman of USA Judo~ This is an article of the Dallas Open and the Presidents Cup held in Irving Texas on November 19th and 20th. 1.     What is the Presidents Cup? The Presidents Cup is held every year just before Thanksgivings, and is one of the top 3 judo championships in the United States, with the two others being US Senior Championship and the US Open,  Every year this event is held over 2 days.  The 1st day I s the local event (Dallas Open) and the 2nd day is the main event, the Presidents cup.  Both are USA Judo

2 year anniversary of GKJN – thanks to all the support!! As we enter October, Chicago is seeing chilly weather where the temperatures dip below 50F (10C) in the mornings.  I am kind of seeing a glimpse of winter… Bravo!!  GKJN is celebrating 2 years as of October 1st. 1st GKJN Cup @ Rosemond Dome (June 5th, 2022) This was only possible with everyone’s support.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have retired as an athlete in March of 2020 where I met Attorneys, Paralegals, Tax Specialists, and with their support, I was able to establish GKJN in October of 2020.  I have also taken the

~My Partner wins Silver at the World Veterans Championship (Poland)~ What do you imagine when you hear the word “JUDO?” Olympic medalists? The cold tatami? Or the beautiful Womens Judokas?..lol There maybe many ways that people look at JUDO but I believe that most people have an image that this is “A sport played by special people”  This figure is shown in the decrease of Judo Population in Japan.  In the 17 years from 2004 to 2021, the Judo Population decreased from 200,000 to 120,000.  As for grade school children, the count decreased from 47,000 to 25,000 – roughly half… On the other hand, the No. 1 Judo Population is

~Review of the 1st GKJN Cup, and Preparation for Next Year~ On July 8th, the 5th GKJN Board Meeting took place via Zoom between Chicago and Japan.  The following day, the Board Meeting of Tohkon Judo Academy took place where I participated as a Board Member. The main topic of the Tohkon board Meeting was to discuss about the 25th Tohkon Cup (Individuals) and the 1st GKJN Cup (Team Event).  Wrap up and identifying room for improvement was the core of the discussion. I will refrain from details, but the major take away was an agreement to “Expand the scope of the event to All America and to invite international