Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.

Members of the Shorinji Kempo group at one of the local universities display their fighting skills for JCMU students Friday morning. Kempo is a fighting style that focuses on 3 categories: goho (hard techniques: kicks and punches),  juho (soft techniques: drawing out and throwing) and seiho.

The sensei demonstrates a move.

Despite every starting out every Friday with a Japanese language test, they are pretty great days. After the test members from a local universities' Shorinji Kempo group came to JCMU to show and teach us some moves. While we only learned the some basics, like throwing a punch and breaking someones grip, it was fun to move around and learn them. It was also very impressive to see them demonstrate more moves. The sensei has been practicing since the end of World War II.

After showing off my amazing fighting skills I got to show off my skills in the kitchen. A Japanese student, Yuco, came and taught my roommate, another student, and I how to cook curry. Not only did she teach us how to cook it but she also taught us some origami. I made crane. Yuco upstaged us all by making a crane, a box, and a two different bunnies. The curry tasted amazing and we have some lovely table decorations.

My cooking skills were put to the test even further that night when me and another student made vegetable tempura. It took us a few tries to get the batter right but we got there. Three kitchens were used that night to make enough food for over 20 of us. A good time was had by all.

Brad and Yuco making little origami bunnies.

Yuco making an origami game.

The finished products.