The journey to Japan

Preparation for the trip

The preparation for the journey to Japan started long before September. Indeed, the Aikido Seminar in

February 2024, which was delivered by Atif Sensei who came all the way from Sweden, laid the foundation for preparing for this momentous event. Away from the modern-day communication means, the actual physical visit of Atif Sensei and his interaction with the team, away from the limits of video conferencing and online meetings created the perfect setting for the dissemination of this event. There and then we marked the starting point. Nevertheless, away from the preparations for the event in Japan, the seminar was a successful melting pot for all aikido practitioners in Iraq who through this event experienced refreshing new technics and delicate details for improving the core of their practice.

The journey to Japan

The story has it that we plan and plan, but our destiny is mostly decided by circumstances. For reasons beyond our reach only four members of the vibrant enthusiastic team made it to Tokyo to participate in this memorable event.

The trip was long and exhaustive but completely worth it. The long hours of wait in the airport and the lengthy flight inside the condensed environment of the airplane were definitely no match for the reward at the end of the journey. Planet Japan is familiar but intriguing, new but full of warmth and sharp but very forbearing.

The Congress

September 29 was a great day. A gateway in time to a very special place where the pillars of Aikido convened to foresee the road map of Aikido for the near future. The originality of the theme and the colourful contributions from the attending delegates including our own, made a spectacular contribution to the mission of the congress. The layer just beneath the surface carried the divine message of Aikido with preserved radiation. It was a day in which we met with the next president of the Aikido Federation Yoko Okamato, the oldest member in the senior committee Tada Sensei and witnessed the presence of Doshu and his political presence.

14th International Aikido Summit – National Olympics Memorial Youth Center

The elevation to the tatami level in this venue for practitioners who have spent decades preparing for it, is a joy beyond description. The serene spirit of the facility captures audience and joins their center as they rise up to pay their respect. There were nineteen experts on the mat during the five-day event, starting with Takanori Kuribayashi Sensei and ending with the Doshu. During this period, they delivered their messages in full harmony with the spirit of Aikido and the teachings of O’Sensei. The flow of instructions from one Sensei to another was flowless and consistent. It was a well-defined journey through harmony, inner energy and spirit.

The visit to Hombu Dojo

In the land of the rising sun, there is always another peak just above the expected peak and if one is lucky enough, one can actually still rise up even if one is already on the summit. The summit of all summits has to be the “visit and training” at Hombu Dojo. When you get there, you feel humbled by the simplicity of the place

and its inviting spirit. Training there takes this feeling to a different level. This unscheduled visit was an addition that could not have been valued from a distance. The experience at this place was like a binding connection. In simple words it confirmed the core message of Aikido and without really meaning to, it validated the feeling of belonging. Strangers in a strange land connecting through Aikido to each other, the land, the people and the founder, in harmony with the surroundings and the observing spirit.