Part 2
The following extract is taken from Sensei Manning’s original manuscript which chronicled his 1989 trip to the home of karate.
…The grand sounding Kano Mansions was a clean and perfectly habitable apartment in an area of Tokyo known as Setagaya ku; but it was very small! What my friend had said at the airport about the size of his room couldn’t have been more accurate. There was literally only enough room for us both to lie down! The first night I didn’t sleep at all, I was jet lagged, boiling hot and it was very cramped. As the sleepless night wore on I was beginning to think I had made a mistake – my major concern was that I might return to England in four weeks time looking like my friend, a physical wreck. The following night I slept like a log, my first night reservations were put behind me and I set to work locating the JKA’s headquarters, named by those who had trodden this path before me as ‘the hornet’s nest’!
The route from Kano Mansions to Shimokitazawa railway station was a 10-15 minute walk. It felt longer because it was ‘uphill and down dale’ and with it being September it was extremely humid. Although we never had the luxury of vehicular travel my friend had obtained a bicycle from somewhere and once or twice we used that. You can picture the scene: two ‘gaijins’ one precariously perched on the handlebars the other pedalling for all his worth on a bicycle that could have been the predecessor of the Penny Farthing had it had effective brakes! The streets were narrow with no pavement but the weary pedestrian was catered for by the occasional drinks vending machine which came into view like an oasis in the desert. They seemed incongruous at the time, a red Coca Cola machine randomly placed at the side of the street in the same way as we have red post boxes, but they were a welcome curiosity nonetheless. Once at the station I bought a ticket, ensured that I was on the correct line (an essential that was to cause a major problem at the end of my stay!) and boarded the first train to arrive. It was a result of sheer good fortune rather than meticulous planning that my destination was only a few stops away.
“Shibuya, Shibuya”, the monotone voice of the white gloved train driver was relayed into the carriages as the brakes were applied and the train came to a halt. As I emerged from the station onto the pavement and into the hustle and bustle that is central Tokyo I immediately saw a manned police box/station, “Could you tell me where the karate dojo is?”, I asked. “Ah, Ebisu Nishi, Ebisu Nishi” came the reply as the officer pointed across the road towards a MacDonald’s fast food joint. I wasn’t entirely sure that he had understood me but I thanked him nonetheless and walked off in the general direction of MacDonalds in any event. I had telephoned the JKA dojo before leaving Kano Mansions and had obtained the training times and the precise address. It was now about 3.30pm and the session began at 4.00pm. I knew that I was in the vicinity of the dojo but time was pressing and I needed to locate it sooner rather than later. I simply couldn’t be late for my first training session in the land of the rising sun!
It was Monday 4th September 1989 and I was part way through a law degree; my colleagues on the course were preparing for the new term after the long summer recess but I was preparing for something a lot more important! I was physically thousands of miles away from the law reports my colleagues were immersing themselves in; but mentally and spiritually I was a world away!
As I began climbing the stairs of the JKA headquarters I could feel adrenaline beginning to course through my veins which is a sensation I regard as a valuable and inherent aspect of authentic karate training! I pushed open the door and introduced myself to the Japanese gentleman sitting behind the desk. I produced my red KUGB karate licence which contained the signatures of all my grading examiners including Sensei Enoeda’s and Sensei Sherry’s and at once an atmosphere of respect and trust was created. I filled in the necessary documentation, paid the very reasonable training fees and was issued with a card entitling me to unlimited training for a month. With some trepidation, but without a second thought, I opened the door to my left, removed my shoes and stepped into the dojo!
To be continued…
SOUTH NOTTS KARATE 