National Defense Academy – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today. Wed, 17 Oct 2018 01:00:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/05/en_rocket_1024.png?w=32 National Defense Academy – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com 32 32 176746664 Silent drills by the Honor Guard at Japan’s National Defense Academy impress and awe【Videos】 https://soranews24.com/2018/10/17/silent-drills-by-the-honor-guard-at-japans-national-defense-academy-impress-and-awe%e3%80%90videos%e3%80%91/ https://soranews24.com/2018/10/17/silent-drills-by-the-honor-guard-at-japans-national-defense-academy-impress-and-awe%e3%80%90videos%e3%80%91/#comments Wed, 17 Oct 2018 01:00:44 +0000 http://soranews24.com/?p=429053 It’s pretty impressive if you can twirl real life guns in perfect unison and/or sequence with dozens of other people.
We at SoraNews24 tend to enjoy the more laid-back aspects of the Japan Self Defense Force, like its questionable recruitment advertisements and its amusing, crowd-pleasing events like the Best Body Contest, but in fact, they are a military, and are, more often than not, serious people who work hard at everything they do.
Take, for example, the National Defense Academy’s Honor Guard, whose duty is to perform silent drills filled with spinning guns and sharp gestures at festivals and ceremonies. They are a spitting image of what many imagine the military to be: so practiced and well-trained in their routines that they can twirl real life guns and salute in perfect unison, or in the case of the video below, in perfect sequence.
▼ The title of this routine is called “Wave”, and for good reason.
こんばんは！
今日はお馴染みとなりました｢波｣という技の動画です！
最も綺麗に見れる横からの角度から撮りました！(o^^o) pic.twitter.com/ht9i8GI5Yy
— 防衛大学校儀仗隊 (@NDA_GoH) October 13, 2018
The video is without music or any accompanying noise except for the sound of the guns spinning and clacking, but you can almost feel the rhythm of the members’ movements nonetheless. The waves that appear as the movements slide up and down the line and are really quite a spectacle.
According to the official Twitter page for the Honor Guard, what they’re twirling are real M1 Garand rifles, which weigh about 4.3 kilograms (about 9.5 pounds) each, so they aren’t light. The fact that they are twirled and held aloft so easily is just one more amazing thing about the performance.
The official Twitter account has posted numerous other videos as well, so fans can always get a glimpse of the amazing teamwork of this Guard. This one, entitled, “Kick and Pass”, features two members who are amazingly in sync as they pass their guns back and forth.
こんばんは！
昨日はたくさんの応援のコメントありがとうございました！
今日は｢蹴り渡せ｣という技を紹介します！(o^^o)
この技は2人の動きと銃の動きがピッタリ合っているほど上手いと言われています！ pic.twitter.com/OZbmeN4UO7
— 防衛大学校儀仗隊 (@NDA_GoH) October 12, 2018
The members of the Honor Guard are, of course, also students at the Academy, which offers university degrees and a track directly into military commission, and so they’re subject to the schedule of the school like any other student. Yet, impressively, they still manage to make time to not only practice the routine and the handling of the gun, but to master synchronicity and teamwork with their fellow Guard.
▼ “Silent”
おはようございます、お久しぶりです！
試験期間が終了し、昨日より練習を再開しました！
こちらは入校式でも披露する予定の｢サイレント｣という、楽器の音を鳴らさずに銃の音だけを響かせ、動きも揃える技です！ pic.twitter.com/7oxrfuEhVL— 防衛大学校儀仗隊 (@NDA_GoH) February 25, 2018
Unsurprisingly, the Honor Guard of the National Defense Academy is popular among spectators; they’re known to draw big crowds at their regular appearances at U.S. and Japanese military festivals. They’re extremely popular on the Internet too, as their account has more than 12,000 followers, and the video for “Wave” received over 100,000 likes and retweets, with comments expressing little else but respect for the performers.
“Wow! So cool! I can’t wait to see you at your performance in Kurihama!”
“The American style is more lively, but the Japanese style is much smoother.”
“It’s so cool I wanna die!! I really want to see it live!”
“So much respect.”
“I live in Osaka, so there aren’t many chances for me to see you live, but I definitely want to see you perform someday!”
“I have no words…except maybe ‘Amazing’!”
“Wow! It’s so in sync! When they’re all in line it’s so pretty, like an art form!”
A lot of their skill is undoubtedly due to regimental diligence and rigorous drilling, but we have an inkling that Japanese people are used to being completely in sync with each other anyway. Just think about the “robot dance group” World Order, or university synchronized marching teams. Even shibas get synchronized!
Yes, practice certainly makes perfect, but natural talent might come into play here, too.
Source: Twitter/@NDA_GoH via Hamster Sokuhou
Featured Image: Twitter/@NDA_GoH
]]> https://soranews24.com/2018/10/17/silent-drills-by-the-honor-guard-at-japans-national-defense-academy-impress-and-awe%e3%80%90videos%e3%80%91/feed/ 0 429053 Japan National Defense Academy Honor Guard Botaoshi: The crazy, violent highlight of Japan’s National Defense Academy open house【Video】 https://soranews24.com/2016/11/22/botaoshi-the-crazy-violent-highlight-of-japans-national-defense-academy-open-house-%e3%80%90video%e3%80%91/ https://soranews24.com/2016/11/22/botaoshi-the-crazy-violent-highlight-of-japans-national-defense-academy-open-house-%e3%80%90video%e3%80%91/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2016 13:00:39 +0000 http://en.rocketnews24.com/?p=355270 
It’s like a cross between capture the flag and no-holds-barred wrestling.
In the fall, many educational institutions in Japan invite the public onto their campuses for exhibitions of the talents and passions of their student bodies. The National Defense Academy, located in the city of Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture, holds its festivities of this type, called the NDA Anniversary Festival, in November, and one of the most highly anticipated events on the schedule each year is the botaoshi.
Botaoshi literally translates to “pole toppling.” It’s a team competition in which one side tries to keep a wooden pole, measuring roughly 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) in length, upright for two straight minutes. Meanwhile, the other team attempts to tip the pole over, or at least 30 degrees away from vertical, through some extremely violent, full-contact means, as shown in this video from this year’s NDA Anniversary Festival, held on November 19 and 20.
▼ The action starts at the 1:10 point.
The National Defense Academy isn’t the only school in Japan that organizes botaoshi contests, but its competitions are by far the most famous. The fact that the participants are all training to join the Japan Self-Defense Forces means that the athleticism and courage on display are above and beyond what’s seen at other school festivals.
▼ More footage of this year’s botaoshi, at the 2:23 and 3:06 marks.
There’s also plenty of teamwork involved, with specialized roles dividing attackers into squads that attempt to scale the pole and others that try to push it over, and of course corresponding defensive responsibilities assigned to members of the opposing team.
And yes, this really is something the school does every year. Seen below are the National Defense Academy’s 2013 and 2010 botaoshi.
The dates for next year’s NDA Anniversary Festival have yet to be announced, but the growing popularity of its botaoshi among visitors means that when the time comes, the school should have no problems once again finding students ready and willing to carry on the tradition.
Related: National Defense Academy
Top image: YouTube/海老原正臣
Insert image: National Defense Academy
]]> https://soranews24.com/2016/11/22/botaoshi-the-crazy-violent-highlight-of-japans-national-defense-academy-open-house-%e3%80%90video%e3%80%91/feed/ 0 355270 bt-0 bt-0 bt-1