Uzbekistan Kendo Diary – Part 1　

So here we go, the first half of my Uzbekistan Kendo Diary.

Now, you might be wondering: Why Uzbekistan? What kind of criteria is he using to pick these countries? Honestly, I ask myself the same thing.

This trip was, once again, thanks to an invitation from Mr. T. Without him, I doubt I’d ever go. I mean, I’m just another run-of-the-mill 5th-dan kendoka—you can find dozens like me anywhere in Japan. There’s no way I’d ever get a direct invitation from abroad on my own.

This time, he said:

“Remember when I went to Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) years ago? Someone I trained with there is now stationed in Uzbekistan. They’re holding a kendo seminar—want to come help out?”

And so, another one of Mr. T’s mysterious connections pulled me into Uzbekistan. I had no idea where it was or what was there. All I knew was that it was somewhere in Central Asia. But I thought: This is definitely not a country I’d ever choose to visit on my own. Which makes me want to go. Yeah, let’s do it.
For the record, my first “I’d never go there on my own” trip was Bahrain (though I didn’t do kendo there). Why Bahrain? Don’t ask me—I still don’t know.

During my stay in Uzbekistan, I got a little too hyped and posted “Uzbekistan YAHOOO!!” on social media. To my surprise, multiple friends messaged me: “I’m here too!” Turns out I was just ignorant—apparently lots of people already knew about Uzbekistan. My worldview is… narrow, to say the least.

As for how to get there, the main routes are either a direct flight from Narita or a connection through Incheon. I went with the latter—overnight in Korea, then on to Uzbekistan. The time difference is five hours. Manageable, I thought. Later, I’d be absolutely destroyed by jet lag (that’s in Part 2). There’s also a side story about carrying my kendo gear through the airport and ending up walking all the way to a casino for dinner… but I’ll save that for a bonus entry.

When I arrived—my first time in Central Asia, my first time in Uzbekistan—I did a little sightseeing. According to the Japanese traveler’s bible Chikyū no Arukikata (“Globe-Trotter Travel Guide”), it’s the “Blue City.” And yes, it was stunningly beautiful.

What struck me most about Uzbekistan: clean, safe, orderly. On what level? Japan level. That’s right—Japan level. Women and kids walking alone at night? Totally fine. Super safe.

Then there’s the cost of living—insanely cheap. The currency is the som, and roughly speaking, a 100-yen purchase equals about 10,000 som. So when you pay 50,000 som, it feels like you’re handing over 50,000 yen—but really, it’s just 500 yen.

Taxis? Never more than 1,000 yen for a ride. Meals? Even eating like crazy in a restaurant rarely exceeded 10,000 yen. And at small eateries attached to bazaars, three people could feast for around 2,000 yen. Ridiculously cheap.

For someone living in Japan, where everything’s getting more expensive, Uzbekistan felt like a final paradise. Honestly, it’s even easier to travel around than the Philippines. As long as you survive the long journey there, I highly recommend it. Some might accuse me of betraying the Philippines by saying this (given how often I go there). But the times are changing—Central Asia is the future! I already want to go back. I can’t stop thinking about the shashlik, plov, and tomatoes. The food was incredible.

But enough tourism talk—time to actually get to kendo. In the next part, I’ll jump into the seminar itself.

In Part 2: getting absolutely wrecked by Ōshima-sensei in keiko, and immortalized on Instagram in a brutal three-camera digital tattoo. Stay tuned!