About Shintaro

My name is Shintaro Higashi and I LOVE martial arts. I was a professional judo athlete on the IJF circuit for years in pursuit of the Olympics - what a journey it’s been! I’ve travelled to over 20 countries, missed the London Olympics by a handful of world ranking slots, made lifelong friends, and overall gained a lot experience that prepared me for life afterwards. At this point, I feel I can deal with anything - even the big stuff like when Seamless isn’t working, when there is nothing to watch on Netflix, or when that line at Trader Joe’s is out of control. Now that I’m in my thirties, life is a bit different. I spend most of my time these days at my two dojos in Manhattan (Kokushi Budo Institute and Kano Martial arts), absolutely in love with teaching martial arts. I’m also a graduate student at NYU, learning as much as I can and trying to give back to the judo community that has been so supportive of me. Outside of that I try to catch up on all that I missed during full-time athlete days, like exploring the Met, trying new foods, or even just people-watching in Central Park. My favorite companion is my beautiful daughter. Thank you for stopping by - I hope you enjoy my blog.

My name is Shintaro Higashi and I LOVE martial arts. I was a professional judo athlete on the IJF circuit for years in pursuit of the Olympics - what a journey it’s been! I’ve travelled to over 20 countries, missed the London Olympics by a handful of world ranking slots, made lifelong friends, and overall gained a lot experience that prepared me for life afterwards. At this point, I feel I can deal with anything - even the big stuff like when Seamless isn’t working, when there is nothing to watch on Netflix, or when that line at Trader Joe’s is out of control. Now that I’m in my thirties, life is a bit different. I spend most of my time these days at my two dojos in Manhattan (Kokushi Budo Institute and Kano Martial arts), absolutely in love with teaching martial arts. I’m also a graduate student at NYU, learning as much as I can and trying to give back to the judo community that has been so supportive of me. Outside of that I try to catch up on all that I missed during full-time athlete days, like exploring the Met, trying new foods, or even just people-watching in Central Park. My favorite companion is my beautiful daughter. Thank you for stopping by - I hope you enjoy my blog.

Kokushi Budo Martial Arts NYC

The history of our school begins in the Kumamoto region of Japan. Nobuyoshi Higashi, the founder of our martial arts school, was born in a small farming village in 1937. At that time Japan was a war-torn place and Nobuyoshi, being in a military family, spent much of his childhood without his soldier father. In keeping with family tradition, Nobuyoshi started training martial arts at a very young age. He would wake up early morning to help with the family rice farm and then immediately head to his morning judo training session, the first of several sessions that day. From a very early age, Nobuyoshi was taught that it was absolutely necessary to combine the practice of martial arts with a strong formal education. This was the belief system of Jigoro Kano, the educator who founded Judo, and it continues to be the belief system of our school today.

The history of our school begins in the Kumamoto region of Japan. Nobuyoshi Higashi, the founder of our martial arts school, was born in a small farming village in 1937. At that time Japan was a war-torn place and Nobuyoshi, being in a military family, spent much of his childhood without his soldier father. In keeping with family tradition, Nobuyoshi started training martial arts at a very young age. He would wake up early morning to help with the family rice farm and then immediately head to his morning judo training session, the first of several sessions that day. From a very early age, Nobuyoshi was taught that it was absolutely necessary to combine the practice of martial arts with a strong formal education. This was the belief system of Jigoro Kano, the educator who founded Judo, and it continues to be the belief system of our school today.