June 30th, 2010 | 
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These days samurais are rare, but in feudal Japan times they were large in numbers and could be seen about the grounds guarding government buildings and training for war exercises.
We briefly spoke to Kenichi Yokonawa, a modern-day samurai who is trying to bring the tradition back into mainstream Japan. He runs his own gym and prepares young men for a life fashioned as a Japanese samurai warrior.
For Mr. Yokonawa, samurais have a new meaning and a new purpose for modern-day Japan that can benefit all of society. “In the past, the main duty of a samurai was to protect and fight for the people in war, but these days that is no longer required. To be a samurai today means to serve the people, act in honor and always respect the ancestors that have come before us”, says Yokonawa.
The Japanese people hear his words. Every year dozens of new recruits volunteer to join his samurai training program. They come from all over: Tokyo, Hokkaido, Okinawa, to uphold the traditions of the samurai and learn what it is to be one.
I asked him what he thought about foreigners becoming samurai. He said, “I have not yet seen one that has the ability to understand the responsibilities, but I am waiting”.
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He gave you the deceptive and polite Japanese way of saying “foreigners were not welcomed” for his classes. Many of these fake “Samurai”, are more about being right-wing extremist, and have come up with ways to cover what they are really about.