One disappointing thing I see often in Japan is the increasing number of what I refer to as "Ninja Enthusiasts". Now, before I go further and to prevent any finger pointing, let me first define what I mean by Enthusiast.

  You know who they are, their the ones looking for something, they only show up when there's a rank to be given, they are the first in line to get a uniform patch or steal a photo. They are more focused on appearance and looking like they know more than they really do and training with them can be a real bare.

  Ok now, we are all happy Ninja and it's ok to love to train, I do, but I really think it's important to be serious about training and to put forth the effort and show some humility. My normal routine when training in Japan is to pick someone random, to experience how other students train. With some Uke's, I find it's better to do hard training on them due to their big ego and "I know what I'm doing" attitude. I've trained with green belts who are way better than some Black Belts.

  I made a promise to myself that from now on, any student in Japan wearing a Black Belt who is training with me and who isn't up to Taijutsu, I will make them feel like they are in a pit with a Fudo inspired Tiger. It does not matter if they are a white or green belt or if they are 10th dan or above, if you try to fake it, you'll be my Enduring Uke. :)>

  The very least a student can do when traveling to Japan is to take training seriously, even some students who live and train in Japan are not as good as those who live outside. It's a shame that these students do not appreciate the training as they should.