My first visit to Japan was in 1991. I’d just graduated from U of T and was eager to explore the world. A friend of mine and I were supposed to go to Osaka together but when those plans fell through, another friend helped set me up with a homestay in Hitoyoshi City, in Kumamoto Prefecture. I lived there for two years, and got to visit Kumamoto City on several occasions.
If people have ever heard of Kumamoto, it’s usually because of Mount Aso, an active volcano that rumbles and belches from time to time. Or, it could be due to the earthquakes that hit the city in 2016 that caused a LOT of damage. The iconic landmark of 400-year-old Kumamoto Castle (pictured above in 2005 – my photo) was significantly damaged.
My father’s side of the family also hails from Kumamoto. When I was first getting started with KAATSU, I asked one of my distant cousins if she had ever heard of KAATSU. To my surprise, she said she had and moreover, that she uses it everyday on her walks! Another friend of mine in Hitoyoshi said he knew of KAATSU and that it was widely known about all over Japan.
I’m very pleased to be able to visit two facilities offering KAATSU training in Kumamoto City. My Japanese isn’t as good as it once was, but I’m hoping it will come back with use. My goal in visiting these businesses is to see how they’re incorporating KAATSU training into their businesses and to show Canadian fitness, wellness, and rehabilitation professionals ways they can make KAATSU a part of a thriving practice. I’ve often been asked why there aren’t more places offering KAATSU training, so it makes sense to see how KAATSU’s being used in Japan to provide an example of how it could be more widely offered in Canada.
We’ll be departing for Japan soon, so keep watching our blog and social media feeds for updates! If you’re thinking of ordering KAATSU equipment while we’re in Japan, rest assured we have you covered. We have plenty of stock of the KAATSU C3 and will have no issues fulfilling orders and dealing with the business as per usual.