After her trip to the International Martial Arts Masterships Elena Bogdanova from GAK and Jenny Kempe from Norrköping visited the Aikido Aikikai headquarters in Tokyo, where they attended training led by Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba. They were also honoured to meet Doshu after keiko.
After their visit to Tokyo Elena and Jenny continued their trip and spent five days as uchideshi (students who train and live in the dojo) at the Ibaraki Shibu Dojo. This was the first time for them both, and it turned out an unforgettable experience. In the spirit of aiki they had a chance to train intensively and make new friends from Bulgaria, Israel, Switzerland, Russia, UK, and of course, Japan. Several classes with Inagaki Shihan and a special keiko with Isoyama Shihan were both instructive and exciting. Elena had an opportunity to participate in the children’s class in the neighbouring city led by Akimoto Sensei. Daily routines of cleaning and training at the origins of aikido give a unique opportunity to focus on personal and technical development.
