Last fiscal year, the Okinawa Prefecture Karate promotion division created a new application called “Okinawa Karate Navi” as part of the “Okinawa Karate Online Promotion Project”. This bilingual application is configured so that Japanese and international karate enthusiasts can easily search for dojo and karate related historic sites, etc.
This year, our information center has been outsourced to manage this application.
As it is an ongoing project, we will strive to improve the quality of the contents and add dōjō, historic sites and other contents along the way. We hope you will find it attractive.
Please visit the official YouTube channel of the Okinawa Karate Information Center.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0amtiyr-30l7Nb335k5aDw/videos
The world of Okinawa karate can sometimes be hard to grasp as there are many organizations involved. Our center has created an “Okinawa karate world map” to help better understand who’s who and who is in charge of what when it comes to karate in Okinawa.
This printed material is available at our office located inside the Okinawa Karate Kaikan. If you want some copies, feel free to ask when visiting the kaikan. This document is in Japanese (verso) and English (recto).
The map in PDF format can be found at the Major organizations and facilities page.
For the first fiscal year of the Reiwa era (April 1st 2019 to March 31st 2020), the Okinawa Karate Information Center has offered its support to 216 requests which represents a total of 682 people from 39 countries.
These people trained in Okinawa karate and kobudō with 62 dōjō owners and instructors.
In addition, the number of dōjō owners and instructors who have been involved in instructing through our center since its establishment in May 2017 is 111 people.
This year, the number of requests came for 37.5% from Europe, 35.2% from Asia, 18.5% from the Americas, and 8.8% form Africa and Oceania.
Countries from where originated the largest number of requests are Japan, the USA, France, Australia and Germany.
If you are interested in training in Okinawa, feel free to contact us anytime.
Below are some photos of some visitors who train this year in Okinawa.
Australian group training with Shōrin-ryū Maeshiro Morinobu sensei at the Okinawa Karate Kaikan.
An English karateka training in kobudō with Yoshimoto Kagemasa sensei in Kume Island.
A German group training in kobudō with Ishiki Hidetada sensei.
Italian visitors experiencing karate with Shōrin-ryū Uema Takeshi sensei.
A groups from mainland Japan experienced Shurite/Tomarite with Shōrinji-ryū Oyakawa Hitoshi sensei.
Thailand Gōjū-kai members training with the Okinawa Gōjū-ryū Karatedō Association.
USA senior high school students experiencing Okinawa karate with Shōrin-ryū Higa Kōyū sensei.
As part of a JICA-sponsored program, South American students experienced karate with Uechi-ryū Higa Susumu sensei.
For the this fiscal year (April 1st 2018 to March 30th, 2019), the Okinawa Karate Information Center has received 177 requests from individuals and organizations that were completed. It represents a total of 681 people from 33 countries and regions.
These people studied and researched Okinawa karate and kobudō by training with 63 dōjō owners and instructors.
The number of people by area is a breakdown of 137 people from Europe (67 projects), 293 people from Asia (47 projects), 215 people from the Americas (54 projects), and 36 people (9 projects) from Oceania and Africa.
Countries from where originated most inquiries are the USA, Japan, France, Spain, Germany and Canada.
If you are interested in training in Okinawa like the these people, feel free to contact us anytime.
Group from New Zealand and other nations. Instruction by Shōrin-ryū Kyūdōkan Higa Minoru sensei.
Australian club training at the Shōrin-ryū Shūbukan Uema Dōjō.
A US group training under Shōrinji-ryū Oyakawa Hitoshi sensei.
Ryūkonkai Iha Mitsutada sensei instructing during a seminar for a Chinese group.
