[Obgrfbke]

Would you buy a condominium/house/townhouse or rent an apartment in a "kendo community" ?

You know, some suburb developed zone that was a group of homes or apartments or condos or whatever in a little area with a shared Dojo, and financial support for kendo built into the cost of living in the community?

Ok, it's an idea that would NEVER fly. But wouldn't it be great - to live in a complex/neighborhood/whatever where there was an early morning keiko before work 5-7 days a week, evening keiko 5-7 days a week, and visiting sensei and events on weekends and such? A shared dojo space so you could go work on suburi without worrying about your feet on concrete or carpet, or tearing up your ceilings? Living around a lot of people who weren't necessarily totally obsessed with kendo, but where everyone saw enough value to move to a place where it was a selling point in the community? Like the golf communities ? A place where you didn't *have* to practice every day if you didn't want to, but where any day you wanted, if you felt like it, you could?

Yea, I think Kendo isn't popular enough in a dense enough area to make it economically viable, but even if it was, some form of the ugly head of politics would kill it anyways. But what a fantasy !

[yxn2dC07]

Maybe with kendo it would be possible but think of what would happen if it would be iaidoka then people would be saying it would be some community of sword crazy people.

But as you know yourself these people doing and saying these things don't have a clue what they talk about yet still are a majority.

I think a community like you described might work in California where there seem to be alot of kendoka close, in American terms, together.

if you really believe in something like this why not check it out further as in how big you'd have to make it to make a dojo viable etc etc...

[oliverlogo]

I'd love to live their. It would make figuring out how to practice my waza and kata alot easier.

[Scukonah]

I enjoy my neighborhood sword wierdo status too much to become... normal

[Nupbeaupeteew]

Instead of all this, why not just build like a YMCA for kendo/iaido/kenjutsu/haeidong kumdo/fencing? A massive gym filled with stuff you can practice kendo in. Instruction on certain times of days. A room for self practice, whatever. A "challenge" room where anyone can go in and do a little jigeiko with anyone else. Why make a community when you can just build a big gym?

[Ubgvuncd]

Would you buy a condominium/house/townhouse or rent an apartment in a "kendo community" ?

NO.

Ok, it's an idea that would NEVER fly. You don't say!

But wouldn't it be great - to live in a complex/neighborhood/whatever where there was an early morning keiko before work 5-7 days a week, evening keiko 5-7 days a week, and visiting sensei and events on weekends and such? A shared dojo space so you could go work on suburi without worrying about your feet on concrete or carpet, or tearing up your ceilings? Living around a lot of people who weren't necessarily totally obsessed with kendo, but where everyone saw enough value to move to a place where it was a selling point in the community? Like the golf communities ? A place where you didn't *have* to practice every day if you didn't want to, but where any day you wanted, if you felt like it, you could?

Yea, I think Kendo isn't popular enough in a dense enough area to make it economically viable, but even if it was, some form of the ugly head of politics would kill it anyways. But what a fantasy ! What fantasy! NOT

[BloofPailafum]

If the benefit to cost ratio was reasonable, sure, but otherwise I'd rather deal with a commute to the typical nonprofit dojo elsewhere.

[Leczyslaw]

That would be pretty awesome, but I don't think I'd want to surround myself with kendo all the time, because when I practice Kendo it pulls me from whatever stress I have from work or school. So if itwere at home with me all the time, it wouldn't really be much of a get away for me.

[Kamepherype]

I would move there in a sec. Our dokokai here in Tally has a grand total of 3 kenshi... including me. I just moved into a house w/2 of my friends and the house has cathedral ceilings and wood floors. So I've been enjoying doing suburi in my livingroom. yeahhh.

[durootrium]

All it would take is someone with motivation, around here this guy just started developing a neighborhood around an airstrip, the idea is each house would have an attached small plane hanger, he already has like 14 commitments from people to move and he just begun development, it just takes someone with motivation and a dream

[payowlirriply]

Hate to be the one to put the k-bash on this but the economics just are not there. I have been involved with several "theme" developments and am currently in the planning stage for one revolving around horses. there are numerous airpark developments in the U.S. and they are usually successful. You probably can't count the golf course communities. Now what is the difference between horses, airplanes, golf and kendo. (Golf goes into a separate category to be discussed below).
THE ANSWER IS $$$$$.
A thirty five year old Cessna 172 will set you back about $50,000.00 plus another $5,000 to $10,000 per year to play with it. That is an entry level airplane. The price goes up from there.
A green hunter without super pedigree will set you back $10,000 plus training. One that is trained will be say $35,000 and up to the millions.
Golf. everybody wants to play golf of course but a golf course ties up an enormous amount of land and is a great expense so rarely, if ever, can the development support it unless the homeowners want to pay big, big bucks. The developer will often sell memberships to non-residents to make it pay but in any case it will cost $$$$$.
Now we have kendo. How many people have $2000.00 bogu? $6000.00? $10,000? How many units do you need to get enough players to support not only the building of a dojo but support it too? What is the price point for the housing units. In the airpark and horse developments the entry level is usually at least $500,000, not counting the airplane or the horse, and on up plus BIG carrying charges. Golf courses, depending on whether the development is exclusive or not is the same.

Anyway, nice dream but it ain't gonna happen.

[!!!maryann!!!]

It'd be neat, but someone would see it as a crazy sword-weilding cult. ANd I'd get angry seeing the same people all the time! >:O!!!

[mazabotman]

I think I'd like it, but the government would spazz...
(they REALLY have golf communities!!!? oh my goodness...)

[Pvfcadbh]

That would be great. Nice safe neighborhood where no one feels funny walking around in a hakama and sword at their side.

[KellyMP]

Ignatz is essentiality correct, capital intensive activities create there own interested constituency. But I do wonder if he is too limited in his thinking. In places like NYC any thing that uses physical space is by definition capital intensive. Instead of creating a themed development perhaps you could create a themed apartment building. Many of these buildings have a workout area, just find one and convert it to martial arts.

An alternative idea might be to take over a neighborhood. There is a local company town called Schenectady where the company has been moving out. Property there is dirt cheap but taxes are high. Years ago, well before I started Kendo, I looked at a large 5 bedroom center-hall colonial, hardwood flooring and the works for $90,000. I have more than once thought about purchasing a two family house there, turning the bottom apartment into a dojo and living upstairs.

Expanding on that idea would be to find an area with a closed church or similar structure that could be had for back taxes and a promise to make useful. Most town boards would love to see and area get rebuilt around a culturally interesting idea. You would want to go to the town board and present the idea and get them on your side. Promises to hold cultural events and other things that would bring people from outside. Get tax breaks for people who move into the area who would participate. Work your ass off to make it grow.

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head.

[Proodustommor]

okay what your failing to realize is that it would work. one all you need to do is tweak the idea of a kendo community and make it into a more zen community with other interests where you have a shrine with dojos and masters of all different styles (Thai chi, yoga kendo and all the other forms of martial arts) and have a very peaceful environment. i could see this being wildly popular. people are looking for this. so many people are getting into the cleaner life style and are turning to the Asian philosophies. it does not just have to be about one thing but make it about peace and tranquility where many forms are practice. Now i would live there.

i could see also a huge park with ponds and flowers and a shrine or something in the middle.

[appleiphoneees]

Honda Motors has a vehcle called, I think, the Element. It is designed to apeal to surfer dude types and it does. Sales were terrible. They have redesigned it to appeal more to soccer moms becase surfer dudes don't have any money and soccer moms do.
The same guy that came up with that idea probably came up with the accord hybrid that costs $12,000 more than the regular Accord and gets the same gas milage.

[Glamyclitlemi]

Not to mention the Element is ugly. They beat the fenders with every ugly stick they could find.

[Karpattaisp]

okay what your failing to realize is that it would work. one all you need to do is tweak the idea of a kendo community and make it into a more zen community with other interests where you have a shrine with dojos and masters of all different styles (Thai chi, yoga kendo and all the other forms of martial arts) and have a very peaceful environment.

I dont think it will fly at all. by limiting the scope of the community, the value of the houses will likely depreciate, since it wont be an easy sell to those outside of small number of dedicated martial arts practioners...

it would make more sense to build a dedicatd martial arts facility which can house numerous number of practices at once, with respected senseis.... and I can't see how you'd do that outside of a big city...

now only if someone can get bill gates to donate 2 billion dollars to build my dream dojo.

HAHAHAHAHA

[tipoketpu]

If that community exist, there will be a lot of crime committed. let see, Keiko in the morning, go to work, go back and more keiko. that means, no love, no wife, no children. Only beer and instant noodle consume here. It is a lonely sex hungry smelly dirty men community and it is extreme terible for any girl get lost in that wonderful kendo community. Now you know what kind of crime I'm talking about.