Travel Report from the 2018 European Gasshuku
Onegaishimasu,
Here is my travel report from London.
The 32nd European Gasshuku in London was a great success. There were over 350 IOGKF members that came from over 20 countries. The European Gasshuku is the second largest IOGKF event after the World Budosai in Okinawa (held once every 4 years). Under the leadership of Sensei Ernie Molyneux (8th dan, IOGKF World Vice Chief Instructor, Chief Instructor of EGKA), Sensei Linda Marchant and her group did a fantastic job hosting this big event. From the beginning through to the Sayonara Party, the event ran very smoothly. There were over 10 IOGKF top instructors teaching groups divided by rank for 5 days. The weather in London was extremely hot. They were experiencing the hottest summer in the last 40 years. At the end of the Gasshuku, all the participants did 33 Gekisai Dai Ichi together. We counted from the establishment of the IOGKF in 1979 to all 32 European Gasshuku including London. After 33 kata, there were drops of sweat all over the floor. I was very happy to see so many people from different countries, cultures, and religions training together on one floor, and creating strong connections.
Tetsuji Nakamura