New London — Seth Howard of New London was warming up Tuesday before practicing Okinawan, a Japanese form of martial arts, in a parking lot off Golden Street. 

He said he has been practicing various forms of martial arts for almost 20 years and is also fluent in Japanese. "For me, learning the culture and the language is just as important as learning the forms and movements," he said.

He practices outside, where there is more room than in his apartment, whenever the weather allows. "I wasn't going to train today," he said, "but when I realized how nice outside it was, I knew I had to."

The mural behind him, "The Hard Hat Painters," was done by Michael McNabney & Troy Zaushny in 2012.