Japan: The Second Day, Part 1 -- A Temple

So I returned safe and sound from my short trip to Japan. I’ll write about it in increments; breaking it down into chunks, rather than one very long post.

Let’s start with why I went to Tokyo. The Korean ITF Taekwon-Do Team was going to attend the Annual Tokyo ITF Taekwon-Do Championships. When the Secretary General of ITF Taekwon-Do in Korea heard that I will not be working that week he asked me to join the Korean delegation. So I went with as an umpire.

They already left for Japan on the Saturday. Because of my duties at Young’s wedding I could only leave Sunday evening. Friends attending the wending were kind enough to take me to the airport. The plain departed late due to “maintenance”, which partially resulted in a series of unfortunate events.

Came Monday morning – I slept half the night in the wrong bed, and the rest of the night on a sofa. Around 10:30 the next morning Instructor Hwang Taeyong came to pick us up. The “us” here includes myself, of course, as well as the Taekwon-Do team from Daegu (a city in Korea), with whom I’d spent most of my time in Japan. Instructor Hwang happens to be the son of the president of ITF Taekwon-Do in Japan – this, of course, I only learned the last day of my stay.

Instructor Hwang first took us to Akutsa Temple. (I’m not sure if I remember the name correctly.) To get there one has to walk through a crowded market street with festive white and red decoration.


I’m not sure whether the decoration is a permanent feature, or just part of the Christmas festivities. The Daegu-instructor, Jeong Gumin, made me feel very much a part of the group. He is standing up front with the Taegeukgi (South Korean National Flag). Quite a nice fellow with a good sense of humour.