"Before I tell you more about my latest steps in Japan, let me take you back to where I left off. As you might recall, I had set myself a special mission here: to practise judo in all eight regions of Japan. When I last wrote, I was in Kansai, my fifth region, just before I had to leave the country due to my visa expiring.
Thankfully, the timing aligned perfectly with an opportunity to coach Team Vanuatu at the Pacific Mini Games in Palau.
Palau is a truly magical place, an island nation in the Pacific with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants. To get there, I booked a flight from Nagoya to Guam and then on to Palau. What I didn’t realise, though, was that Guam falls under American jurisdiction and I needed a U.S. visa to transit. I applied at the last minute but was approved just one hour too late to board. In the end, I had to rebook everything: Nagoya to Tokyo, Tokyo to Guam and finally to Palau. It was quite the ordeal!
Still, when I arrived, the welcome from the Vanuatu team made everything worthwhile. The Pacific Mini Games is a multi-sport competition with an Olympic-style format. It reminded me of the energy and structure of the Paris Olympics, just on a smaller scale.
I arrived a week before the judo events began, which included individual, mixed team and open-weight categories. We had one hour of official training time per day but many delegations had only one or two athletes; that’s hardly enough for a proper session. So, knowing Palau’s judo president, Jennifer Anson, I suggested we host open daily training sessions for all countries. She agreed and the response was overwhelming. At its peak, we had between 40 and 50 athletes training together on the mat. The level varied a lot but the atmosphere was electric, positive, friendly and full of smiles. Many of us became friends and we even began planning future international exchanges.
For many of Vanuatu’s judoka, this was their first time competing internationally. Managing nerves and nutrition became just as important as technical preparation but they truly rose to the occasion. We won our first ever gold medals and achieved a record medal count for Vanuatu. We finished second overall in judo. I can only hope that this success helps boost funding and support for the federation, especially as they continue rebuilding after last year’s earthquake, working towards constructing a new national dojo.
Once the competition ended, I flew back to Japan, landing in Kanto, one of the most active regions of the country. Unfortunately, it was the peak of summer; incredibly hot and right in the middle of the holiday season, when many dojos close.
Luckily, my friend Tanguy, who organises judo tours, was in Tokyo at the same time. He invited me to join him for a session at Waseda University. I already knew the place well from when I worked with their students during my Master’s thesis, so it was great to return. The atmosphere was calm as the season had just ended, but Waseda had recently finished in the Top 16 at the All Japan Championships which is a big deal. I filmed the training and I’ll be sharing that video soon.
Finding dojos during the summer break wasn’t easy, but there was one notable exception: the Kodokan Summer Camp. I reached out to the Kodokan and was given full access to visit and film, a huge honour. Even better, I was offered the chance to interview Mr Haruki Uemura, the President of the Kodokan and Olympic champion in the open weight category in 1976.
I had expected a formal, perhaps even intimidating setting, but instead found a warm and supportive environment. Some of the instructors already knew about my project, which meant a lot to me. Feeling recognised and encouraged by the Kodokan itself was incredibly humbling. I can’t wait to share the full video, it was a major highlight of this journey.
I’m now getting ready for the final two regions of Japan. As I write, I’m packing for Sendai in the Tohoku region. After that, it’s off to Hokkaido, which will complete my eight-region mission in Japan. Next on the map is Mongolia, likely my last country in Asia for this season.
Japan has been financially tough. Teaching opportunities are limited here, which means fewer donations but I’m proud to have come this far. I’m also deeply grateful to everyone who’s supported me along the way. Now it’s time to recharge and seek new sponsors to help fund the next steps of this extraordinary journey.
Thank you, as always, for reading. See you soon for the next chapter!"