During a recent trip to Osaka, I had the chance to stop by Japan's one and only street workout gym called Kamui Park. This gym was opened just a couple of months ago by a friend from college, Kamui, who had been working out in local parks for some years before he decided to take the chance and open up Japan’s first street workout gym.

I recently started working out using an iPhone application called RunKeeper, a smart device that uses GPS to track you while you're out running. With this application you can get detailed feedback about your run; you see how fast you've been running, the route you've used and a lot of other details. I used to dislike running quite a lot (I'm more into dancing and martial arts), but thanks to this application (and my boyfriend, who enjoys running a lot more than I do..) I've started to at least get the motivation to go running once a week. It's not that much, but still a lot more than nothing I suppose.

Having a break by the Imperial Palace with my boyfriend.

The Imperial Palace is a popular place among joggers in Tokyo

• All blogposts from Tokyo

Royal Park Hotel The Shiodome

Bunka Hostel Tokyo

Sotetsu Fresa Inn Nihombashi

Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu Hotel

If you want to go running during the daytime the area around the Imperial Palace might be a good choice though. The distance around the palace is around 5 km, and there are a lot to see along the way. The area around the palace is a great place to go jogging around April, as the Cherry Blossoms (known in Japanese as sakura) are blooming in this season.

Although Tokyo is a giant and (if I may say so,) slightly overcrowded city there are some green lungs in the city center where you can get a little bit closer to the nature. Tokyo does for instance have some really pretty parks such as Ueno Kōen and Yoyogi Kōen. These are especially popular around April, when people come to enjoy hanami (cherry blossom viewing) with family and friends. If you want to go jogging then these places can also be good options, or at least during the evening when it is not that crowded.

There are always a lot of people jogging around the Imperial Palace, so if you just want to take a stroll you should make sure you're not in their way. Sometimes they even have running events here, and you can for instance pass by the palace as part of the Tokyo Marathon.

Statue of Wake no Kiyomaro outside the Imperial Palace

Flowers and bamboo leaves

For those interested in visiting the Imperial Palace whether it is to go jogging or just to enjoy the sight of the historical buildings in the area you can easily find it by taking the metro to Tokyo Station. I've included a map for reference below:

• All blogposts from Tokyo
• All blogposts about Cherry Blossom
• Mt. Fuji & Sakura Viewing: Maruyama Kouen (丸山公園) and Iwadono Castle (岩殿城)
• Tokyo Cherry Blossom Spots: Nakameguro's Meguro-gawa River (目黒川)
• Hiking in Tokyo: Sakura viewing (花見) at Mount Takao
• Cherry Blossoms and Jogging in Tokyo: The Imperial Palace (皇居)
• The Tsubame Sakura Matsuri: Cherry Blossom PR & Last Minute Preparations
• Behind the Scene of the Tsubame Sakura Matsuri Festival - The Oiran Dochu
• Sakura Season in Kansai - Hanami in the Expo ’70 Commemorative Park!
• Spring in Japan: Sakura Season and Hanami in Kyoto!
• Spring in Kyoto: Ritsumeikan University Orientation Week and Cherry Blossom Hanami!
• Sakura Season: Weekend Trip to Nara

Royal Park Hotel The Shiodome

Bunka Hostel Tokyo

Sotetsu Fresa Inn Nihombashi

Ryokan Asakusa Shigetsu Hotel

Situated about an hour from Riga there is a town called Sigulda where you can experience a variety of extreme sport activities such as bungee jumping, paragliding and even flying. Yes, flying..! At a place called Aerodium they are actually offering you the chance to get lifted up in the air with the help of a vertical air tunnel that allows you to float up to three meters above ground. Me and my other travel buddies soon decided that this was one of the things we simply had to try out while in Latvia!

Today there is an event called the "Warrior Dash" being held in Japan's Kanagawa prefecture (神奈川県)  where people dress up in funny costumes and run an obstacle course with their costumes on.. It looks pretty interesting!
My bf is participating in it, and he showed me his costume on Skype the other day. Apparently he had stitched it himself.. He is such a creative guy. My dear caveman <3 Too bad I'm in Korea right now, or I would have loved to join the race too. また今度！

My boyfriend, the caveman.. :)

Apparently the company that arrange the race is planning on having Warrior Dash-races in a lot of different countries this summer, including the US, Denmark, Norway, Italy, New Zealand and Australia..
I guess it will look similar to this (pictures from their Facebook page):

Warrior Dash: The funny participants

Warrior Dash: The obstacles

Warrior Dash: The Goal

For more information about this summer's Warrior Dash events, check out their homepage

Kyung Hee is actually quite well-known in the field of taekwondo, and their taekwondo union can boost of schools in various other countries such as for instance the US, Canada and Singapore. At the main campus in Seoul we even have a Taekwondo Department for those who really want to take this sport to the next level.

Our taekwondo-club

화이팅!

Practicing kicks with our taekwondo-teacher (사범님)

Here at the GIP all students are offered 2 classes of taekwondo per week free of charge, so it is a great opportunity for those interested in learning martial arts while staying at the campus. Our two taekwondo teachers are two brothers, and they take turns to teach here and at a taekwondo school in India every second semester. They are in charge of one of the local Kyung Hee Taekwondo schools, and we have also had the chance to visit their school to practice with their other students. The school even lends us the uniforms (dobok - 도복), so unless you want to buy your own there is really no expenditures involved in joining the club. Some of our students do however decide to take the black belt test, as this is offered at the end of each semester. The test costs 30.000, and is also arranged by Kyung Hee's Taekwondo Union. In order to be able to take this test the main thing you have to know is the 8 first poomsae (폼새 - taekwondo patterns composed of central taekwondo techniques). In general it is not that hard to pass the test, so it is a great opportunity for those who want to achieve the black belt within the 2 years of studying at Kyung Hee.

Practicing Poomsae

...And sparring

Hiya!

In my case I have had some previous experience with martial arts before, which really helped me achieve black belt last month. I practiced Shotokan karate for 5 years while I was living in Norway, but after I moved to Japan I haven't had the chance to practice any sports regularly.. Still, I ended up winning a prize for best poomsae at the black belt test in May.. Lucky!

Won a prize for best poomsae at the black belt test

My new black belt with my name in hangul

This week we had our last taekwondo class.. I'm gonna miss our practices, it has been really nice learning taekwondo at the GIP. There is not that much to do at the campus besides studying, so the taekwondo has really been one of the heights of my week for the last year. Next semester I'll be living in Tokyo, so we'll see what kind of sport I end up doing.!

The last taekwondo practice we ended the day with a cake :)

Anyway, the GIP offers classes in taekwondo on Mondays and Wednesdays, and kendo-classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Unfortunately I did not have the chance to participate in the kendo-classes, but they are also quite popular. Apparently the kendo-classes are easier than the taekwondo-classes, so it might be a good alternative for those who don't want to memorize the poomsae.

If you plan to study at the GIP I definitively recommend joining the taekwondo or kendo club! ^^

Taekwondo-friends^^

Other blog posts about taekwondo:
Muju Taekwondowon Promotion Tour

All my posts about Kyung Hee

Muju has some great facilities for skiing

After breakfast we continued our trip to Jeonju, where we visited the traditional Korean village (which I actually visited just a month ago:p). We got a guided trip of the village, and after a lunch which included Jeonju's famous bibimbap it was time for one of the main evens of the trip: a visit to a Taekwondo training center to learn more about Taekwondo.

Ready to practice some taekwondo

When we arrived at the Taekwondo center we all got distributed a set of the traditional taekwondo wear called Dobok (도복 / 道服), and in the taekwondo center we got to see a taekwondo-show prepared exclusively for us. I have added a video from the show here:

Kick!

From the Taekwondo-show

After the show we got the chance to practice some taekwondo too, with the taekwondo-blackbelts teaching us some of the moves. To be honest we already had learned the moves from the taekwondo-class at school, but it was cool to get the chance to break some bricks.. Haha.. Representatives from the media was also present, so it'll be cool to see their video when it is published in January! ^^

After a great weekend it was time to go back to school in the GIP, and with only a couple of weeks left of the semester it means that I should also get back to my studies now. Ciao!