p: Why did you start Karate in Australia, where it's not so popular?
`: A co-worker from my company invited me to come to training to watch Karate. At that time I never expected to last for very long. It was a joke for me. But as I continued, I found Karate interesting and it has more depth which I had never imagined. When I first stayed with Japanese families in Wakayama for Karate training, I was away from my family and I cried every night. I couldn't speak Japanese. Everything was different in Japan, so all I had to do was to watch people very carefully, patiently. In this way I learned the "Don't Give Up" spirit.
Q: What is your best technique?
`: My best technique is Maegeri (front kick) because I'm usually taller than Japanese so my legs are longer. That's my advantage. I achieved my second dan, black belt two years ago. I must wait at least one more year to get my third dan. I'll have to fight 30 fights as part of the test. Now I'm training for the All Kansai tournament which is to be held in Wakayama on 27th, September.
p: When a big tournament comes near, what kind of preparation do you usually do?
`: First, up to one week before the tournament, we train six days a week. One week before the tournament, no training to rest your body. Stretching repairs your body. Next, I must be 60s to fight. So I try to keep under 20 of fat a day. Fruit is very good, high in calorie, but low in fat. My husband Tsuyoshi is opposite to me. His metabolism is very fast. If he eats, he would start sweating all over his body, so he can eat anything. But for me... I love chocolate very much, but....
p: Before starting Karate, what did you like to do?
`: I spent my childhood being involved in live stage productions singing and dancing in musicals. I did Oz and Alice in Wonderland. At 17 years old I stopped acting on the stage and taught young children in the group what I had learned. I was an assistant producer for "Annie" in Australia. It was a lot of fun.
p: Here in Kure, you teach children Karate, don't you?
`: Yes, my husband and I teach them on Saturday mornings when they have no school. Children at Kure Dojo are the strongest. They always win in the Hiroshima tournament. They call my husband Murase Sempai. Now I'm married and I'm also Murase Sempai, so it's kind of confusing for me.
p: What do you hope for the future?
`: My husband and I will maybe live in Australia for a short time to see how he likes living there. Then we will decide which country we wish to live in. My husband is quite famous in Karate so he has a big opportunity to open his own school in Australia so that many Japanese can stay with us. Before that, we will have our wedding in Japan. And then my husband and I hope to fight in the World Tournament together. So we can train together. At this moment I'm preparing for the All Kansai Tournament which is coming very soon.
