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.

2026年5月23日、武道館で開催された第63回全日本合気道演武大会に参加してきました。今年も参加するだけでなく、ボランティアとして警備スタッフのお手伝いもさせていただきました。今回は、その一日の様子を皆さまにお伝えします。

開会式は12時からですが、会場前と閉会後の場外警備を担当するマイクは朝7時半集合。私は女子更衣室担当で8時集合だったものの、一緒に向かうことにしました。

家を7時前に出て、7時15分過ぎに九段下駅に到着すると、スーツ姿の人がちらほら。

朝は13度、昼でも20度に届かない肌寒い日でしたが、最近の暖かさのおかげで武道館のお堀周辺は緑が濃く、初夏の気配が漂っていました。

入り口には大きな演武大会の看板が掲げられ、すでに待ち合わせをしている人の姿も。ここで数人の友人に会い、みんなが8時集合にもかかわらず早めに来ていたことに驚きました。

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.

プラハの駅に到着すると、多くの人が一斉に降りていき、久しぶりに外の空気を吸えた解放感に思わずほっとしました。しばらくホームで人の流れが落ち着くのを待ちます。

後はホテルに向かうだけなのですが、ここでまず大切なミッションがあります。それは チェコ・コルナを手に入れること。ユーロも多少は持っていましたが、この国ではユーロ払いよりもコルナ払いのほうが断然お得。現金の確保は必須です。

気づけば私たちもAIチャットを使うのがすっかり日常になっていて、早速チャットGPTに相談。

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

気づけば５月。時が流れるのは早いものですね。

５月２３日には第６３回全日本合気道演武大会が開催されます。本部にも徐々に外国人の合気道家が集まってきております。

今回は、毎回ご好評をいただいている合気会本部道場師範セミナーのお知らせです。

8月・９月に開催の本部道場師範セミナーと追加更新されたセミナー情報をお届けいたします。

✔合気道講習会

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.

台北からヴィエナ（ウィーン）までの13時間という長旅にもかかわらず、幸運なことに4人席をひとりで使うことができたおかげで、モンスーンによる揺れへの恐怖心やストレス、疲れもかなり軽減され、思いのほか快適な空の旅となりました。

到着は1時間遅れでしたが、プラハ行きの電車は余裕をもって予約していたので焦る必要はありません。入国を済ませ、ヴィエナセントラル駅へ向かいます。

事前にオーストリア鉄道OBBのアプリを入れていたものの、数駅だけの移動だったので券売機で買えばいいと思っていました。ところが、券売機はクレジットカードを読み取ってくれず、手持ちの20ユーロ札を入れても戻ってきてしまう始末。

近くの人に両替をお願いしてみても叶わず、隣の券売機に移動したところ、ようやくクレジットカードが使えました。

October 21st finally arrived—the day of our departure.

Our flight was scheduled for 17:55, so leaving home in the afternoon would have been more than enough.

Since I had time, I joined the morning training session before heading out. After lunch, we made our way to Narita Airport, only to find out that our flight would be delayed by about 30 minutes.

I had once missed a connecting flight because of a delay, so the news made me a little uneasy. Still, with more than three hours between flights this time, all I could do was trust that everything would work out.

As announced, the plane took off 30 minutes late. The cabin was completely full—there wasn’t a single empty seat.

The flight to Taipei would only take a few hours, but imagining spending the following 13-hour Taipei–Vienna flight in the same packed conditions sent a chill down my spine.

10月21日、いよいよ出発の日です。

飛行機の時間は17時55分。午後に家を出れば十分間に合うので、朝稽古に参加してから出発することにしました。

昼食を済ませて成田空港へ向かうと、飛行機が30分ほど遅れているとの案内が。

以前、遅延が原因で経由便に乗り遅れたことがあるので少し不安になりましたが、今回は乗り継ぎまで3時間以上あるので、大丈夫だと信じるしかありません。

案内の通り、飛行機は30分遅れで離陸しました。機内は一つの空席もないほど満席。

台北までは数時間とはいえ、もしこの状態で台北―ウィーン間の約13時間を過ごすことになったら……と想像すると、思わず身震いしてしまいます。