Saturday, September 09, 2006

My first day of Kendo.
I went with some of my friends who were interested in kendo as well. We got there at four pm when kendo was supposed to start according to the list of clubs at the CIE office, but practice didn't start until later, around five. From four to five, we watched the kendo club practice in their equipment. They drilled for most of the time, though there was some sparring.It was interesting to me because I had studied fencing back in America. I didn't really understand what was going on, but I could see some parallels. Distance from your opponent is closer than it is in fencing because of the nature of the strikes. After the team practiced, they dressed out and one of the exchange students who practice with them, he studied here last semester, taught us some footwork. The practice was pretty short, but I think pretty much everyone was getting it at the end.

Learning Kendo is interesting because it provides a metaphor for my adapting to Japanese culture. I know fencing which is a similar and yet completely different martial art. Some things are the same, but many things don't carry over.

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