PACIFIC OCEAN (April 16, 2009) Sailors simulate emergency firefighting battle tactics and hose team procedures on the flight deck of the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Charles T. Green/Released)

YOKOSUKA, Japan (April 21, 2009) Sailors assigned to the Flight Deck Fire Party of the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) conduct helicopter crash and salvage training in preparation for upcoming flight deck certification (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matthew D. Jordan/Released)

 YOKOSUKA, Japan (April 21, 2009) Lt. j.g. Jeffery Hanson, damage control assistant aboard the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), demonstrates proper hose handling techniques to the flight deck fire party that conducts helicopter crash and salvage training in preparation for upcoming flight deck certification. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matthew D. Jordan/Released)

The ambience of Tokyo-Tokyo symbolizes peace and harmony, while the menu seamlessly blends global inspirations with Japanese traditions.

Tokyo-Tokyo at The Kahala Hotel & Resort, Hawaii selects the highest quality ingredients in their dishes such as ‘Koshihikari’ rice produced in Uonuma, Japan, natural unprocessed salt from Izu Oshima, organic soy sauce aged to perfection in special Japanese cedar barrels from Izu Oshima, organically grown garden fresh produce from Oahu, Hawaii, exquisite seafood air flown from the fish markets of Tsukiji, Fukuoka and Boston and Wagyu beef directly imported from Kagoshima prefecture and is the highest grade beef (A-5 grade) that Japan has to offer.  This delectable beef is perfectly marbled and only available in Hawaii at Tokyo Tokyo Restaurant. Please note, 24 hour advance reservation is required to enjoy this very special dining experience. (more…)

By Hannah Beech / Tokyo Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008
When Kensuke Onishi decided to use his foreign university degree and fluent English to help internally displaced refugees in Kurdish Iraq, his Japanese mother’s friends told her they understood if she wanted to weep. After all, shouldn’t a dutiful Japanese son return home and work for a big company, like the droves of salarymen before him? But in 1996, Onishi founded one of Japan’s largest international NGOs, Peace Winds Japan, which operates everywhere from Sudan to East Timor. Today, the 41-year-old Osaka native has noticed that his countrymen no longer consider helping less fortunate foreigners a shameful occupation. Two former Peace Winds alumni now serve in the Diet, while Onishi recently has been fielding job queries from disillusioned investment bankers. “People in Japan live in such comfortable, peaceful conditions,” says Onishi. “I think more Japanese are realizing that it’s our duty to help out overseas and bring some of our values to the world.”
Is the world turning Japanese? Even as Japan’s domestic economy slips into recession and its politicians dither endlessly, the country’s overseas influence is reaching new heights. Limited by a postwar constitution from developing military power, Japan’s international clout relies on soft power, the term coined by Harvard professor Joseph S. Nye in 1990 to describe how countries “get what they want through attraction rather than coercion.” Today, a generation of idealistic Japanese is attempting to sway the world through cultural, social and economic means. Japan doesn’t tend to trumpet its efforts — understandable given the nation’s imperial past and historic disregard for national boundaries. When a Japanese real estate firm snapped up Rockefeller Center in the 1980s, the deal unleashed unease among some Americans, who feared that Japan was literally taking over America. But this time around, its campaign for global hearts and minds has been far more successful. According to a BBC poll this year, Japan ranks second in the world when it comes to a positive global image. (Germany barely edged out Japan for the No. 1 spot, while the U.S. was seventh.) “Soft power is a very strong force,” says Heizo Takenaka, Japan’s former Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy. “If we have the right political leadership, it can be even more powerful.”

Japan’s charm offensive is taking shape on several fronts. Cash-flush Japanese banks, which have only just emerged from their own decade-long debt crisis, are infusing money into distressed companies such as Morgan Stanley. Japan Inc. is going on another of its famous investment sprees abroad, opening factories and representative offices across Africa and Asia. In October, the country’s central bank even offered part of its nearly $1 trillion in reserves to financially strapped nations like Iceland. In November, Japan also expressed willingness to lend up to $100 billion to the International Monetary Fund. But it isn’t just money that’s being spread around. “Because Japan’s financial system is the least tainted at the moment,” says Japanese parliamentarian Kotaro Tamura, “we have the opportunity to help save the world and spread a message of social responsibility.” (more…)

by Chris Hill for About Japan: A Teacher’s Resource

Over the last twenty years most foreign scholars of Japanese history and society have stopped using phrases such as “the Orient,” “the Far East,” and “the East” in their classes and writing. Phrases like these have also largely disappeared from political discourse: it would be unusual, these days, to hear a diplomat talk about a country’s “Far Eastern alliances” or a trade negotiator refer to “economic relations with the Orient.” Nonetheless, it is still common to encounter these phrases in daily life.

A restaurant may say that its cooking has “a touch of the Orient”; a bookstore may have a section called Eastern philosophy. When I conduct teacher workshops participants will occasionally say that they want to help their students understand the Far East. Many whose careers are devoted to teaching about East Asia share the goal, but would resist describing it that way. So what is the problem with calling East Asia “the Orient”? There are several reasons scholars now avoiding using phrases like “the East,” “the Far East,” and “the Orient,” including the exoticism they convey, their association with modern empires, the skewed view of world geography they present, and their tendency to homogenize large, diverse parts of the world as if they shared a single cultural identity. In place of these “big” phrases I would suggest the simple solution of being specific: If one means Japan, say so; if one means East Asia, use that phrase. They may not sound as grand, but they probably convey what one means better. (more…)

I don’t know if you’ll enjoy some more modern full contact Karate but I’d go for a Shin-kyokushin-kai dojo - there’s a few of them there:
Nagoya-Kita-dojo, Nagoya Chikusa-dojo, and Aichi Yamamoto Dojo where a friend of mine took her first black belt exam.

Shinkyokushin usually means quality so it’d be my first bet for some good arse-kicking with a bit of tradition

There’s also one Ashihara Karate dojo there. It’s like Kyokushin but with a tiny bit of grappling and something called Sabaki which is hard to explain in short.
If you want something less demanding and more injury-free I recommend Shorinji Kempo. It’s not that popular outside of Japan but in very few words it’s like a combination of Karate, Aikido and is based on a Chinese Kenpo framework. You’ll also learn some Zen philosophy and Chinese medicine there.

It’s pretty interesting. Just visit their homepage and look for the nearest dojo.
There’s quite a lot of other martial arts to choose from. Just visit a few dojos and pick something that suits you the most. You might also like some more grappling instead of striking - you’ll find a lot of Judo sections in Nagoya.