Wrist Wraps, Setting Suns, and Propane Trucks
After my last post, the evening class went well-in part due to Kevin-san lending me a wrist-wrap. It reinforces my wrist, but more importantly lets nage know not to go 100% on that side, which has allowed it to slowly start healing. The evening class was good overall, but it was also very cold and rainy during and after the class (we train with the windows open, so that temperature kind of permeates everything). That made warming up for class a bit challenging along with sleeping after chores after class, but it VERY much made me appreciate sitting on the heated toilet seat. So there's always that silver lining.
Also, for my own entertainment when I return (and to help me understand my confusing timeline), I am posting this on Friday, March 9th local time around 4:30PM after having gone to eat and get coffee with Hiromi and Kevin-San which was after the Sensei morning work meeting and coffee. I'm not sure how this will be dated, but I'd bet it will show March 9th super early morning (US Central time 15 hours later than this time zone). This little date stamp posted here will help me later if I reread this and am confused how classes could have gone the way that I'm describing (we only train some classes certain days). I'll need to remember that these posts are occurring 'in the future' relative to the time stamps and relative to my readers.
Thursday morning is the women's class at Tokorozawa Dojo. It's the same as most other classes except that the women change in the larger men's changing room and the men use the women's. It is also taught by Kobayashi Soshinan, which makes it very unique at Tokorozawa (where Hiroaki Sensei is the usual teacher). The energy in this class was some of the best that I've experienced at any point here. It attracts a totally different dojo crowd--first (obviously), quite a few women attend who I don't see at any other classes at either dojo. Second, a different male crowd than usual tends to come, and they tend to be (in general) better uke and nage (fallers and throwers). Perhaps the biggest difference during this class was that Soshihan was extremely playful with all of his uke and nage--throwing in extra finger locks or literally laying on one uke during suwariwaza iriminage when uke was down on all fours due to the force of the iriminage opening. The techniques had a slightly greater variety, and everyone in the room had a positive, good energy.
As the class was occurring, I was aware of how much better the energy and flow of it was relative to other classes that I'd attended recently. It made me pause to think a bit--one of my instructor friends says that you can judge a dojo by how many women train in it. She says that most will only train if the men will respect them and also not physically damage them--as such, only higher quality dojos tend to have a reasonable number of women. I've always thought this was not universally true (some areas have less women or have less women who would be interested in training in Aikido) but that it was true in general. This WAS a women's class, of course, but it was notable to me how many women joyfully attended and how truly skilled they were. This was part of Soshihan's legacy still living on strongly right now. It was a beautiful class to be a part of--kind of like standing in some bright sunshine. It was also the most animated that I'd seen Soshihan in several days--you could tell it was energizing him, too. It almost made me tear up a bit--this was the Aikido that I'd sensed in him at the seminar he taught that I'd come so far to see and learn from. It felt very alive and warm, but I could also sense that it was passing away--much like a setting sun. This is what made me feel bittersweet about the class; it was what I had been wanting to see that was missing the last few classes, and I was privileged to be part of it--but it was also something slowly passing away.
Besides this thought, the women's class sparked two different thoughts--one was a thought at the time, the other was a thought now. At the time it made me reflect on the other instructors here. Hiroaki Sensei also has a reasonable number of women training at his classes--some younger, some older. He has less than Soshihan, but not not by a bunch. The other instructors have a woman or two join, but they mostly just have men attend their classes. Again, I don't think that's 100% representative of teaching ability or skill, but it is interesting to observe.
The second thought occurred today--the energy is distinctly different in our Dojo and Kobayashi Shihan's classes, but I think our own Dojo has a little bit of it at times. It has to do with being a distinct community that trains together, but it's more than that. The classes that don't have that energy are often the same people training together, too, and they also have community. I'm thinking out loud as I type, but I feel like it relates to the attitudes fostered within the community. One of the primary attitudes needed for such a group is humility--without the ability to look at ourselves and others as learning human beings who can laugh freely, it is hard to foster such openness. Loving others is perhaps even more or equally important--some of the classes that don't have that good energy have quite a few people who train just for themselves and don't care about connecting with others or working with others (which to me means they aren't fully practicing Aikido in the first place--it's more Aikijutsu when you do it to others regardless, without feeling one's partner). I think most of the other qualities that are required come from those two mixing--respect is important, but if one love's others and is humble, one respects what others do for the community. Humor and joy are also important, but in a community of humility and love, those naturally arise. Hmmm.... more to ponder for later!
During tea for women's class, we had special treats--I didn't catch the name of the mochi on a stick in sauce, but I think it was dango. There were also these cute mochi pandas (that tasted quite delicious).
After women's class, I was in a good mood and had nice energy. Once chores and food were done, I got to talk to my wife, Tella, which was quite needed and enjoyable, and then I prepared to head out into the cold rain. There are currently 5 uchideshi here, which is abnormally large, so only 2 are desired for children's classes. As this was an off day, I needed to be somewhere else during them. I'd asked around for a place with free WiFi and found out that Starbar (Japanese for Starbucks) has it, and there's one about 15-20 minutes walk away. I put on all my rain gear and opened my umbrella and headed out:
On the way, I passed Don Quioxote, which is the local version of something between WalMart and Dollar General (much bigger than Dollar General but a bit smaller than WalMart. I get a kick out of the fact that it's named Don Quixote (the crazy Spanish fictional character) and is mainstream in Japan.
Passing Don Quixote, I had the bizarre experience of coming up on Starbucks and feeling like I was almost teleported to the U.S. It's a bit difference here (notice the katakana on the sign), but it's eerily similar (even the prices, which are high for Japan).
Inside I found out that there was only one outlet, and it had a mysterious sign that I couldn't read (I could sound out many of the words but didn't know what they all meant).
I guessed that they wouldn't have a sign on an outlet that was open for everyone to use so I ended up being unable to do the work I had wanted to do (especially since my phone was nearly out of battery, too), so I instead chose to enjoy the beautiful rain, the heat of Starbucks (heat was EPIC), and a chair (also an extreme novelty here--especially for sore knees). I had a nice 50 minute rest/some thought time and headed back from my exile to clean and prepare for adult class.
After adult class, we had our usual tea, and Kevin-san got his graduation photos (apparently a very expensive ordeal involving wearing a traditional kimono--these were a gift from an individual who showed up for tea). Then the few of us who had stayed around for tea took a photo.
After that, Kevin and a few friends (one who is apparently the famous heir to a local, ancient Shinto shrine (I saw pictures, they are gorgeous) stuck around and talked while I rapidly prepared for bed. The severe lack of sleep (often 5 hours a night and occasionally less) was one of the primary things I've begun to seek to fight by getting in bed quickly at night. After Kevin-sand and his friends were done chatting, he wanted to drink a beer and chat over his supper. I'd already cooked and eaten, but he DID walk a great distance in the cold rain to get us both a drink, and I do like him and enjoy chatting with him, so I stayed up and talked for awhile. Then I rapidly went to bed.
Thank God I actually slept last night for probably the second time. I didn't toss and turn a ton on the hard bedding but stayed in one spot for most of my 4.5-5 hours of rest. I felt like a new man this morning, and I enjoyed our morning class (the training and variety were good--Hiroaki Sensei has some extremely good Aikido). Afterwards Anya prepared her Russian breakfast while we cleaned and prepared for the Sensei who would join for it. Each Friday one of us (uchideshi) cooks breakfast for us and a few Sensei--afterwards the Sensei have a meeting and we and they do office work. Then we all drink coffee and the uchideshi clean more. As I was moving around, I heard a familiar sound that I wanted to share with you as I end this post.
Reminiscent of my times in Juarez Mexico, certain trucks run around here playing loud music (much like Ice Cream Trucks in the U.S.). The Mexican ones have loud, jaunty Mexican music and sell propane or 'gasolina'! These have what sounds vaguely like Christmas music and also sell propane or gas of some kind. I took a quick shot of one just to share the uniqueness with you. Enjoy!
Also, for my own entertainment when I return (and to help me understand my confusing timeline), I am posting this on Friday, March 9th local time around 4:30PM after having gone to eat and get coffee with Hiromi and Kevin-San which was after the Sensei morning work meeting and coffee. I'm not sure how this will be dated, but I'd bet it will show March 9th super early morning (US Central time 15 hours later than this time zone). This little date stamp posted here will help me later if I reread this and am confused how classes could have gone the way that I'm describing (we only train some classes certain days). I'll need to remember that these posts are occurring 'in the future' relative to the time stamps and relative to my readers.
Thursday morning is the women's class at Tokorozawa Dojo. It's the same as most other classes except that the women change in the larger men's changing room and the men use the women's. It is also taught by Kobayashi Soshinan, which makes it very unique at Tokorozawa (where Hiroaki Sensei is the usual teacher). The energy in this class was some of the best that I've experienced at any point here. It attracts a totally different dojo crowd--first (obviously), quite a few women attend who I don't see at any other classes at either dojo. Second, a different male crowd than usual tends to come, and they tend to be (in general) better uke and nage (fallers and throwers). Perhaps the biggest difference during this class was that Soshihan was extremely playful with all of his uke and nage--throwing in extra finger locks or literally laying on one uke during suwariwaza iriminage when uke was down on all fours due to the force of the iriminage opening. The techniques had a slightly greater variety, and everyone in the room had a positive, good energy.
As the class was occurring, I was aware of how much better the energy and flow of it was relative to other classes that I'd attended recently. It made me pause to think a bit--one of my instructor friends says that you can judge a dojo by how many women train in it. She says that most will only train if the men will respect them and also not physically damage them--as such, only higher quality dojos tend to have a reasonable number of women. I've always thought this was not universally true (some areas have less women or have less women who would be interested in training in Aikido) but that it was true in general. This WAS a women's class, of course, but it was notable to me how many women joyfully attended and how truly skilled they were. This was part of Soshihan's legacy still living on strongly right now. It was a beautiful class to be a part of--kind of like standing in some bright sunshine. It was also the most animated that I'd seen Soshihan in several days--you could tell it was energizing him, too. It almost made me tear up a bit--this was the Aikido that I'd sensed in him at the seminar he taught that I'd come so far to see and learn from. It felt very alive and warm, but I could also sense that it was passing away--much like a setting sun. This is what made me feel bittersweet about the class; it was what I had been wanting to see that was missing the last few classes, and I was privileged to be part of it--but it was also something slowly passing away.
Besides this thought, the women's class sparked two different thoughts--one was a thought at the time, the other was a thought now. At the time it made me reflect on the other instructors here. Hiroaki Sensei also has a reasonable number of women training at his classes--some younger, some older. He has less than Soshihan, but not not by a bunch. The other instructors have a woman or two join, but they mostly just have men attend their classes. Again, I don't think that's 100% representative of teaching ability or skill, but it is interesting to observe.
The second thought occurred today--the energy is distinctly different in our Dojo and Kobayashi Shihan's classes, but I think our own Dojo has a little bit of it at times. It has to do with being a distinct community that trains together, but it's more than that. The classes that don't have that energy are often the same people training together, too, and they also have community. I'm thinking out loud as I type, but I feel like it relates to the attitudes fostered within the community. One of the primary attitudes needed for such a group is humility--without the ability to look at ourselves and others as learning human beings who can laugh freely, it is hard to foster such openness. Loving others is perhaps even more or equally important--some of the classes that don't have that good energy have quite a few people who train just for themselves and don't care about connecting with others or working with others (which to me means they aren't fully practicing Aikido in the first place--it's more Aikijutsu when you do it to others regardless, without feeling one's partner). I think most of the other qualities that are required come from those two mixing--respect is important, but if one love's others and is humble, one respects what others do for the community. Humor and joy are also important, but in a community of humility and love, those naturally arise. Hmmm.... more to ponder for later!
During tea for women's class, we had special treats--I didn't catch the name of the mochi on a stick in sauce, but I think it was dango. There were also these cute mochi pandas (that tasted quite delicious).
After women's class, I was in a good mood and had nice energy. Once chores and food were done, I got to talk to my wife, Tella, which was quite needed and enjoyable, and then I prepared to head out into the cold rain. There are currently 5 uchideshi here, which is abnormally large, so only 2 are desired for children's classes. As this was an off day, I needed to be somewhere else during them. I'd asked around for a place with free WiFi and found out that Starbar (Japanese for Starbucks) has it, and there's one about 15-20 minutes walk away. I put on all my rain gear and opened my umbrella and headed out:
On the way, I passed Don Quioxote, which is the local version of something between WalMart and Dollar General (much bigger than Dollar General but a bit smaller than WalMart. I get a kick out of the fact that it's named Don Quixote (the crazy Spanish fictional character) and is mainstream in Japan.
Passing Don Quixote, I had the bizarre experience of coming up on Starbucks and feeling like I was almost teleported to the U.S. It's a bit difference here (notice the katakana on the sign), but it's eerily similar (even the prices, which are high for Japan).
Inside I found out that there was only one outlet, and it had a mysterious sign that I couldn't read (I could sound out many of the words but didn't know what they all meant).
I guessed that they wouldn't have a sign on an outlet that was open for everyone to use so I ended up being unable to do the work I had wanted to do (especially since my phone was nearly out of battery, too), so I instead chose to enjoy the beautiful rain, the heat of Starbucks (heat was EPIC), and a chair (also an extreme novelty here--especially for sore knees). I had a nice 50 minute rest/some thought time and headed back from my exile to clean and prepare for adult class.
After adult class, we had our usual tea, and Kevin-san got his graduation photos (apparently a very expensive ordeal involving wearing a traditional kimono--these were a gift from an individual who showed up for tea). Then the few of us who had stayed around for tea took a photo.
After that, Kevin and a few friends (one who is apparently the famous heir to a local, ancient Shinto shrine (I saw pictures, they are gorgeous) stuck around and talked while I rapidly prepared for bed. The severe lack of sleep (often 5 hours a night and occasionally less) was one of the primary things I've begun to seek to fight by getting in bed quickly at night. After Kevin-sand and his friends were done chatting, he wanted to drink a beer and chat over his supper. I'd already cooked and eaten, but he DID walk a great distance in the cold rain to get us both a drink, and I do like him and enjoy chatting with him, so I stayed up and talked for awhile. Then I rapidly went to bed.
Thank God I actually slept last night for probably the second time. I didn't toss and turn a ton on the hard bedding but stayed in one spot for most of my 4.5-5 hours of rest. I felt like a new man this morning, and I enjoyed our morning class (the training and variety were good--Hiroaki Sensei has some extremely good Aikido). Afterwards Anya prepared her Russian breakfast while we cleaned and prepared for the Sensei who would join for it. Each Friday one of us (uchideshi) cooks breakfast for us and a few Sensei--afterwards the Sensei have a meeting and we and they do office work. Then we all drink coffee and the uchideshi clean more. As I was moving around, I heard a familiar sound that I wanted to share with you as I end this post.
Reminiscent of my times in Juarez Mexico, certain trucks run around here playing loud music (much like Ice Cream Trucks in the U.S.). The Mexican ones have loud, jaunty Mexican music and sell propane or 'gasolina'! These have what sounds vaguely like Christmas music and also sell propane or gas of some kind. I took a quick shot of one just to share the uniqueness with you. Enjoy!
The beginning of this post makes me very happy. And I agree with your sentiment. My children attended Aikido for a lengthy amount of time before I began training. It was interesting for me to note the development from "an after-school activity to get them moving and socializing" to "an art to be studied and practiced, where they learn solid life principles and maybe even deepen their faith." And then, mostly what motivated me to learn was that my husband desired we practice as a family. Now I still look forward to that goal, but have come to find my drive for training is much more. Being respected, not worrying about being damaged, and learning to blend energy, extend ki are all definitely key aspects to my training desire. You definitely hit the nail on the head with this reflection. I am sad, though, to hear you speak of it going away as a setting sun. Why do you think that is?
ReplyDeleteI only meant that Kobayashi Shihan is 80 and near the end of his Aikido career. I don't think Aikido in general is like a setting sun, more that his Aikido is; while it's still around, though, it's very worth experiencing!
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