A Lifetime of Judo
About Me
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 cousin Eugene and I in front of the statue of Jigoro Kano at Kodokan, Tokyo.
Some Accolades
M.A. Education
2x All State Wrestling, HS and NCAA
Beijing Olympic Trials qualifier
2x National Judo Champion
2x World Team member (2010, 2011)
3x World Cup Medalist (Brazil, Samoa, Miami)
Panamerican Grand Prix Silver Medalist
Former IJF 43rd world rank
Sambo Pan American Champion
Sambo World Team Member
TGF NY Open BJJ Champion
Peter Yu
My name is Peter Yu, and I’m a software engineer and an artificial intelligence researcher. Most importantly, I am a huge Judo enthusiast! I was born and raised in South Korea, but moved to Michigan when I was 15 years old, where I picked up wrestling at my high school. I picked up Judo right before I graduated from high school, and have been practicing non-stop since. When I’m not coding or practicing judo, I help Shintaro manage his blog in my spare time. :) Thanks for visiting, and hope you like what you find here!
