I personally went to Jakarta a couple of days before the seminar to attend the grading conducted by Yayasan Indonesia Aikikai. I also trained in a couple dojos and caught up with friends which I met during Aikido Shinju-kai's 12th Anniversary in 2000. My Indonesian friends were extremely hospitable and made me feel very much at home. I was invited to train at different dojos every day and practice under different Aikido instructors. The experience I gained was tremendous and I learnt new things each time as every Aikido instructor has his or her own teaching style. This dynamic nature of Aikido is one of the reasons why I find the art so interesting and have never felt bored training.

I was also invited to conduct half the class at the dojos that I visited and I was rather apprehensive at first as this was my first time taking classes in a foreign country. But Philip Sensei's patient teachings stood in good stead and endowed me with the confidence to do so.

Our Singapore members with Seiichi Sugano Shihan: (left to right) Alfred Lim, Hamidah Hassan, Lin Sen Hui, Bernie Ho, Seiichi Sugano Shihan, Richard Soh, Michael Prentice & Colin Sng

The seminar was definitely the highlight of the trip. A total of 8 sessions were conducted by S. Sugano Shihan. Training was challenging, as it not only demands mental and physical discipline but also stamina and courage to continue after both mind and body threatens to shut down after a whole day's training. The techniques taught, although the same in essence, were slightly different in execution to what is usually practised at home, which makes one realise that there are so many variations and no end in learning the art of Aikido. Beside learning new techniques and different variations, I made sure I changed partners each time so that I can learn to feel different individuals and hence share and learn from one another. By doing this, I managed to make many new friends at the seminar. It is indeed true that Aikido is a martial art of harmony which unites people together.

We were asked to take part in the Embukai and again, there was that feeling of jitters as it was my first time being a nage in a demonstration. But the regular daily training with my fellow Aikidokas Sen Hui, Michael Prentice, Richard, Colin, Alfred and Hamidah made sure that everyone was in tiptop shape both mentally and physically.

The seminar concluded with a traditional farewell dinner where all participants dressed up and let their hair down to party hard, enjoy the food and get to know one another better.

The Singapore team enjoyed themselves very much and our heartfelt thanks goes to our Indonesian friends who have been extremely hospitable and friendly and made our trip a very memorable one. It was so wonderful that all of us are already looking forward for the next seminar in Indonesia.

By Instructor Bernie Ho