He's a true Japanese karate master and tonight, Takayuki Mikami is in the country for the annual testing of members of the Belize Shotokan Karate Association. He's the regional director of the International Shotokan Karate Federation is in Belize and holds the second highest rank of any living person in the Japan Karate Association. We caught up with Mikami and Shotokan disciples Phillip Zuniga and chief instructor Leonard Nunez having a black belt lunch at the Riverside Tavern this afternoon.
Takayuki Mikami, Karate Master
"Help the youths in Belize improve technically. They are given an idea of training technically. I think it is very good for people training, especially the younger people."
Leonard Nunez,
"Mr. Mikami's visit is to come to Belize and see what level we are. We must come up to the international level, we want all the students of karate to have an international level so that when we go from Belize to abroad, we perform at the same level as other countries. We will be hosting clinics and classes, teaching us techniques. There is an exam to see what level we are at. If you low level, he will bring us up through the training."
Edmund Zuniga,
"The level of karate is high. I don't know that people have generally recognized this, that we have karate here which is a very useful discipline and I would like to take this opportunity to invite parents to look at karate as a discipline that they can recommend to their children. It not only gives you physical exercise but it is also a mental discipline; it gives you focus, we train them to control themselves. This is something that is very very good for children and adults as well."
Mikami's visit will include nationwide examinations for colored belts and black belts.
