Curry for 300
August 17th, 2010
Uchideshi serving meals to the homeless at the Denver Rescue Mission
One of the responsibilities of being an uchideshi (live-in student) at Nippon Kan is helping to prepare and serve our monthly dinner for the homeless at the Denver Rescue Mission. This dinner is served on the 3rd Sunday of every month and has been a Nippon Kan tradition for the last 20 years. On the Sunday of the meal service, preparations begin early in the morning. Students join in the preparation after morning practice, peeling and chopping vegetables for the evening meals. After an entire day of cooking the meals are packed and transported to the mission in the Nippon Kan van.
The actual dinner services start at 5:30 pm at the Denver Rescue Mission, and usually there are four dinner services for the homeless that end about 9:00 pm. By the time that all of the pots and utensils are transported back to the dojo and washed and put away it is usually after 11:00 pm.
For the uchideshi, Sundays are usually their only day of rest, but on one Sunday a month, all uchideshi devote the entire day to this homeless meal service. The experience for all uchideshi that come to Nippon Kan is one that can be very helpful in developing organizational and other skills beneficial for later careers. Homma Kancho encourages, “Only as a Nippon Kan uchideshi do you have the opportunity to make curry for 300 people at a time”.
Uchideshi helping Homma Kancho cooking pots of curry for the homeless meal service
Written by
Jim Lattanzio
Uchideshi Coordinator
Farewell Practice for Michele
November 9th, 2010
Michele after his final practice…
On November 9th, 2010, Michele completed his fourth term as an uchideshi at Nippon Kan (one term is 3 months). To reach this milestone, Michele attended an especially rigorous practice instructed by one of our senior technical instructors, Michael. In this class, Michele performed 100 ukemi (rolls or high falls from a technique) and scrambled with students to save his uchideshi patch. Michele emerged from the class with a torn uniform but otherwise in good spirits. Unbelievably, Michele is coming back in January 2011 for another term while he attends school.
Banu’s Uchideshi Experience Report
Sep 29th 2010
Banu practicing at Enshin Karate Dojo. She has quite a strong kick!
Banu Alisverisci has completed two terms as a Nippon Kan uchideshi and this summer returned to Nippon Kan for her third term in the Summer August Marathon. Banu is one of the chief instructors in her own dojo in Ankara, Turkey and has returned regularly to Nippon Kan to train in the last few years. More information on Torii Dojo
Banu has written about her experience as a Nippon Kan uchideshi Link here to read!
The Challenge is Everything; December’s Coldest Day 2010
These uchideshi come from a place in Japan with there is little snow, so this December, 2010 presented a challenge of its own for them! The temperature was below zero when this picture was taken, and even saying “Cheese” took effort! Ah the prowess of youth! On the left is uchideshi Hiro Yagi and on the right is uchideshi Nori Hayashi. Hiro graduated from the University of Denver with a master’s degree and will start a new job in Japan in April. He will continue his term as Nippon Kan uchideshi through March 2011. Nori will complete his second term in January 2011. All of this was amusing to Homma Kancho who grew up in Northern Japan where a cold and snow is the norm through the many winter months.
Written by
Nippon Kan Editor