So as I promised here is a super ultra rare pic of me, in my kendo uniform and armour.
The bamboo sword is called a shinai and is really light. The armour is called bogu (with men- head armour, kote- wrist/hand armour and do- body armour).
Kendo is fast and training mostly consists of whacking each other with the shinai or doing the leg exercises that make the legs ache. Also the screaming at each other. I have grading very soon, and will hopefully, finally be a proper "kendoka"
Some random video I found on youtube, this is shiai-geiko (basically sparring practice).
EDIT: Direct link to picture
http://s23.postimg.org/q05155d8q/steve_2013_kendo_009.jpg