A few words about value.  Waaay back, in 1967 (over fifty years ago!) I was a young sophomore, spending my first year at venerable Saint Louis High School, located on the rugged slopes of Kalaepohaku Ridge in Honolulu.  I was quite happy attending public middle school, but my parents so valued the benefits of education that they were willing to spend the significant cost associated with private school as an investment in my future….a princely sum of $600 per school year back then.  Fast forward to 2018 and the annual cost of attending my old alma mater has risen to $16,400, an increase of about 27 times!  If only annual wages had risen that fast, haha.  Also in 1967, my parents made another important financial decision – they coughed up $550 to purchase…a brand-new color tv!  That old Motorola was almost as huge as a HI-FI stereo and dominated our living room.  We could roam the three channels, on which, certain programs were beginning to be broadcast in color.  Today, you can purchase any number of thin, Hi-Def, Smart-TVs (made in Asia) for under $200…roughly a third of our 1960’s Motorola (yes kids, “Hello Moto” still made televisions back then).  These intersecting lines of price inflation/deflation means that [...]

While I’m sitting here at home, waiting for a visit by a someone to service our refrigerator, thought I’d send out a short story about a couple of brand names that one finds on certain karate uniforms (gi’s) and belts.  No, don’t rush to look at the brand name on your karate stuff, haha.  Items from these brands typically cost more and are favored by many black belt karateka. The brand name that us old-timers are familiar with is Tokaido.  It was the brand that all of our sensei’s and sempai’s bought, so naturally, we made sure to buy this brand when we started training – despite the hefty price tag.  I guess that the creation of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) in 1949, coupled with the fact that one of its black belt members, Sugiura Motokuni established the Tokaido Company in 1958, resulted in each brand becoming closely associated with the other.  And, as the JKA became known as the premier karate organization world-wide, the Tokaido brand became equally famous for its quality – worn by hundreds of thousands of serious karateka.  Cost-wise, a Tokaido Shikon middle-weight uniform will run you about $229 plus shipping…about the cost of a suit [...]

Well, we’ve just held our first exams since last July and it’s a good time to reflect on HIS Karate Foundation’s philosophy regarding examinations and promotions.  Let me begin by describing what it is NOT:  It’s not about getting promoted so that you can have a belt of a different color.  It’s not about keeping up with your peers or gaining a higher rank above your kohai’s.  It’s not about competing and showing than you’re better than others in the dojo.  It’s not about “cruising in regular class” and saving one’s best effort only for exam time (one should always put in 100% effort).  It’s not about receiving a really nice certificate that you can frame and hang on your wall to impress others (although, these are very nice indeed).  And it’s certainly not an additional source of revenue for our dojo – we’re lucky to break even, haha. These are some of the negative things that can develop in dojos where exams are routinely held every few months with the aforementioned factors in play.  Understandably, most students naturally focus on any upcoming exam in anticipation of reaching higher rank.  Over the years, I sometimes see students who place less than their best effort in class and [...]