Day 299 of writing every day.
With the rebound of tourists visiting Japan as a result of the ending of COVID travel restrictions, and more recently the great weakening of the Japanese yen, my dojo has received inquiries about joining or observing a class from people who are in Osaka for a leg of their Japan visit. A few months ago there was a man from Puerto Rico, and tonight we have someone from the states.
I’d say Aikido may have had some temporary booms resulting from interest caused by movies and tv shows, but sometimes it’s just a fascination propagated by orientalism and the exotic image being constantly pushed and updated as a contrast to the West. Aikido gets pushed as the way of Peace and it gets the attention of idealists and people just sick of all the struggles and competitions in life at the personal and societal level.
Japan doesn’t have to be exotic if you don’t allow yourself to be sold on the image that outsiders both within and without the country sell to get views and clicks. The tourism industry in Japan doesn’t even try to use exoticism to attract visitors, instead offering views of historical places and good food plus safety and convenience.
Anyways, it’s nice that people who currently practice or have practiced and want to experience it again are showing interest in our dojo. It’s more likely that it’s because we’re located relatively close to their place of stay than because they know anything else about us. With respect to travelers, I’m also able to interpret so that they can still understand even if they can’t speak Japanese. And I made my dojo’s website and included an English section that makes it easier to use for people who don’t understand Japanese.
You don’t really know what kind of people might come though but sometimes it is the unknown that provides some much needed excitement to routine that risks becoming mundane. Our visitor turned out to be a pretty cool guy and we had dinner after class. He seemed to really appreciate the experience that was more unique than just going around doing touristy things. Being in Japan for the first time, he said this was an experience he’ll never forget.
Thanks for reading!
One Chance Works 