For three months I travelled through China and Indonesia. It has been an incredible trip. However, aikido was not part of it. Until yesterday.
Before travelling, I spent months writing my bachelor thesis. I graduated in May and left for China with my wife. I knew I would miss training, so I researched aikido in Asia. Unexpectedly, Edo Sensei received an invitation for a seminar in Bali with Shoji Seki Shihan. And now, here I am, writing this from Bali after joining half a day of training.
Learning to Unlearn
Being an apprentice in aikido makes every new style feel unfamiliar. I had the same experience during my first seminar in Spa with Miyamoto Sensei.
The first step was clear: unlearn, observe, and copy. After four months without practice I felt stiff and slow. I trained two hours in the morning but skipped the afternoon due to fatigue. And then I realised something important: the people made the seminar unforgettable.
Feeling Welcome Far From Home
Seminars can feel unusual, especially when you travel alone. You don’t know the style or the students, so connecting becomes harder. Normally you follow one sensei, see the same faces, and grow together.
Yet in Bali this felt different. As I sat at the edge of the tatami, people asked why I wasn’t joining the afternoon session. They encouraged me warmly. They did not care about my style, rank, or reason to rest. I was welcome, simply because I practiced aikido.
Their kindness reminded me that aikido is not only physical. It is the shared intention to grow, on and off the mat. When training stopped, smiling continued. Those smiles created connection beyond technique.
A Final Lesson in Canggu
Today I trained at Terakoya Dojo in Canggu. Practicing with Arie Sensei and his students allowed me to continue my journey.
After class Arie Sensei said: “We all follow different Shihan, but we all practice the same aikido.”
His words captured the entire experience. They made my time abroad meaningful, memorable, and deeply connected.
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