From Bow to Brew – Karate, Culture & Canned Beer 🇯🇵🇩🇪– Jan 2026

22/01/2026 22/01/2026

noriaki

The other day, two guests from Germany joined our Tokyo Karate Dojo Experience.

As always, we explored some Japanese ways of thinking about the body, like:

“Relax your body, but not too much,”
“Focus on your inner self, but don’t forget the world around you.”

The three of us had a great time learning together!

At the end of the training, we did zōkin-gake (cleaning the floor with cloths).

This is one of the unique Japanese traditions I really want people to experience.

It’s a bit hard because it trains your legs and hips, but I think it’s also a great way to refresh your mind and daily life.

Instead of just saying, “That was a good workout! Let’s go home!”, we clean the space we used and prepare it for the next person.

Through this time, our hearts become calm, and we can return to daily life with a clear and peaceful feeling.
I was really happy to see the two guests enjoying the zōkin-gake.

After the dojo, it was cozy time!

We didn’t have draft beer that day, so we cheered with canned beer and lemon sour.
One of my junior dojo members happened to be there, so we had a nice little gathering.

There were many kinds of canned beer, and we couldn’t decide which one to choose—
so we shared and enjoyed many different flavors.

That’s the fun part of drinking at a liquor shop!

I’ve never been to Germany, but my junior has.
They told me that a beer called “Weizen” is really delicious.
Now I really want to visit Germany someday and try the local food and drinks!

It was a very fun time of cultural exchange.

We truly hope their journey in Japan will be a wonderful one.