Learn Karate in Naha & Shuri, Okinawa

Honest level: All levels, technique and kata-focused — ask the school exactly how far that goes in the time you have.

Island Special Karate Camp

A 14-day karate immersion in karate's birthplace, training under high-ranking Okinawan masters at authentic dojos and the Okinawa Karate Kaikan, with exposure to the leading Okinawan styles (Shorin-ryu, Goju-ryu, Uechi-ryu) and kobudo weapons work. The camp pairs daily dojo training with travel through Okinawa and the Yaeyama islands, including outdoor beach training. Coordinated for international practitioners by Ageshio Japan. For karateka who want to train kata and kihon where the art originated rather than abroad.

Two weeks of training under Okinawan-lineage masters at the Karate Kaikan and real dojos in karate's birthplace - immersive and at the source.

Masters & lineage

• Morio Higaonna

Why Visit Karate Okinawa (Ageshio Japan)

• ★ 5/5 · 68 reviews on TripAdvisor ↗

— don't take my word, check it yourself

Run by Shorin-Ryu 7th-dan Kinjo (Kenny) Sensei, the program trains at the official Okinawa Karate Kaikan with named local masters, and reviewers repeatedly single out the instructors' depth of knowledge and the well-organized dojo sessions paired with karate-history tours.

Schools in Naha & Shuri, Okinawa

Checked by hand against each school's own course pages. No school paid to be listed.

• Visit Karate Okinawa (Ageshio Japan) at Okinawa Karate Kaikan & affiliated dojos
  Island Special Karate Camp
  A 14-day karate immersion in karate's birthplace, training under high-ranking Okinawan masters at authentic dojos and the Okinawa Karate Kaikan, with exposure to the leading Okinawan styles (Shorin-ry
  https://ageshiojapan.com/category_page/program
• Okinawa Karate Kaikan
  Karate experience programs and seminars at the dojo complex; trial classes for beginners
  The Okinawa Karate Kaikan is a 3.8-hectare karate complex south of Naha, opened in 2017, that preserves and teaches Okinawan karate through its dojos, museum and experience programs.
  https://karatekaikan.jp/en
• Jundokan (Goju-ryu)
  Open-floor Goju-ryu training Monday-Saturday (junbi-undo, hojo-undo, kata and bunkai); visiting practitioners welcomed
  The Jundokan is a Goju-ryu honbu dojo in the Asato district of Naha, established by Ei'ichi Miyazato in 1957 and now run by his son Yoshihiro Miyazato, with daily open training in junbi-undo, hojo-undo, kata and bunkai.
  http://www.jundokan-hb.jp/english/GojuryuHistory.htm
• Higaonna Dojo / TOGKF
  Traditional Okinawan Goju-ryu training and federation membership giving direct access to the Higaonna honbu dojo and seminars
  The Higaonna Dojo in Tsuboya, Naha, is the honbu of the Traditional Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-do Federation (TOGKF), founded by Morio Higaonna in 2022 to teach his lineage of Okinawan Goju-ryu.
  https://togkf.com/

The credential

Black-belt dan grade certified by a recognized Okinawan or JKA lineage organization · Certifying body: Dan/kyu grading via lineage organizations (JKA for Shotokan; IOGKF/Jundokan for Goju-ryu); Okinawa Prefecture's official Okinawa Karate Kaikan; WKF for sport competition

A recognised qualification an outside body stands behind is not the same as a certificate a school prints itself. We name which it is — you should ask the school the same.

Also for Karate

What I check before I send you anywhere

I'm Arnaud. I cook for a living, and I've spent fifteen years on the water — so I know the difference between a real school and a good-looking website. I built the Atlas because I got tired of the second kind. Here is what a place has to clear before it goes on here, and what I'll tell you straight when it doesn't.

• The craft is actually alive there. A working scene, with people who do this every day — not a demo put on for visitors.
• There's a real teacher behind it. Named, still practising, and certified where the craft has certificates.
• The credential is what it claims to be. A state diploma and a certificate a school prints itself are not the same thing. I check which, and I say which.
• I tell you how sure I am. Most pages here are verified by hand. A few say "still checking" — I'd rather admit that than pretend.
• Nobody pays to be here. No commission, no selling the trip. The order on this map is the strength of the community, never the size of the wallet.
• If I wouldn't send a friend, it isn't on the map.