The year of thr Horse in the Chinese Calendar started with the visit of Yasuo Kobayashi Shihan and his team on the 16th of February 2002 (the fifth day of Chinese New Year). Two sessions of training were conducted for junior and senior grades due to overwhelming response and space constraint, despite the training being held at one of our largest dojo. The twenty students of Meiji University Aikido Club who came as part of the entourage provided plenty of interaction among the host and guest participants. Kobayashi Sensei took us through a thorough warm up exercise and a series of meticulously executed and carefully explained techniques. Language was no barrier in this class. Students found Kobayashi Sensei's class to be "fun and enjoyable". For some junior graders, it was a rare honour for them to be invited up as Sensei's uke during the session.
The day ended with a "steamboat buffet" dinner, where a pot of boiling soup is placed at the centre of the table and diners would cook the food of their choice themselves by dipping it into the soup. Hosts and guestd mingled during the dinner, spreading over seven table in the resturant.