On May 23, 2026, I took part in the 63rd All Japan Aikido Demonstration held at the Nippon Budokan. This year as well, I participated not only as a performer but also as a volunteer, helping with security staff duties. I’d like to share a glimpse of how the day unfolded.

Although the opening ceremony began at noon, Mike—who was in charge of security outside the venue before and after the event—had to gather at 7:30 a.m.

I was assigned to the women’s changing room and wasn’t required until 8:00, but I decided to head there together with him.

I left home before 7:00 and arrived at Kudanshita Station a little after 7:15, where I saw a few people in suits already walking around.

The morning temperature was 13°C, and even during the day it stayed below 20°C—a rather chilly day. Still, thanks to the warm weather we’d had recently, the greenery around the Budokan moat was lush and vibrant, giving off a sense of early summer.

At the entrance, a large sign was already set up, and people waiting for friends were gathered around.

I ran into several acquaintances there and was surprised to learn that everyone had arrived early despite the official 8:00 meeting time.

When we arrived at the station in Prague, a wave of people poured out of the train all at once.

The moment I finally stepped outside and breathed in the fresh air, I felt an unexpected sense of relief. We waited on the platform for the crowd to settle before moving on.

All that was left was to head to our hotel—but first, we had an important mission: getting our hands on some Czech koruna.

We had a bit of euro with us, but paying in koruna is much more cost effective in this country. Having cash is essential.

Before we know it, May has already arrived—time truly does pass quickly.

On May 23, the 63rd All Japan Aikido Demonstration will be held, and more and more international aikidoka have begun gathering at Hombu Dojo.

Today, we are pleased to share the latest updates on the always well received Aikikai Hombu Dojo Shihan Seminars.

Below are the seminars scheduled for August and September, along with newly added seminar information.

✔ Aikido Seminar

Despite the long 13 hour flight from Taipei to Vienna, I was lucky enough to have an entire row of four seats to myself. Thanks to that, the fear and stress from the monsoon turbulence were greatly reduced, and the journey turned out to be far more comfortable than I had expected.

Although our arrival was delayed by an hour, I had booked the train to Prague with plenty of time to spare, so there was no need to rush. After completing immigration, I headed toward Vienna Central Station.

I had downloaded the Austrian railway OBB app beforehand, but since it was only a few stops, I thought buying a ticket from the machine would be easier.

However, the ticket machine refused to read my credit card, and even the 20 euro bill I inserted kept coming back out. I asked someone nearby if they could exchange money, but that didn’t work either. When I moved to the next machine, it finally accepted my credit card.