Day 293 of writing every day.
For the past few years with COVID-19 canceling events outright and things only opening up with restrictions after the fear of the pandemic had started to recede, events returning to the way they were before COVID seem to have only started earlier this year for Japan. Aikido seminars were restricted in participant numbers, pairing with partners from the same dojo, and required wearing masks. This year marked a return to how things operated when times were normal.
The Kansai Region Aikido Seminar is hosted in Osaka at a budo center and invites dojos in the region to practice under the instruction of the special guest instructor, the dojo-cho of Aikikai hombu dojo, Ueshiba Mitsuteru, who is the great grandson of Aikido founder Ueshiba Morihei. Such special seminars attract a large crowd and present the unique opportunity to practice with people from different dojos and connect with them that you wouldn’t normally have.
After two hours of enthusiastic practice, the seminar is over and most people pack up and go back but a portion of others join a pricey banquet held at a fancy hotel in Osaka Station.
It was a good time I think, and being an annual event I think it offers a chance to measure my growth in terms of how I feel I’m using my body and practicing techniques with different people. If things feel smoother and closer towards being effortless, then I’m probably going in the right direction.
Thanks for reading!
One Chance Works 