Early in 2008 I talked to my wife, Sensei Rocío Agüero, and proposed the possibility of a trip to Japan that same year. She has over 24 years in the practice of the art of Aikido, and I think that all are instructors and spread and share the way of the Aiki in any part of the world should consider at some moment in their life to travel and know the country where this art was born: to expand their vision and to convey to their students, and to all those who they trust, this knowledge.

starting our journey

leaving to go to another temple

She was a little disbelieving, but with great illusion she told me that there was no better dream to make true. Then, with this idea in mind we started to investigate the different options we had, as well as the time, costs, possible dates and so on. After a month we realized that the best option was to ask for support from Homma Kancho of AHAN INTERNATIONAL. In 2005 I had the chance of traveling with him with a similar idea. That was a strong and great experience. Considering that it would not be a trip of many days, this was our best option to know as much as possible of this country, and also to achieve our objective.

sake of many provinces

the famous bullet train in japan

One of the gods guarding the entrance

It was this way that in one of my visits to the dojo and headquarters of AHAN in Denver, Colorado in mid 2008 that I talked to Homma Kancho and showed him our intention. He told me that this was a great idea, that it would serve as recognition of the labor that Sensei Rocío had done all these years for the development and diffusion of the Aikido in Mexico, and that he would be glad to help us and to make this possible the best way.

After a while we thought that this also was an opportunity for our students, and so we extended the invitation to our dojo and to all the groups of AHAN México Aikido. This turned out to be very good, as Homma Kancho told us some months later that there was a great seminar in Tokyo in the month of September in honoring Sensei Kobayashi Shihan’s 40th anniversary. Homma Kancho told us that, if we wanted, apart from knowing Japan we could participate in this seminar: to make the most of it the best was if we were at least 6 persons. He even said that I should go too, because it was important that both dojo cho from AHAN México Aikido be present to manifest our recognition and to congratulate this great master in Aikido. These were exciting news to us, however, as a family, this was complicated, because to pay for a trip of this kind twice was really hard.

Katana at the wholesale

With child counselors AHAN Mexico

Katana with a big history

Nonetheless, we knew that we had to do our best and, if we succeeded, it would prove best for us to share this journey as a couple.

In the end, with much effort, we made it and we were 8 persons traveling to Japan from September 18th to September 27th in 2008.

Right before this adventure started, I knew that, besides Homma Kancho, 4 students from Nippon Kan would also come with us. This meant that it would be a total of 13 people traveling to Japan.

The journey, as expected, was a great experience. Sensei Rocío told me some time later that this was much more than what she imagined. I will describe what we could experience:

Statue of Kusunoki Masashige

Bridge of Nikko

Homma Kancho arrived on September 19th in the evening, and we, due to a delay of the airline, arrived in the night. We were welcomed by Mr. Kikushi, a member of Nippon Kan in Japan. Thanks to Emily Sensei, who had made the preparations (buying train tickets for all the places we would visit, arranging the accommodations and many things more) it was possible for Mr. Kikushi to help us in our arrival. He took us to the hotel where Homma Kancho and the other students of Nippon Kan were waiting for us. Even though we got there very late in the night, he wanted to welcome us to Japan and gave us our first dinner. He also wanted to teach us how to lead ourselves in our journey, to give us some valuable advice and all the precautions that we should have in Japan.

an invaluable book

Beautiful screen or biombo

We had dinner in a relaxed ambient, accompanied by delicious dishes, and with some beer and sake we had a toast for our arrival. Though, after this dinner we finally rested, and we had many long days to live. We had traveled over 20 hours, and also had to adjust to the different time.

The next day, after a Japanese style breakfast where we met and saluted the other travel partners from Nippon Kan, we were ready and went to the subway in the station of Ueno. The following days were each an enormous experience and we took advantage since the early hours to the late ones in the night. Homma Kancho did not skimp on expenses so we could know as much as possible: we were going form a museum to another, from palace to palace be it by subway, taxi, in the Shinkansen (high speed railway) or just walking some great distances. We realized that with a normal guide, which we considered before arriving to Japan, we would have visited one place or two each day, but with Homma Kancho everything was multiplied to three and even five places per day. As a life treat of Homma Kancho, there was no time to lose, no spaces to not be took advantage of, and so, each one of us tested themselves both physically and mentally (being alert at all times so as to not be lost or in the wrong track).

In few words, we were all practicing Aikido in a level of concentration, attention and learning. The climate was hard on us from time to time, but we all knew that this was not a journey of pleasure, but of teaching, exploration and knowledge. A journey to increase our knowledge of the Japanese culture, a journey to understand better the Aikido and its relation to other many traditions in Japan. We had to add all the Aikido practices, Kobayashi Sensei’s seminar and all the lessons from Homma Kancho as well. We were truly lucky to have someone as Homma Kancho to guide us and to teach us in this trip.

Homma Kancho explains	Not all the arrows arriving at their destination	Here fought his last battle Miyamoto Musashi
the great bell	Drop everything is easier	and so was all the way

This way, we visited many and varied places, as museums, houses, temples, palaces, famous streets, traditional restaurants, markets, stores and so on. We stayed in three hotels: a traditional Japanese hotel, the Hotel New Izu, and the other two that were the Rihga Royak Hotel in Kyoto and the Nikko in Narita. We were able to feel in all these places, the Shodo, the Kyudo, the Sumo, the Kendo, the Ikebana, the Cha no yu, the No and many other Japanese expressions that can only be truly appreciated at their maximum in Japan. The samurai, geishas, Sumotori and Budokas were there, combined with the gentle and kind people of Japan, as well as their modernity, and Aikido of course was there too.

With Kobayashi Shihan

coming to the big seminar

Whit our friend Yoon Sensei

We were mostly in Tokyo, Nikko, Asakusa and Kyoto in three hotels and had some great experiences of the Japanese culture by sleeping in traditional style rooms or by eating and drinking in this form too. For the good sake of some, Homma Kancho also cared that we didn’t suffer much and that this was not always this way. So we also had some occidental commodities, like seats and, at least, one occidental meal in the whole trip.

I was constantly watching our students, and could appreciate that while it was being difficult for Rocío and me, who have been much time in situations where the practice of Aikido is left outside the tatami, they were really having a hard time understanding different situations. We had to use what we had learned in many situations, as well as suffer the delay in their understanding.

As we expected, the Aikido practices were also very good, from the fact of being allowed entrance to a university by taking off our shoes, to how the students of Kobayashi Sensei treated him. Or what could we say about the Japanese style reunion at the end of one of these practices in the Meiji University. And of course, there was the main celebration in honor of Kobayashi Sensei’s 40th anyversary in the Grand Palace Hotel. It was an honor to go and congratulate Kobayashi Shihan and to be right next to many important masters in the world of Aikido.

In the 40th aniversary party of Kobayahi Shihan

Three leaders

In the seminar we also had the opportunity to meet with Yoon Sensei from the Korea Aikido Federation, whom, thanks to Homma Kancho, had visited us in 2007 and became a great friend of us. And of course the current Doshu of Aikido, Moriteru Ueshiba shared his knowledge at this seminar, with his son and future heir of the Aikido, Misuteru Ueshiba, serving as uke to his father.

A wonderful seminar

There were a lot of people in the seminar, from Japan or from many parts from the world, everyone shared the values of courtesy, respect, and kindness inside and outside the tatami. We were all learning, all sharing. I’ve had the opportunity of participating in many seminars in different countries, in different styles, organizations and masters in Aikido; and every time I participate in another seminar of Aikido (if its small, or big as this was) I’m never not excited or full of the energy that flows through the participants in these events. A clear, positive and friendly energy, not to be compared with tournaments or international championships in other martial arts, which I attended in my martial career at some time. Now I see those times very distant, and I feel happy to have changed early and adopted the Aikido as a way of life. Even when I had already traveled to Japan before, and had classes with different Japanese masters, this was my first seminar of Aikido in Japan, and the experience was unique.

At the center Kobayashi Shihan, and the sides Doshu and the next heir, behind Rocio and I

The doshu and their son Ueshiba Misuteru

The seminar in full

After the seminar we continued with our crossing, and were two more days in Kyoto in the Nikko of this grand city, which we learned was the first capital city in Japan. Alter taking us to know the historical places of Kyoto, Homma Kancho bid us farewell in the night. Then we had two dinners where we continued to learn the costumes and traditions of Japan. We then parted to Narita in Tokyo, and stayed in the Nikko of this great city as previously said.

I feel that I could go on and on talking about this journey, those were many fascinating experiences that are impossible to tell in a few paragraphs, and this only pretends to be a report and will never compare to the experience. I can only tell to all those who practice Aikido, as students or instructors, that, as said before, travel and know Japan, feel its air, its water and its magic.

Rocio and I in the heights

Gold Palace

Homma Kancho crossing a bridge of Gold Palace

Maybe for Homma Kancho, or other great Japanese masters in Aikido that travel frequently to Japan on several occasions each year to visit their family (both personal and from Aikido) or for business, they do not feel how attractive their country is, but for many of us that see it with eyes of learning, of admiration, of surprise before the greatness of this country, it comes as nourishment for the soul.

The last night Homma Kancho left us alone, I think to give us time to reflect our experience and even to be able to be on our own. We had dinner and understood with the townsfolk how we could, and we did great. We talked, discussed and, most importantly, digested both the dinner and the days where we were on the other part of the world, far away from Mexico.

I can only thank everyone, to Emily Sensei as always for her organizational support, to the travel partners from Nippon Kan that helped us in all they could and that, as we did, had a experience to remember always. I truly thank you for being patient and tolerant in many moments with our group, to Marjorie, Tracy, Alice, Charles and Cody. We give special thanks to Tracy for the help before the trip.

back on track

With a friendly sumotori

Japanese food

To all the students and travel partners that made a great effort to accompany us, I know that for some it was a dream come true, to Mr. Carlos, Mr. Joachim, Ana Carolina, Francisco, María Esther and Irene. Thank you for believing in us and sharing this adventure. To Mr. Kikuchi for helping us so much and to X from Nippon Kan from Japan who also lend us a hand in some moments. To our students in Mexico, who once again were left in charge of the dojos so we could be on this crossing, some with less, and some with more work. To my mother in law and my sister in law that made us the great favor of letting our sons to continue their scholar life and in home, for looking after them in our absence, we know it was not something simple and both Rocío and me appreciate so much effort. Also, we give our gratitude and recognition to Patricia Cancino.

Domo arigato goshaimasu Homma Kancho

On the street of the famous geishas

only a western food

And most of all to Nippon Kan, AHAN International for all the help they gave us to make this happen. I truly need to thank Homma Kancho for all his support: It’s been 5 years since I know him and he doesn’t stop helping us, always with great enthusiasm conducting us into new projects, new horizons and new adventures. I sincerely hope that one day, even if not directly to you to other persons in this path, I can repay so much word and energy spend on me.

Last, I thank my partner and wife Rocío, for once again believing that, if chased, dreams can become true, for sharing this journey together, for sharing life with me.

bit, but shopping

The fate of the rabbit

to the next and good luck