Her brother, her mother, her father: all do kendo. Alona Chevillot, sixteen, grew up on the edge of the dojo floor and one day stepped onto it herself.
Way of Life #13, “My Place to Be”, is a portrait of Alona Chevillot (16) at Budokan Lausanne. What follows is transcribed from the subtitles of the film — Alona Chevillot’s own words, in the order they are spoken, under the chapters of the film.
They seem to read your every move — even as you just stand there.
A family of kendo
My whole family does kendo — my brother, both my parents. I grew up in it, and one day I wanted to try. I just stuck with it — now it's my main sport.
My place to be
I don't think there was one single moment. It's like a big family — everywhere you go, people are happy to see you. Meeting people, I started to feel it was my place to be.
I could meet people — see friends in a different world. That's how I knew this was for me.
Where etiquette lives
Yes — in the discipline. Kendo is a martial art. There's the martial side, and the proper etiquette.
I think that's the biggest part of Japanese culture in kendo. Listening, and respect for your opponent — you don't see that much elsewhere. That, I think, is the Japanese culture inside kendo.
Facing Japan
First, I want to fight a Japanese kenshi — and really feel the gap. They seem to read your every move — even as you just stand there. I want to see that gap for myself.
And of course — give me tips to improve.
I want to see real kendo — and make it the goal I reach for.
About this series
Way of Life is a series of short portraits of people who live the way, filmed by KAIDO Inc. in dojos across Europe and Japan. One person, one word, a few minutes.