You left out one option, USA!
I am from Holland, and have been to a few different countries to train, or participate in tournaments.
Being Ireland, Belgium, Germany and America.
This wednesday I am flying with a few friends to Las Vegas and then LA to train in American Kenpo.
I've been training kenjutsu in France since october, due to an university exchange. Soon I'll be back home again! Contacting the people wasn't too hard, as I'd done 2 weekend seminars with them already. I visited also an iai dojo (I got the adress from a friend, whose friend is a jodo teacher there), but didn't have enough time/money to practise.
If you count seminars, I've been training also in England (iaido) and Canada (kenjutsu, though I forgot to vote for C.). Hopefully within a year I can add Japan to the list...
Born and raised in the USA! I Lived my entire life in Michigan (with the exception of a few months in Arizona, four months in Army Basic Training in Oklahoma!
:apv:
(Oklahoma, now there's a whole other country!), :deadhorse
Throughout my entire career in the Taekwondo, I always wanted to, at least, visit the homeland of Korea. Finally, in 1996, I traveled to Seoul, Korea for three weeks, I toured the countryside, visited Cheju Island, and I taught classes at two Taekwondo Dojang. I met with many Korean Grandmasters while I was there (some of whom I had met before when they had visited the U.S.) and visited the Kukkiwon. I trained at one of the Grandmaster's Dojang in Taekwondo, Hapkido, and general self defense. Another Grandmaster worked with me on some Hoshinsul.
The biggest benefit was seeing the countryside with my own eyes, meeting the everyday people, visiting ancient tombs, villages, and museums, and learning about the culture - past and present. I went golfing and bowling with some of the Grandmasters, and had lots of fun.
I was always told that the training we receive in the US (legitimate training, that is) would prove to be just as good, if not better, than what they were doing in Korea, and I found that to be true. If you get with the right instructor, you will get the same knowledge, and many people outside of the host country tend to take the training as something more special than the natives of that country.
From 1960-68.I was in the Cloud Forest Temple under (High Dang Fashu.)I pick up a little Tai chi & Pagau & focused on the( Huquan or Ho Chun or Milo jai.)The art is very quick & evasive &( some is seen on my demo dvd posted on the martial talk post in the monkey title).I left the temple with a rank card & Certificate on Rice Paper signed by the head Instructors of the Temple.I also have a nice wall hand painted rice paper that shows the temple.
I checked out my brother's dojo in Brisbane (Karate Australia). The best thing that I can say is that after an absense from my own dojo for a couple of years due to work/life commitments it fired up that old hunger to train again.
Due to the break in training I decided to start right from the beginning again and I have to say that I am thouroughly enjoying being back.
I love training over in another country. Japan is simply fantastic to train in and I would recommend to anyone that they should go. I also enjoy training in India. Training in India is a lot of fun and the differances going from a more modern facility to a more rustic facility are really interesting.