My daughter is married to a judo therapist. We call him “Ka-chan”. One time, I asked him why he had become a judo therapist, and what was his dream. Here is a brief description of our conversation.

In the beginning, Ka-chan wanted to be a motorbike mechanic; so immediately after graduating from high school, he joined Honda Technical College, where he enrolled in a class for four-wheel vehicles, ironically, as there was no course available for motorbikes. Soon, he became a trainee auto mechanic.

How did he find himself as a mechanic? He said: “I became increasingly alienated from software dependent cars, with all kinds of testers that diagnose any problems and dictate what to do.” Perhaps, there was something more than this that prompted him to change his career.

Anyhow, he decided to quit as a Honda mechanic and instead found an interest in judo therapy. For this, he sold his own motorbike to supplement the tuition fees for attending a three-year class preparing for a national certification exam. So, this is how he became a certified judo therapist in time.

He is now practicing his skills at a small clinic in Hachioji; he takes care of bone fractures, dislocations/disjoints, sprains, and bruises that will be covered, of course, by health insurance. His patients often express thanks for his services, a completely different world as compared with his previous work.

He is hoping to have his own judo therapist clinic someday. In the meantime, he is preparing to teach his skills at training institutions; for this purpose, he passed a trainer’s exam this May, a prerequisite of which is three years practical experience.

This is it. It’s always good to have a family member who has a “god’s hand.”

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