Friday night training
Skipping training a on Wednesday turned out to be a good thing because training tonight was really good. There were a couple of times where the instructors told me to do something and I was actually able to do it withing a couple of goes which is rare. Felt really good both times. I've changed the way I use my left let fairly drammatically (again) and it seems to be working. Hikitsuke is working much better and generally balance is better, leading to freer more expansive cuts and more control in ni-dan waza. Maybe it's just an illusion, but for now it feels good.
The usual beer and food after training tonight. Members included Stuart, Kuroda-san, Matsumoto-san, Kodama-san, Akita-san and myself. It was the first time I had met Akita-san despite his having trained in Melbourne for a year or two three years ago. The restaurant was a nice tongue restaurant. Now that's something you don't see to often in Australia.
Training tomorrow with Sompo Japan in Shinjuku from 11am. I will be interested to see how many familiar faces are there. Kimura-san said I will be met by Watanabe-san in the morning. I remember a Watanabe-san from the last time I was here but I'm not sure if it's the same person.
Apartment
This apartment really is very good. The position is perfect and it's nice and quiet, apart from the odd motorbike rattling by. Last Friday night I had the gang from kendo over for drinks and sushi and it turned out to be quite a night. Hashimoto-sensei came along which was a bit of an event in itself. He brought along a bottle of 12 yo Canadian Club which was empty by the morning along with copious quantities of beer. Hashimoto-sensei on the other hand was still here in the morning, until 7:30 that is when he had to make a dash for the school where he is a PE teacher. Matsumoto-san also slept over which exhausted my futon supply, leaving me to sleep on the carpet. I slept like a baby all the same. Matsumoto-san trained in New York for a while so he might be familiar to some of the US kendo-ka out there.
I've got a few friends visiting over the next couple of months. Need to fit surgery in between visitors sometime in October.
Manager
I think I've been lucky with my new manager. I told him about my surgery and he told me to get it done straight away. He said that a week off work is nothing in the long run as the company wants me to be around for a lot longer than that. He also said that in Germany they have a saying that to lose your sight is to lose contact with objects, but to lose hearing is to lose contact with people. I can really relate to that.
Need to get some sleep so I can put in a decent showing with the guys from Sompo Japan tomorrow. I think I am going to an exhibition or something in the evening, and I need to put Sunday aside for rest and study.
Skipping training a on Wednesday turned out to be a good thing because training tonight was really good. There were a couple of times where the instructors told me to do something and I was actually able to do it withing a couple of goes which is rare. Felt really good both times. I've changed the way I use my left let fairly drammatically (again) and it seems to be working. Hikitsuke is working much better and generally balance is better, leading to freer more expansive cuts and more control in ni-dan waza. Maybe it's just an illusion, but for now it feels good.
The usual beer and food after training tonight. Members included Stuart, Kuroda-san, Matsumoto-san, Kodama-san, Akita-san and myself. It was the first time I had met Akita-san despite his having trained in Melbourne for a year or two three years ago. The restaurant was a nice tongue restaurant. Now that's something you don't see to often in Australia.
Training tomorrow with Sompo Japan in Shinjuku from 11am. I will be interested to see how many familiar faces are there. Kimura-san said I will be met by Watanabe-san in the morning. I remember a Watanabe-san from the last time I was here but I'm not sure if it's the same person.
Apartment
This apartment really is very good. The position is perfect and it's nice and quiet, apart from the odd motorbike rattling by. Last Friday night I had the gang from kendo over for drinks and sushi and it turned out to be quite a night. Hashimoto-sensei came along which was a bit of an event in itself. He brought along a bottle of 12 yo Canadian Club which was empty by the morning along with copious quantities of beer. Hashimoto-sensei on the other hand was still here in the morning, until 7:30 that is when he had to make a dash for the school where he is a PE teacher. Matsumoto-san also slept over which exhausted my futon supply, leaving me to sleep on the carpet. I slept like a baby all the same. Matsumoto-san trained in New York for a while so he might be familiar to some of the US kendo-ka out there.
I've got a few friends visiting over the next couple of months. Need to fit surgery in between visitors sometime in October.
Manager
I think I've been lucky with my new manager. I told him about my surgery and he told me to get it done straight away. He said that a week off work is nothing in the long run as the company wants me to be around for a lot longer than that. He also said that in Germany they have a saying that to lose your sight is to lose contact with objects, but to lose hearing is to lose contact with people. I can really relate to that.
Need to get some sleep so I can put in a decent showing with the guys from Sompo Japan tomorrow. I think I am going to an exhibition or something in the evening, and I need to put Sunday aside for rest and study.
posted by Nipponkokujuen at 1:11 AM
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