Mythical Kodokanis, the home of judo in Japan

The hostel comes into its own during the famous Winter Training in January, where sessions begin at 5.30am sharp and bleary-eyed trainees simply have to stumble up the stairs to begin their randori.

Blink and you’d miss it. In Tokyo’s residential Bunkyo district squats a nondescript grey office block above a hardware store and within earshot of the squeals from the Tokyo Dome amusement park.

Only the bronze statue of judo’s founder Jigoro Kano gives a hint that this unremarkable building is in fact the Kodokan, a Mecca for judo that attracts pilgrims from around the world.