On the morning of October 25th, the day of the seminar, I woke up at 6:30 and checked how my slight cold was doing.

My throat was still sore, but thankfully I didn’t feel any fatigue. It seemed I would be able to participate without any problems.

We planned to take a bus to the venue, but just in case anything delayed us, we decided to take an earlier bus.

The Lithuanian group had just under ten people—some familiar faces, some new—and we exchanged brief introductions before boarding.

The bus arrived at the stop right in front of our hotel exactly on time, and we reached the stop near the venue right on schedule as well.

The hall was still fairly empty when we arrived early, but we completed the registration smoothly.

“I think Sensei will be arriving soon.”

On October 24th, I woke up a little before 7 a.m., still feeling the lingering heaviness of my cold. I started the morning by boosting my vitamin C with a mandarin orange. 

At 9 a.m., I met up with the same members from yesterday, and we headed to the Old Town by metro.

Prague’s metro system is wonderfully simple, with just three lines—A, B, and C—each clearly color coded. Even the underground passageways have colored stripes for each line, so as long as you follow them, it’s almost impossible to get lost.

Once we reached the surface, we were greeted by rows of colorful buildings that instantly made the whole area feel like a fairytale. 

This is the heart of the Old Town. The astronomical clock moves at noon, so the square was still fairly quiet.

After two unusually hot Junes in Japan, this year’s rainy season has felt more typical—mild temperatures, plenty of humidity, yet surprisingly comfortable. Summer is always something to look forward to, though we can only hope the heat will be gentle this year.

Today, we are pleased to share the latest updates for the always-popular Aikikai Hombu Dojo Shihan Seminars. Below you will find information on the seminars scheduled for October, along with newly added events.

✔ Aikido Seminar

Date: July 11–12

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Instructor: Kuribayashi Takanori Shihan

Organizer: Vriesman Dojo

https://aikidotravel.com/seminar/2127/aikido-seminar

An international seminar will be held in Amsterdam, the Dutch capital known for its beautiful canals. Hosted at the renowned Vriesman Dojo, this two-day event offers a wonderful chance to enjoy the charm of this historic waterside city while connecting deeply with aikidoka from around the world.

★ Explore Popular Hotels in Amsterdam

As I followed the path up the stairs, the view opened up to reveal Prague’s beautiful cityscape, filled with rows of unified brick red rooftops.

Since it was the autumn season, the contrast with the colorful trees made the scenery even more striking.

A guard stood at the entrance, and once we stepped inside, a number of buildings spread out before us

“Is that the castle behind us?”

“This whole area is the castle. And that over there is St. Vitus Cathedral.”