Decorated judo coach adapts to new life in Canton

By Candace Paris

Luis Bonilla, a resident of Canton and native of Peru, has worked hard to make a new life here. His experience has required some challenging adjustments but has also brought significant rewards.

Luis Bonilla became certified by the International Judo Federation in November.

Bonilla, who was born in Chimbote, a port city, came to this country for the first time in 2014, with no thought of moving here permanently. He had been invited to visit by a friend, who even paid for his airline ticket.

While Bonilla was in the area, he spent time at New England Sports Academy, then operating in Westwood. There he met Sayaka Yamaki, a Canton resident who works as a Boston University undergraduate advisor in the Earth and Environment Department. The two share a deep commitment to judo; Yamaki had a second degree black belt and Bonilla, a former Peruvian national champion and Peruvian national team judo coach from 2008 to 2014, held his third degree black belt.

In 2016, Bonilla returned to this country to attend his friend’s wedding. He and Yamaki reconnected and started dating, quickly becoming serious about their relationship. They became engaged two months later and married in June 2017.

Yamaki, born in New York City, has lived in Japan (as well as having ties to the country through her parents), so she understands what it’s like to move between countries and cultures. She strongly supports her husband and describes him as “smart, kind, and very humble.” She promotes his judo talents enthusiastically: “Luis is one of the most amazing judo instructors I’ve ever met. He’s great at breaking down techniques, and is extremely skilled on the mat/ground work.”

Bonilla now has his fourth degree black belt. He attended an eight-day course sponsored by the International Judo Federation in the Dominican Republic this year to become certified as an International Judo Coach. This will enable him to seek USA team coaching opportunities.

Currently, Bonilla uses his judo experience in two paid positions. On Tuesdays, he instructs adults at American Grit on Turnpike Street. On Thursdays and Saturdays, he travels to Brazilian Top Team Boston in Everett, where he teaches kids and adults. He also works five days a week at Canton Center Pizza. He said, “I enjoy preparing food — I love eating!”

Bonilla’s original plan for a career in nursing was abruptly derailed by a strange incident: his school in Peru deleted almost four years of nursing courses from his transcript. Yamaki said that restoring the gaps would have required bribery money, which Bonilla didn’t have. Instead, he adjusted his plans and completed a bachelor’s degree in physical education. He has since also acquired knowledge and experience in massage, physical therapy and injury management. He plans to take an EMT course next fall and then community college courses in nursing, all of which will count toward a nursing degree.

First, however, Bonilla must demonstrate his English language skills on the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). He knows he needs to improve his English. “At first my wife was talking to me, saying the same sentence 10 times!” he said. “Now I understand more.”

He has found that often, hand signals are effective for communicating basic ideas, but he sometimes struggles with the many options that English has for saying the same thing.

Overall, Bonilla said his adjustment to life here has been easy. He said Canton is quiet and calm, a “very nice place to live,” with minimal traffic congestion compared to the hours-long snarls in Peru. He misses his mother and sisters, but said that “with technology, it’s easier to communicate.”

He is looking forward to visiting his family in person with Yamaki when they travel to Peru this month. They will also enjoy visiting the hot springs of Aguas Calientes, a small village near Machu Picchu, which Bonilla described as “very healing.”

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