Budo is a gateway to better self - Hiroaki Hiraoka

The Nippon Budokan Foundation in Japan sent a 70-strong delegation of martial arts experts last month to Sydney to commemorate the 40th year of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation between Australia and Japan. They held a demonstration and workshops at the Sydney Olympic Park. Mr. Hiraoka who won the Olympic Judo silver medal in 2012 says Budo is not about winning or losing, but it is a way to improve yourself. Mr. Hideo Usui, who led the delegation, hopes that they could showcase the spirit of Budo which forms the backbone of Japanese culture. Ms. Yuki Tarumi, who sang the national anthem of both Japan and Australia at the event tells how impressed she was by watching the demonstration.

Mr Usui (left) and Mr. Hiraoka at the Sydney Olympic Park Source: SBS