Interview – Back from Japan (1/2)

During the summer, our sensei Lionel Reynaud spent several weeks in Japan.

We were fortunate to spend some time with him upon his return — and took the opportunity to ask him a few questions.

Uechi-Ryu Oryukai: Hello Lionel, you’ve just spent several weeks in Japan.
Can you tell us more about the trip and share your experience?

Lionel Reynaud: Hello everyone. Yes, I spent several weeks in Japan this summer.
It was a trip with many different, but connected goals.
I went to visit family and close friends in the Fuji and Niigata regions.
We traveled as a family, which was important to me — my previous trips were focused solely on training, so I went alone.
This time, I wanted to find time to train in different regions, despite a packed schedule.
It wasn’t easy — but I managed to do it.

Before we talk about Karate, can you share some highlights or places you particularly enjoyed?

I’m lucky to have family living at the foot of Mount Fuji, so that’s naturally one of my favorite places.
Watching the sunrise over Fuji-san is truly breathtaking — even if it happens very early in the summer.
The light is simply magnificent.

Not far from there are the Shiraito Falls, which are very well known.
They’re a great place to cool off during the hot summer months.

As for standout memories, one day in Hiroshima really stayed with me — I was unexpectedly asked to teach an English class to a group of Japanese middle schoolers.
They were very curious about France, our culture… and especially football — there were a few Mbappé fans in the class!

Thank you for those great travel moments!
Now, for those who don’t know you yet — could you tell us a bit about yourself and where you teach?

Absolutely. I currently hold a 3rd dan in Uechi-Ryu Karate, and I teach at Toulouse Shubukan.

I’ve followed a dual path in my training:

• A European one through the URKDE under Yukinobu Shimabukuro,
• And another in the U.S., under George Mattson, whom I met in 2017.

Because of my close ties with George Mattson, I also teach for the Mattson Academy, mostly online — since Miami isn’t exactly next door to Toulouse!

In addition, for the past two years and in partnership with URKDE, we’ve been offering online practice to students who live far from a physical dojo.
We created the Oryukan educational platform and founded the Uechi-Ryu Oryukai community of practice.

I say “community of practice” deliberately — we welcome students from various organizations who share a desire to train, exchange, and grow together through Uechi-Ryu Karate.

One of our guiding principles in Uechi-Ryu Oryukai comes from Saint-Exupéry:

“He who differs from me does not wrong me, he enriches me.”

Of course, that means I teach quite a few sessions each week — anywhere from 4 to 7 depending on the period — but it’s truly fulfilling to teach and grow alongside such a passionate group.





Back to your training in Japan — did you focus only on Uechi-Ryu?

My first intention was definitely to spend as much time as possible training with other Uechi-Ryu practitioners.
But thanks to the connections I made during past visits, I also had the chance to explore other martial arts and styles.

Many martial artists dream of training in Japan. Is it difficult to find dojos and be accepted as a foreigner?

That really depends. From what I’ve seen (and I wouldn’t claim this applies everywhere), some dojos actively offer classes for foreign students, while others are more closed off and intended for members of their specific organization.

Is it difficult to contact them?

Not every heads of dojo speaks English — so yes, it can be a bit tricky.
I know that in Okinawa, there are agencies that help connect foreigners with masters — their staff speaks English.
I didn’t see that kind of setup on the main island, but I also didn’t look very hard.

Since I speak a bit of Japanese, I reached out directly to the dojos either before my trip or once I arrived.

So… do you speak Japanese well?

Well? Not really… but I’m working on it! (laughs)
More seriously, I can manage basic conversation and Karate-related vocabulary.
I’m not yet fluent enough to work professionally in Japanese, but I study a little every day.
When I have more time, I plan to take the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) — but for now, I focus on spreading and teaching Uechi-Ryu.

Are dojos there different?

This year, I chose to train in smaller dojos, which surprised some of my students when they saw the videos — they found the training spaces tiny!

In France, we’re lucky to have large martial arts halls shared with Aikido or Judo schools.
Most of us train on judo-style tatami mats with lots of space.

In Japan, of course, you’ll also find large dojo spaces — but it’s more common to train on wooden floors.
That changes the feeling a lot. Personally, I find it helps develop grounding and posture more effectively.

Another difference: the location and layout of the dojos.
Some are in parks, others inside shrines, others in basements, or even on the 15th floor of a building.

No matter where they’re located, the most important thing is the spirit of the place.
In Tokyo, I trained at Muribushikan, in the Koenji district.
The dojo is in a quiet commercial street and isn’t clearly marked.
When you step out of the small elevator and enter, you’re struck by the soul of the place — even though it’s modest in size.

Near Kanagawa, I trained in a basement dojo where the only light came from a staircase skylight.
It had a very strong spiritual presence, likely due to the integration of different martial traditions.

And at the other end of the scale — the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo has two magnificent dojos: one for Judo, and one for Kyudo (Japanese archery).

Is the practice itself different?

As far as Okinawan Karate is concerned, I didn’t see any major differences compared to how we train in France.

The famous jar training often associated with Okinawa — well, I do that too, using weighted tools to strengthen structure.

The etiquette at the start of class is a bit different, and some dojos have their own internal codes.
But once training begins… the components are the same.

Some techniques are executed differently, but that comes down to each instructor’s background — just like here.

What is different: after training, people don’t leave right away. There’s a real time for sharing and conversation.
I sometimes wish we had more of that here, but of course, life has its constraints — if a class is held during a lunch break, people understandably head back to work right after.

In Kawasaki, I had the opportunity to try Aiki-Karate under GrandMaster Katsuya Izumikawa, who also teaches Goju-Ryu Karate and Kobudo.
We trained together, and afterward, we spoke about his father, who had met one of my teachers.
We also discussed spirituality and Japanese history — it was a deep and truly meaningful encounter.