🌿 Aikido × Travel: Three Days in Kobe — Training at Seibukan (Day 3 / Final Day)

This morning, we needed to head to Seibukan before 8:30 so we could join the zazen session.

Since attending the 9:30–11:00 class would mean missing our hotel checkout time, we decided to bring all our luggage and meet in the hotel lobby.

Even though we had already become familiar with the route, everything feels different when you’re carrying bags.

Our luggage was only for three days, so it wasn’t too bad, but the New Zealand members were carrying three weeks’ worth of belongings.

Going up and down stairs naturally took more time.

G carried M’s bags without a single complaint, looking every bit the gentleman—as if to say, “This is a man’s job.”

On the second floor of Seibukan, there is a spacious area equipped with a bath and toilet.

I heard that visitors from overseas sometimes stay there.

The wooden interior has a warm, calming atmosphere that immediately puts you at ease.

We carried a stack of cushions into the dojo, and little by little people gathered—eventually around ten of us.

Everyone faced the wall and focused on the rhythm of “exhale, inhale.”

I meditate regularly, but my usual practice centers on exploring and understanding my inner world.

I rarely focus solely on breathing, so experiencing the stillness and movement that arise from that simplicity felt refreshing and new.

As I quietly turned my attention inward, I received keisaku from Nakao Sensei.

The procedure was exactly as I had been told beforehand: When the keisaku is placed on your shoulder, you bring your hands together in gassho and bow, then tilt your head slightly. After being struck, you gassho and bow again before returning to meditation.

Each time someone was struck, the sound echoed through the dojo—some soft, some loud. I wasn’t wearing a gi, so the sound was small, but Mike, who was wearing his gi, made quite a loud one.

Although thirty minutes had passed, it felt much shorter. My mind felt clear and refreshed. Time spent looking inward is truly precious to me.

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Yesterday, the New Zealand members gave dojo T-shirts to the instructors.

Akiko-san was wearing hers today. With the Vietnam seminar coming up, she planned to rest instead of joining practice, but she still came just to see us.

I was really touched. Before she left, we all took a group photo together.

Practice was similar to yesterday—Aikido born from flow and Kokyu. I did my best to follow Nakao Sensei’s movement and learn techniques that arise from ki.

Soft connections, strong connections, connections that feel blocked by force, connections that feel resistant—each person’s energy was different, and each one taught me something valuable.

And once again, the temperature climbed above 37°C. G and I somehow managed to hold on until the end, but one by one, the others had to step out.

This is exactly the kind of training you can only experience in Japan—something impossible to replicate in New Zealand’s climate, environment, or culture. I’m grateful that I could experience it myself, and even happier that the New Zealand members could feel it too.

Nakao Sensei, Akiko-san, and everyone at Seibukan—thank you so much for the precious time you shared with us.

Seibu-kan: https://seibukan-kobe.org/

After practice, we borrowed the shower to wash away the sweat, said our goodbyes, and left the dojo.

We headed first to the coin laundry we had become familiar with to wash our gis. Since it was daytime, we relaxed at the café next door while waiting.

Then, following M’s wish to “eat Kobe beef,” we went to the restaurant we had reserved: Kobe Steak Restaurant Mouriya Sannomiya.

I can’t eat beef, but they told me there would be something I could enjoy, so I joined. I expected it to be pricey, but I was still surprised when I saw the menu.

A top-grade A5 Kobe sirloin—just 150g—costs over 20,000 yen.

I ordered abalone, and Mike chose a regular sirloin steak.

The abalone was alive.

It danced on the grill, and I remembered how Mike had once looked at it with sympathy.

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While it cooked, we enjoyed the vegetables, and then Mike’s steak arrived.

The presence of that steak was incredible.

The carefully grilled abalone, vegetables, and steak were all truly delicious.

We were very grateful for the meal.

Our train was a little earlier than theirs, so we left the restaurant ahead of them.

While browsing for souvenirs at the crowded station, they appeared as well—they must have left not long after us.

Our Shinkansen departed on time, but theirs, which originated in Hakata, was delayed about 90 minutes due to heavy rain between Okayama and Hiroshima.

“They served beer, so it wasn’t too bad,” they said.

I love how quickly they can shift to a positive outlook.

Three days felt short, but they were incredibly fulfilling.

To I-san, Nakao Sensei and his wife, and everyone who supported us—thank you for lending us your time, your guidance, and your hearts.

I hope to join practice again someday.

Thank you very much.

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