Leaving Japan, Final Japan Thoughts, Second to Last Post (most likely)

Back to the timeline--after we all left Hombu Dojo for the last time, shopped near Shinjuku Station, and ate, Lin-san liked the idea of going to Ueno Park together with her friends instead of shopping with them.  We ended up meeting them, randomly running into Kato-san at the station (in a city that large, running into a dojo member on a subway platform 45 minutes from the dojo is unlikely), and then heading to Ueno Park.  At Ueno Park, the cherry blossoms were mostly finished.  We took some photos as a group as we wandered the park, then I opted to head out as I had to get several projects done yet that afternoon before the final uchideshi going-away party, and it was already quite late.

Once back to the dojo, I packed, did some other preparation work for my departure the following day (final projects like translating, buying drinks for the party later that night etc.), and eventually ended up heading to Kodaira to Shun-yi's house for the uchideshi-only party for me and O-san.  Once I arrived, I had quite a bit of fun hanging out with everyone and talking with Shun-yu and Radi (the Bulgarian uchideshi who showed up the day before I left).  In particular, Shun-yi shared a delicious fruit-based hard alcohol and also some special Hungarian foods.  Mostly, though, it was the quality conversation with those two that ended up being fun.  One small fact from it that is fun to share on here is that Radi calls the four days (Tuesday night through Saturday) 'The Massacre'.  It's the sequence with 4:30AM mornings and late nights along with 3 of the heaviest practice days.  I got quite a kick out of that name.

When I got back to the dojo, I pulled down the last of my luggage, did my final double-checks, and got every possession of mine into the men's changing room where I slept so I could finish packing and preparing without keeping the other two awake.  Inside that room, I worked until early in the morning packing everything, translating more (one of the essays was very challenging because it was written poetically, and I wanted to preserve the meaning of the words while keeping the elegant sound--the other was hard because it was very pessimistic about the Japanese culture and parts of the experience here, and I didn't want to overstate or understate her words when conveyed in English).  I also did some other work for my European leg of the journey and for when I got back (answering emails, facebook messages, downloading an app for my bus pass from the UK to Germany etc.).  Once everything was quite ready, I got an hour or two of sleep and woke up to clean and prepare to head to Fucchu for our last class (with my large luggage in tow--when I left the dojo that morning, I was leaving my keys to it and wouldn't be back).

Hiroaki Sensei came down and said goodbye, I bid Radi goodbye, and then O-san and I headed out to Fucchu (me with my luggage in tow).

The last class at Fucchu was a lot of fun.  Koyanagi Sensei gave some useful tips, and I enjoyed my time with the members there.  After class, Koyanagi Sensei was very generous and took me and O-san to a salad-bar/drink-bar restaurant and paid for us to eat all we wanted.  During that lunch I had a very good talk with Koyanagi Sensei about some of the political situation in the Aikido world and in Japan, and then we all headed our separate ways.  

The trip to the hostel took much longer than anticipated due to some train delays, but I ultimately arrived and was very pleased with my accomodations.  It was a little weird chaining my luggage to the ladder outside of my bed (mine is the lower loft in the picture below), but everything in the bathroom and the bed/loft was quite nice.  The loft included complimentary slippers (too small for me/a non-Japanese person), a toothbrush and toothpaste, a shower sponge in a thing wrap that dramatically expanded, and USB powered fan (stayed in the loft but was nice), a variety of outlets in the loft, power supplies, and an amazingly comfortable bed (the thing I'd been most excited to experience for awhile).  I intended to possibly head out and do some shopping/eating, but once I was in my bed/loft (which requires you to lie down), I took a nap--for a lot longer than intended.  Once I woke up, I showered, got everything ready for my flight, and headed down for the 4AM shuttle to the airport.  There I drank an orange juice with those who were wrapping up their alcohol from the night before and had a brief conversation in Japanese and English, and then it was time to board the shuttle.

The ride to the airport was uneventful; once there, I found my airline, but it wouldn't let me automatically check in through the Air China self-check.  I was a bit nervous about this leg as we'd purchased it from Expedia.jp (Japan) by mistake and had been billed in Yen instead of dollars, but it had all run through and indicated it was fine.  The Air China desk wasn't staffed at 4:45AM, so I had to wait until about 5:00AM and then was able to get my bag checked and my tickets (which was quite a relief).  The airport itself was very nice, though there wasn't anything open on my side of security until much too close to my flight, so I went ahead and went through security and hung around near my gate.  Eventually a place opened up on my side of security that I could buy breakfast from, and I also got some final souvenirs for friends (and used the last of my Japanese currency, except for some very small coins I'd been saving for my Dojo kids' class back home).

It was strange sitting around preparing to hit the next leg of my journey--a subtle shift had happened that I barely even noticed between being uchideshi and now being a traveler again.  It had started the week before with all the goodbyes, and it wouldn't finish even after I returned home for awhile (some of the lessons from Japan mentioned in my reflections a bit ago are still being incorporated here in the States as I type this).

Ultimately, my trip was not over--I was preparing for two very different legs; in Oxford I would see a good friend and Aikido student (and train with the Oxford Aikido Club), and in Germany I would see a different good friend and Aikido student (and train at Aikido Schule Katsuaki Asai).  My final leg involved arriving home, seeing my wife at the airport, and teaching Aikido at an Intensive in Warrensburg (I got back at 11PM and taught the very next day).  I will mention all of these in my next (and likely final) blog entry, but for now I want to wrap up any final things I forgot to mention from Japan.  These are things I want to remember for myself, so they aren't chronological, but hopefully some will be fun for you, too.

There was one day in Kodaira in which someone was describing the Olympic sport curling.  It was hilarious to me because this wasn't in Japanese, and they were doing the motions of sweeping the ice ahead of the puck frantically.  Despite the fact that many didn't understand the words, it quickly translated across about five different languages as other groups began doing the motion and laughing.  I found it interesting that such a unique sport/motion had been experienced by everyone present and that laughter and joy related to it could translate so fast.

I wanted to make an entry about 'Uchideshi My Way' and also 'What is Aikido?', but I feel that I've described how I looked at being an uchideshi versus how many others wanted uchideshi to be (I feel it should be a calm position that blends with the atmosphere around and serves the instructors and the dojo community, others felt it should be a hectic, stressful time of rapid-fire chores and duties to be done above all else simply because a system demanded these duties be done).  I also feel that I've started to describe Aikido in previous entries where I discussed the difference between 'alive Aikido' and just a physical art/practice; though I have more thoughts on it, I think they'll percolate awhile and may show up in the book I'm writing or some other medium in future (you are welcome to ask me about it in person or over the Internet if you are curious and I'll share).  I will add right now, though, that Aikido is also a means of communication/a language; during my only class at Higashi Murayama, I worked with a gal I'd never worked with before.  I gave her the best ukemi I could, and I quickly felt in her ukemi that she was quite skilled.  Through the exchange of throwing and being thrown, a lot of information transferred without ever a word being said.  I could tell she was training sincerely, attacking and throwing sincerely, using mature Aikido that is relaxed, functional, and connected.  She was caring for her partners and seeking to push herself and her partners.  She was also caring for her partners and those around.  As I mentioned, alive Aikido contains love, and you could feel that in what she was doing.  Love itself is also a language/means of communication.  When Aikido is done sincerely with love, a tremendous amount about a person can be transmitted and received just through working with them awhile in groups.  This apparently occurred here, because after class we talked a bit, and when she found out it was my first and last class at Higashi Murayama, she asked me to please come back in future (realizing I was headed to the US).  I could tell she was quite sincere in what she meant and that she meant it deeply (not just superficially or politely).  It was surprising to me that she meant it so sincerely, and I feel like it was largely due to how we were both practicing that she meant it that way.  We had briefly talked about our families and jobs etc. during tea, but there was nothing that deep or meaningful in those exchanges--the bulk of the exchange that mattered had primarily happened on the mats.  That was worth noting.

There was a day in the midst of my constant working/duties that I wondered if I was accomplishing much work for The Kingdom/God on this trip.  (In retrospect I realized I grew a ton personally, had reflection time into better ways to live back here based on thoughts there, made good friends and networked, and established some good habits to take back with me to the US.  This happened both in Japan and in the UK/Germany).  That day I ended up being able to buy some umbrellas that helped some of the other uchideshi, found a passport and got it to an uchideshi who had already left, and had a great talk with a friend on the phone who really needed to share.  Near that time I also helped a Spanish fellow who was training at Kodaira and Fucchu by talking a long time with him in his language about some life situations he was dealing with.  These were just a few things that popped up then, but I found them tremendously reassuring that I was still in my core of serving Christ/loving others even in the midst of all the work, and I was glad God provided those opportunities to love/serve at that time when I was questioning whether I was still accomplishing some of the things that are very important to me at core.

Near the end of my time as an uchideshi, I realized that I was lightly ready to leave the situation of yielded control over my day-to-day activities, but that I was deeply ready to be back with those I loved--my wife, my family (blood, dojo, spiritual, etc.), my friends, and my community.  I can survive in rough situations with just Christ (and I can make new friends), but I truly thrive in community with those I love (whom Christ also loves).  I greatly missed those I loved back home--they are some of the most vibrant parts of a truly full life that I am blessed to have.

Lastly, I observed that an Aikido instructor's mental energy and presence, even during stretches, sets the tone for the class.  There was an instructor who was clearly mentally absent during stretches and who projected boredom with what he was doing during only that portion of class.  It was fascinating to watch how it affected the students and what even I felt from it.  I made a note to be careful how I lead stretches and start class.  Even if I'm fully connected later, it's the connectivity with everyone and the training that comes even before entering the dojo that sets a class up for the best possible success.

As I leave you with these final thoughts/experiences from Japan, I wish to include two photos.  One is entertaining and is from the bathroom in Haneda airport, the other is Mount Fuji as the wing of my departing plane passed it.  Keep in mind, my journey wasn't over when I left, and I do look forward to one final blog entry to fill in the final bits for you.  Thank you, however, for journeying with me so far through all of this writing and sharing.  Feel free to contact me directly anytime, and God bless!