Jim Nishimura (Joshua's dad)

[Jim Nishimura]

Hello everyone,

My name is Jim Nishimura, and my son Joshua (8) has been attending karate class for a little over a month.  He seems to be catching on, and seems to enjoy it. 

 

We recently moved from San Jose, and are still getting acclimated to the area.  So far, so good.  My wife (Iria) and I have been exploring the East Sac area, discovering good restaurants, shops, etc.  But more importantly we've been trying to make the move from San Jose as easy as possible for Joshua and his brother Noah (5).  They both attend Theodore Judah Elementary and on the whole the boys like the school, and have been slowly but surely making new friends. It's tough being the new kids on the block.

 

I'm VERY pleased that I was able to discover Mike Oliver and Zen Martial Arts (on the internet), a few months before we even moved up here.   This is the perfect place for my son to learn karate, and make new friends with good kids in the process.

 Joshua had taken the Japanese martial art, aikido, for a couple of years.  It was good for him and he learned to do forward and backward shoulder rolls (i.e. tumbling) pretty well, and some aikido moves.  But aikido is a defense-only art, and there are no punches or kicks, although you do throw the "attacker" down. In class, the student's partner acts as the attacker and does punch or kick, but only so that the student can practice the throws.  Then of course they switch roles.

 

Although Joshua has this experience, karate is significantly different.  He now has to learn punches and kicks, which I feel is a good thing for him to learn, since Joshua is gentle by nature and doesn't even hit his younger brother (who sometimes is just asking for it ;-).

Joshua has always been the opposite of a bully (as Mr. Oliver has been preaching), but

at the least, I want him to be able to defend himself.

And even with his gentle nature, I still think it's important for him to get that concept of being the anti-bully ingrained into his being.  Without proper guidance he could still turn into a bully, doing verbal if not physical abuse.

 

I love the fact that Mr. Oliver has his junior students do community projects in order to

advance to a certain rank.  In aikido as well, in order to advance to black belt, one has to

demonstrate maturity, and a helpful nature.  Gaining skill as a teacher/mentor is essential.  Attaining the skillset alone is inadequate, and that's how I think it should be.  As others have shared on this website, it's all about living the right lifestyle, and giving back to the art and the community.

 

-Jim

[Lisa Clark]

Welcome to our neck of the woods! Seeing Joshua around the dojo andat tonight's ceremony, he's showing strong spirit.

Have you tried Shoki Ramen House, Cafe Bernardo, or Gunther's Ice Cream? They're my favorite local haunts. Fresh ingredients, lots of locals, and plenty of heart.

[Jim Nishimura]

Thanks Lisa.  I remember meeting you on Cleanup Day.  I had meant to reply earlier, but I don't check in often so I basically forgot to do so.

I've seen Jack at the dojo.  He seems to be a very nice boy.  I'm glad that he's been improving so nicely with his karate skills.  He and Joshua should become friends.

 

We have found quite a few great places to eat, but haven't tried those restaurants yet, so thanks for the suggestions.  With a name like "Nishimura," it would be embarassing if I didn't like ramen (or sushi, etc.).  Actually I like pretty much all types of foods, and who doesn't like ice cream?