Uriel Doddy – Kyūdō

For my CIP, I took kyūdō lessons at the Kyoto City Budō Center. Kyūdō is a very unique and interesting sport (quite different from western archery) with a pretty steep learning curve, and because most people in the dojo speak little English, I would imagine it would be a bit difficult for someone without a fair amount of conversation experience in Japanese.

However, for someone who is patient and passionate, the language barrier shouldn’t stop you from trying it. The instructors are very kind and patient and often physically demonstrate the techniques they’re describing, and it’s very rewarding to feel like you learned a traditional Japanese sport in Japanese. It gave me a lot of valuable firsthand experience in a new context, and was a true highlight of my semester.