Andre Bertel: Big in Japan

Hi folks,

Just a note to say got a very nice pat on the back from someone who is the "real deal," Andre Bertel.

We are in the same country, but at different ends- he's in Kyushu while I am in the concrete metropolis of Tokyo.

What am I trying to say here?

What I figured is that we are here on the ground training and you will decide whether we have anything valid to offer. You sometimes get the feeling that some people figure that being in Japan and training in Japan is no longer a necessary pilgrimage (deliberate use of religious terminology there).

In our own ways, Andre keeping Asai Bujutsu Karatedo "alive and kicking" ("hansoku!") and me here trying to transcribe what it's like to train under YS week in week out, year in year out, are allowing you to make your own decisions. You can take it or leave it, ignore or enjoy it.

I say...enjoy! ;-)