The first time I went to East Bay Judo it was on a summer day during school vacation. It was one of my worst days ever. That first practice was and hard compared to anything I had ever done before. After that practice I felt miserable. At that time I didn’t like judo. I […]

  Memories of Nate Cutler By Ken Kokka I have known Nate Cutler long enough that I’m not sure when we first met – some time in the early 1980s. I was still in high school. Nate referred to himself as "the old man" – usually as in, "Don’t let this old man beat you." […]

  The Little Mouse By Frances Dea My life has changed significantly because of Judo. As a woman I have learned, through Judo, to trust the way my body moves and to be aggressive in order to accomplish my goals. I have been amazed by the changes I have gone through; getting accustomed to being […]

  You could say that my grandma, Mitsuno "Mitsi" Matsumoto, was a very interesting person. She loved to go out with her friends, read books, and even loved to clean the house. Organization was very important to her. All her CD’s were in alphabetical order, neatly arranged on the living room shelf. She even had […]

  Mom was a special person. Not only to me but also to her three sons, including my husband – David, and her seven grandchildren, including our daughter – Sayaka. She had an excellent memory and great organizing skills. She really enjoyed shopping, going out with her friends, but most of all she enjoyed cleaning […]

  I began judo in September of 1998 and went to my first tournament in November. I wanted to be in a tournament because I thought I would actually win. It was a bummer when I lost all five of my matches. The tournament was at City College in San Francisco. I got there at […]

  I was watching one of the regular classes at the East Bay Judo Institute. It was fascinating the way that very very big people and very very small people were able to train together without anyone busting a gut or getting completely squished. The training I saw was vigorous. It looked as though there […]

  Editor’s Note: Last year, we were proud to be represented in the Olympic Trials, and later in Olympic-related activities, by our own Dedra Phillips. As she relates below in her story, the road to the Olympics for many start many years prior to the Games. The ultimate purpose of Judo, of course, is to […]

  Editor’s Note: If there is anyone all of us know whom we would want to find true happiness in life, it is our own Uncle Bob (UB). He was a mainstay at the "fun house" for years, bringing his own brand of humor and caring to his friends, and discipline and value to the […]

  Editor’s Note: One of the things that we at EBJI take pride in is our ability not only to bring many visitors from around the world to our dojo, but also for our members to have the opportunity to go around the world. In the past, some of our members have traveled as competitors […]