~ Back to Japan for work again after the year-end trip!! Our 3-year-old & 1-year-old will be battling jet lag too!! ~
Following February, in March as well I’ll be in LA for Malia’s intensive training—and visiting three dojos to coach!!
In between, I’ll be teaching judo in Virginia on the East Coast (next to Washington, D.C.) (3/20–22), and Malia’s intensive training camp in Japan has also been set for early April!! It’s going to be an unbelievably busy early spring on the West Coast!!
1. Japan Intensive Training Camp Schedule
マリアトレーニングキャンプ日程（休日除き全日程同行）
To be honest, it’s a tough schedule. The goal is to push both mind and body to the limit through training with Abe Uta—one of Japan’s top athletes and also among the best in the world—and then to fight our way back up from there. It won’t be easy, but it’s a path we can’t avoid if we want to become Team USA representatives at the Olympics. First target: winning the Senior Nationals in May (2nd place last year). We’re going all-in!!
2. LA Dojo Caravan Update!!
Thankfully, we’ve been approached by many dojos—and I’m grateful to be in a position where we have to make difficult choices among them. Compensation varies widely from \$200 to \$1,000 per day, but kids are the same everywhere.
With the motto “Not money—kids’ happiness!!”, I try to accept based on whatever amount each dojo can offer (even though it’s tough on the wallet…).
( 1 ) Team１Judo
This cool-sounding dojo is located in a Buddhist church building in Anaheim—home of the Angels, where Shohei Ohtani used to play—and the same gym also hosts kendo. We had a great turnout (40 kids and 20 adults), and the session was a huge success!!
( 2 ) Mojica Judo
Sensei Mojica, the owner, learned judo from the father of Tadahiro Nomura (three-time Olympic champion). He saw me teaching at another dojo last time, scouted me directly, and that’s how this visit happened. The adult class—over 30 people—was full of energy!! It was a day where I could coach with real intensity!!
( 3 ) Encino Judo Club
A dojo in a seaside town called Oxnard, about 1.5 hours northwest of central LA. Amazingly, the instructor here is a senior from my days at Teikyo University!! (He was a 4th-year when I was a freshman—someone like a “god” from my perspective back then.) Visiting and seeing him for the first time in about 20 years was nerve-wracking!!
Maybe because they’re usually coached strictly (just like in our university days), the kids’ focus was serious, and we had an excellent time. Afterward, he even let me stay at his home, and we talked late into the night about taking on challenges in America. It’s one of my best memories—and it was a day that gave me energy and courage!!
In the group photo after practice, we struck some funny faces—say cheese!! Good job!!
Here are my senior from my Teikyo days and his sons!! Look at this sashimi!! It makes you forget you’re in the U.S.!!
3. Upcoming Schedule
- 3/20 (Fri) – 22 (Sun): Two clinics in Virginia!!
- 3/24 (Tue) – 4/15 (Wed): Training camp in Japan (including the preparation period)
- •4/17 (Fri) – 19 (Sun): Back to Virginia again—3-day Judo camp instructor!!
- 5/1 (Fri) – 3 (Sun): Coaching judo at a dojo in San Diego
- 5/4 (Mon) – 7 (Thu): In LA for Malia’s pre-competition coaching and LA dojo instruction
- 5/8 (Fri) – 10 (Sun): U.S. Senior Nationals (New Mexico)
- 5/15 (Fri) – 17 (Sun): Two clinics in New York!!
As you can see above, it’s a whirlwind schedule through mid-May!!
Most important of all is staying healthy. I’m keeping in mind that if I go down, I’ll cause trouble for many people—so I’ll do my best to manage my condition. After our most recent stay in LA, the kids each took turns running fevers that lasted a full week, and caregiving wiped out two weeks (and medical expenses aren’t cheap either…). Health comes first—please take care of yourselves, everyone.
