Page 3 - James Pankiewicz News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Today, just a short ferry ride from the main island, a sense, a feeling of that long gone empire remains. kumejima is a small island that has been largely untouched by the changes in the world. people farm and fish as they always did. >> anthony: and the war never came here? this is bunshiro nagame and yohina tomahiro. kumejima residents and friends of james. >> james: no, they didn't. they suffered very little damage in the war. >> anthony: and, uh, no military bases? no american presence? >> james: well, up until '72 there was an american base. >> anthony: there was. >> james: but then in '7...

>> man in brown hat: yaya! >> james: so he has a female student here tonight. this is yaya. tony is asking what's the future for women in traditional karate. >> yaya: when i first started karate, i didn't know this world. and now i'm learning karate as in the performance and also life. everything is all about love. and karate is showing you if you have this kind of power and the ability to protect yourself, your family, you can be really kind.

Shuttered storefronts give way to packed izakayas. a few beers and somebody breaks out a shamisen, and the good times begin. people go out here and after pounding your fists and feet into hardened meat hooks and shitting out bone chips. you can drop by dojo bar. james's refuge where some of the island's most esteemed masters and their students come for what is recognized internationally as the cure for all martial arts-related ailments. alcohol. >> james: would you like a drink? >> anthony: i think i would like a beer and maybe a shot of something. >> james: well, i do have a little shot of so...

It's animal you like. >> james: this is horsemeat. >> anthony: horse, ah. >> man: horse. >> anthony: thank you. good. good and this? [ imitates goat bleating ] >> anthony: oh. goat. ooh that's good. pure protein for people who need it. pork belly. some pickled pig's ears. and baked yam. >> anthony: i watch a lot of, uh, mixed martial arts. i watch a lot of jiu-jitsu. my daughter trains mostly jiu-jitsu, but some stand-up. some of the most exciting fighters that i've seen lately who really show the most heart are women. is there a -- is there a future for women in karate?

Do some deep-fried fish for us. >> anthony: gurukun, the unofficial national fish of okinawa. and porcupine fish, both battered and deep-fried. >> james: we're gonna do sashimi. >> anthony: okinawans eat just about any kind of fish sashimi style. for us, snapper and parrotfish. >> james: and lobster. >> anthony: because one must. served raw and still twitching in the shell. >> james: and we're gonna get some sea grapes as well. >> anthony: oh good, good, that's, uh, super traditional. sea grapes, the classic regional side dish dressed in rice vinegar. what you buy downstairs from vendors. for ...