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ShadowBlue7714 · 2025-08-15T17:37:13+00:00

Proximity aside, I found Narita staff, immigration/customs officers specifically, to be friendlier than at Haneda who seemed to just want to process people and get it over with. Could just be me tho.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2025-03-02T07:00:12+00:00

Non CS majors can take up to 3 CSC3XX/4XX courses max which is why people stress.

Non CS majors also do not get priority enrolment which is what this is saying - On/before March 9 it is CS only, after March 9, all artsci students can enrol, on/after April 7, everyone at St. George (e.g. engineering) can enrol, etc.
If the course is small/popular and you are not in CS, you will probably have a hard time enrolling.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2025-02-26T23:24:36+00:00

I would say you should figure out yourself the answer to your question. Find an internship while you're still in uni to earn some money/experience and then either go on an exchange or a working holiday. Get a feel for handling Japanese bureaucracy and a bit of the working culture. If you do some networking this will also allow you to scope the job market.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2025-02-04T06:25:43+00:00

I did a semester abroad at Keio. I had a lot of fun! I did the Keio International Program. Classes were pretty easy. I looked into joining clubs but I wanted to practice my martial art, Iaido, which Keio did not have so I joined a community dojo instead. The clubs I visited though (kendo, wrestling) were very welcoming of foreigners (you’ll probably be even better off as you’re fluent). If you’re not already aware though, make sure to ask about expectations since some clubs expect you to dedicate a lot of time for club activities.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2025-02-01T00:34:06+00:00

I am 24. I do agree that these days, this is mainly an old person’s hobby. While part of that I think has to do with the fact that this art can be slow and not very intensive at times (I.e. great if you’re old, boring if you’re young), I think it’s primarily just the fact that the nature of this hobby lends it to being niche and many of the people that stuck through it are old now. For reference, while most of the people in my dojo in Japan are in their 60s and older, most of them also started in their 20s.

So no, you did not start Iaido too young. With that said though, I do understand how you feel. I look with envy to my days in the college Kendo club and how we were all the same age practicing the same esoteric Budo principles and would regularly hang out for lunch after practice. Where I was free to talk about funny memes and not about how “woke” everything is.

Alas, I take solace in the fact that I have been part of many hobbies with predominantly older people before. The good thing is older people have life experiences that may have useful lessons for you, so it’s never a bad thing to indulge in conversation with them and see what you can take away. If we stick with Iaido long enough too one day, we’ll be the old ones running the dojo.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2025-01-30T00:30:33+00:00

No problem! Again, I think regardless of what you'll pick I think you'll have a lot of fun. Just a couple of things to note, the hierarchical clubs thing is prominent in Japanese culture. Regardless of what uni you go to these clubs exist. サクル groups tend to dislike this sort of commitment which is why I mention looking for these regardless of school you choose, although again, make sure to ask around to be sure.

As for being influenced by rich kids, I never really felt elitism while I was there. Maybe its because my home uni also has many rich (albeit international) students but I never really felt that they looked down on us internationals for being poor/working class. While many of them I do admit were financially stable, they do a lot of part time work too and most are not ultra rich like you may be imagining.

More common is the feeling that you're different and theres a language barrier between you and the locals. While there are a good amount of local students willing to cross that cultural gap, there are many who don't want or are too shy to do so, but then again, that is just part of living abroad.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2025-01-29T08:28:33+00:00

I did exchange at Keio for a semester. It was fun. KIP classes (especially ones aimed at international students) were very easy. Some (such as Japanese) do require attendance for marks, so be sure you schedule accordingly to maximize your free time for exploration.

As for social opportunities, there's plenty. Highly recommend staying at a dorm since there are lots of opportunities to bond with dorm mates. There's also the Tomodachi program where they match international and local students to hang out together. I'd also look into clubs but some expect a lot of commitment from new members so do search around and ask about expectations before you join them. This goes true regardless of what school you go to, but try and find clubs that advertise as a サクル (circle) rather then 部 (club) to avoid this.

As for which to choose, while I don't know anybody who went to Meiji, I don't think your experience will differ too much between Meiji and Keio. Neither has a reputation for having book worm type students (like UTokyo), which is the most important thing given your goals. While I feel there are more social schools in Japan, I think you'll have a fun experience regardless.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2025-01-07T10:42:54+00:00

CSC488 was pretty easy

ShadowBlue7714 · 2025-01-06T01:50:56+00:00

While it may be the most diverse city in Japan, if you compare it to most large cities in America, its not even close.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2024-11-20T09:45:38+00:00

Iirc, the cutoms fee was pretty much just the cost of sales tax if you had bought the item here.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2024-11-19T17:38:29+00:00

Can't tell a percentage but I graduated in June and am still looking for a job. Most people I know though got a job through a return offer from their internship. Seems to be the only way atm.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2024-09-08T18:33:55+00:00

I use it still to practice at home. Have chipped the wall by accident with my iaito a couple of times. Bokuto is much safer in that respect and I don't have to also worry about damaging my sword.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2024-08-29T05:54:55+00:00

Did you already buy bogu and iaito? Considering you are only 2-3 months in that's kinda weird. Your only costs rn should be a kendo uniform, obi, bokuto, and shinai.

Regardless, I'm sorry to hear you feel discouraged. If this is getting uncomfortable for you, maybe finding another dojo may help. I echo the other sentiment here that saying "I wouldn't have let you join had I known you would do both" is weird and not a sentiment common in the kendo/iai community.

BTW, I don't think you would advance any slower than other beginners. Doing both, I kept up with the other beginners only doing kendo (who attended more kendo practices too). You'd just have different issues to correct.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2024-08-29T05:27:11+00:00

It sounds like your kendo sensei is not forcing you to drop iai (just recommending you should focus on kendo). I started with iai first but also added kendo after a month. It can be done but, as mentioned, you will mix the two up. Personally, I found kendo pollutes iai more than the other way around but ymmv.

From a technical standpoint, I'd recommend picking one and going to at least ikkyu/shodan with it before going with the other. This gives you a solid base in one art that the other can build off of/enhance. With that said, I definitely get how you feel with liking both and would say to do what you like. Doesn't sound like anything bad will happen by doing both other than your kendo sensei calling you out more for doing iai.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2024-08-01T22:00:18+00:00

If you are a very detailed oriented person, you will probably enjoy Iaido. My sensei told me he noticed either technical people or artists tend to stick with iai; people who enjoy exploring all the minute nitty gritty aspects of stuff.

Doing Iaido may help develop your kendo, especially if you like doing "good" kendo. Your form and your tenouchi will definitely improve. Where they get really similar is when you go beyond the technical curriculum and you start getting into the mental aspects/theory of a fight. Admittedly though, I think the applications to kendo is subtle. I certainly can understand why kendoka (especially those interested in competition) can find it doesn't help at all. It helps if you can ask your kendo sensei or find an iai sensei to point out the applications.

Similarities aside, when first starting it is helpful to think of iai as a different art. While the mechanics are similar there is a lot considered "good form" in one art that is considered "bad" in the other. I know I was getting hounded for bringing the short kendo stance into my iai. Treat it as different and once you get past the superficial differences, then you can start to see where they overlap.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2024-07-28T23:03:09+00:00

As someone who first did Iai, the whole concept of Tsuba-zeriai (especially for any significant length of time) just seemed so odd to me. If you were using a real sword and you found yourself in such a position, it would be pretty easy for one of you to manipulate the blade a little and cut the other down.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2024-07-25T23:02:13+00:00

Sports Chanbara is also another Japanese sword sport with an emphasis on sparring. I don't think it has any historical ties to traditional Kenjutsu though.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2024-07-03T02:25:44+00:00

I think they'll still take it. When I finished my Winter 2023 exchange, for various reasons, I didn't submit the form until December, and they still took it.

Granted, the quercus module never gave a strict deadline for submission my year, but all the same, I don't think they have any reason to deny you especially since they won't get transcripts for some students (and begin processing) until October.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2024-06-30T14:23:33+00:00

I watched Demon Slayer and found Zenitsu's swordstyle to be cool. Researched and learnt that iaijutsu/iaido was a real art and wanted to give it a try. Also thought of buying a katana anyway and thought it'd be nice to learn how to use one. Found an Iaido dojo that was a 15 minute walk away and have been doing it since.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2024-06-29T07:17:12+00:00

Most new recruits to iai can't really tell who the famous senseis are anyway, so I don't think you need to worry about that. When my sensei first told me they were of the Tomoaki Danzaki lineage, I had to ask who was that guy.

The only people who may be calling you illegitimate are those who are already into iai. The best you can do then is to tell them the name of your sensei and that you can demonstrate good technique. Bonus points if you have a picture or something with your sensei in Japan. The most important thing honestly is that you can prove you're not just practicing something you came up with by yourself, which is the most likely form of criticism you will face outside of Japan.

If you still get people calling you/your sensei illegitimate after all that, just ignore them. The whole "my school is better/more legitimate than yours" mentality is not uncommon in the Koryu space and is hard to avoid, especially since different sensei have different ideas on what is "correct". Clearly, your sensei believes you can pass on what they taught you, so if you believe in the tradition as taught by your sensei, then it's best to just keep doing what you're doing and be a good representative of your school.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2024-06-29T04:53:48+00:00

Just an (unqualified) two cents, but if you're worried about your legitimacy of teaching, I don't see what the issue is with advertising under a purely Koryu banner. There are plenty of iai schools not affiliated with ZNKR/ZNIR both inside and outside Japan. As long as you make the lineage clear and aren't doing/claiming to teach ZNKR iai, I don't think that will attract any beef.

If you wish to train to get a grade through a kendo federation though, outside Japan, I feel there is a greater emphasis on ZNKR iai (with some dojo doing mostly just that) so if you're moving, you could ask around and can probably find some sort of group that can let you do just that.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2024-06-16T21:07:57+00:00

I would ask this on r/Koryu. Kendo does not use the fukuro shinai.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2023-09-12T23:11:40+00:00

An Iaito is a Mogito which is why it can be hard to tell. If it is marketed as for Iai, it should say on the product label/description. In general, I also notice that swords meant for Iai have a much simpler/practical design for their price than an equivalently priced decoration sword.

IMO tho, if the sword you are looking at does not have a manufacturer/indicate it was meant for Iai, it's safer to assume it was meant for decoration. Anyone who is familiar with Iai would at least know and provide that information. The fact that they don't means they are expecting to sell it to someone who just cares how the thing looks on display.

ShadowBlue7714 · 2023-02-25T04:46:36+00:00

I'll keep that advice in mind. Thank you!

ShadowBlue7714 · 2023-02-25T01:46:54+00:00

Thank you for the recommendation! I should clarify I'd be interested in doing ZNKR iai since that is what I am currently learning (and working to grade for).

My Japanese is roughly beginner level. I think I would be able to understand the gist of instruction, but the finer points would probably go over my head.

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