Black Fox Wrestling Academy’s wrestlers, many of them being Grandview students, traveled over 5825 miles to the best wrestling country in the world. Their purpose was not only to train and learn from fellow wrestlers but to also learn valuable life lessons. 

Junior and previous Grandview wrestling state qualifier Gunnar Lopez was a part of the group of boys that trained with Japanese high school Tosu Tech. A typical day consisted of extreme training as well as plenty of time to see Japan. 

“We had practice at 6 in the morning for around three hours, then we’d get cleaned up and have time to explore [Japan] throughout the day,” Lopez said. “Then we came back and had practice at 4:30 for another three hours then we just chilled in the town and got ready for bed.”

Japan is quite different from the United States. Visiting enlightened the wrestlers of the manners and way of living of the general population. 

“We rode the train and subway a lot during the trip and we were constantly getting yelled at because we couldn’t stay quiet,” Sophomore Kyle Menuez said. 

“What surprised me was how quiet it was out there. Everyone had to whisper,” Lopez said. “I thought it was really cool.” 

The food in Japan was definitely a highlight of the trip as well. 

“The food was very healthy, it wasn’t greasy or oily. And it was mostly fish, rice, noodles, and some chicken, and beef. My favorite drink was Pocari Sweat, it’s an electrolyte drink that we all drank multiple times a day,” Menuez said. 

And while the touristy part of Japan was nothing short of remarkable, wrestling with Tosu Tech’s great wrestling team was once in a lifetime, and left a lasting impact with all the skills they learned. 

“The experience [helped], I guess just going out there, seeing how they trained, and getting to bring back those techniques evolved our skills further,” Lopez said. 

The Japanese wrestling team in the recent 2024 olympics dominated competition by obtaining 11 medals including 8 gold, easily putting them as one of the most skillful countries in wrestling –  which strongly influenced those who trained there. 

“The best wrestling advice I took away from the trip was patience. The American style is more high paced and aggressive, but in Japan I learned to stay patient and react to opponents, and use energy in quick bursts rather than the whole match,” Menuez said. 

And in Japan wrestlers are more famous than in the United States. It is a more recognized sport, so the majority of the population knows the individual wrestlers. 

“It’s more serious in Japan, The top wrestlers out there are a lot more recognized and seen as a celebrity out there and they get paid a lot more,” Lopez said. “Sumo is a big part [of] their culture, some of us got to see the sumo wrestlers and how big they are and just how much they’re idolized.”

To add to the awe of this trip, the boys got the chance to meet Japan’s Olympic bronze medalist. 

“They actually brought in one guy that I think got bronze at the Olympics, he was just outstanding and being able to meet him was just insane,” Lopez said. 

The group of boys didn’t come home without making countless memories and meeting amazing people which would pull them back to visit again – like identical twin Yushi.

The friends made along the trip left a lasting impression which, along with all the other great stuff about the trip, will make them want to visit again.

“He stood because he was the funniest kid in the room, we would talk through translators but even without it he would still make us all laugh. We practiced together multiple times while I was there and we had a good rivalry during sparring,” Meneuz said. “When it was time for us to leave Tosu it was pretty emotional because we had all made friends for life and we bonded over the two weeks,” Menuez said.