The Budo Odyssey: Living and Training in Japan

The end of the year is a particularly special time of the year for Japan. There are several “cultural” group related events for colleagues, businesses and for groups, including martial arts. Respectively, there are three main types of parties surrounding the New Year: before the New Year, New Years and after the New Year, so to speak. Many smaller dojo in Japan do not have official tests to assign rank. In turn, they use the end of the year as a time to assign rank. That is not saying ...