Sussex Aikido

27/09/2026

And we do this University of Brighton Sport University of Brighton Falmer. Come along and try it out.

27/09/2026

A classic Honbu moment… How many of you have turned up for a session or an event and discovered you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people? Probably just yourself!
That’s just happened to me this morning when I went to the dojo promptly for 10 am to discover a Junior grading going on. If I read Japanese, I may have seen the sign, assuming there is one. That’s of course, my problem not honbu’s problem.
Basically, life goes on. In life, sometimes you go to get on the bus and usually it’s there; sometimes it’s not.
Of course, what do you do with the time you’ve been given? You can see my post on Sussex Aikido for what I’ve done so far and it has actually given me an opportunity to rest my body a little which it needs.
So, missing a session can be a great benefit. Enjoy! 

27/09/2026

Cost of living in Osaka. So, I just went to the Rabbit (Lapin) coffee shop which does its own coffee and super bites and I paid just over £5 for a proper breakfast with great coffee and ambience; very super cool.
On the way back home I picked up a baguette, a curry pie (?), a pizza kind of thing and one other element and that cost about £4.50. So if your reason for not coming to Japan is the cost, it’s not expensive. Many of these small restaurants and coffee shops are independent and run by the owner so they’re top quality, otherwise they would close down. There’s a lot of atmosphere and attitude in Japan eateries which is great. 

26/09/2026

Saturday: Early morning class.
I cycle from Hirano to Showacho, leaving home c.06.20 am so I don't need to rush. I just take my dougi and belt plus a water bottle...and a waterproof just in case, as rain is forecast today.

I park my bike in the shed a few yards from the dojo (yes, I always use a bike, courtesy of my 'landlady', in Osaka; so easy to get around...), leave my sandals in the lobby shoe rack, say 'Ohayogozaimasu' to one and all, as we bump in to each other.
There are about 10 people in the dojo, socialising, stretching, rehearsing some basic moves, etc.
At about 06.58am, students begin to take their place in seiza, in grade order. This morning, there were c. 30 people on the mat, all levels. Shihan nearly always comes in on the dot of 07.00am...and we all bow to the kamiza and to him.
This morning, we were then put in 4 lines and one of the younger yudansha led the warm up (taiso). This is about 10-12 minutes).
Then Shihan let us through the kihon kozo (10-15 minutes), the basic Shodokan structured learning system. This sequence, fundamental to our aikido, is practiced the same way with the same number of reps and movements 95% of the time.
After the kihon dousa (lastly gonosen no kuzushi), if it's a Shihan led class, he will generally sit us down and give a talk on some aspect of our practice, honing in on an element for us to work on today.
Then, he will generally leave the class for Sakai Shihan (nanadan- 7th dan) to take over and lead the study. The morning class finishes at 08:00am.
There is then a free practice period, very useful, especially for newcomers to practice with resident members, get advice and pick up finer points. People often use this as an opportunity to go through their grading syllabus or work on competition practice, generally more embu (kata) oriented although randori (fighting) can also be on the menu.
This morning, two members were grading, so Shihan and Sakai Shihan put them through their paces. You will probably be pleased to know that everyone gets very nervous and fluffs techniques. I've linked a couple of parts of the grading.

Breakfast then beckons. In my case, I cycle home and today it was eggs and toast :)...and coffee of course.

24/09/2026

23/09/2026

22/09/2026

This everyday practice….

22/09/2026

Daily life at Showacho dojo practice 合気道　昭道館本部 Shodokan Aikido International Headquarters