09/30/2025
Aikido of Northwest Kansas chose to do its Japan trip fundraising through the Aikido International Foundation so that a portion of all the monies they raised could go to scholarships for others in addition to their own students. We will be posting the Aikido of Northwest Kansas scholarship recipient stories and some of those students' favorite photos over the next couple of weeks. These photos are from Tella and Rebekah who went on the trip, and their essays/reflections are below:
1: Tella
Hello! My name is Tella Nimz and I'm a shodan from Shinshinkan Dojo in Hays, Kansas. My dojo took a trip to Tokyo, Japan this year and I was blessed to receive a scholarship from the Aikido International Foundation which covered a portion of the expenses. This was a phenomenal trip, and a very unique experience as I was traveling with my two young children. While I had been to Japan once before, this was the first trip for almost all of the rest of our group, and it was a blast!
We had the opportunity to train at two Kobayashi dojos, two dojos taught by friends of my instructor from his time as uchideshi, plus attend one morning class at Hombu Dojo taught by Doshu. It was very enjoyable and insightful to practice with the different instructors and students; even if we couldn't always communicate very well, practicing Aikido together is almost like sharing a common language, although with unique accents or dialects. I had a great time trying out brand new techniques and weapon exercises at all the classes I attended; I definitely had to work on them after the trip too, since one week isn't quite enough time to get the hang of a couple of them, but it gave me some fun ideas to continue working on in future practice. And it was incredible to visit Hombu and see so many other students from around the world practicing and having a truly joyful time together on a very crowded mat!
When we weren't practicing Aikido, there were many opportunities for sightseeing and experiencing life in Japan. The resulting itinerary felt packed full, but in the best of ways! We visited TeamLab: Borderless to see the incredible interactive art displays, had a picnic in the Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park, and attended a tea ceremony demonstration; we toured numerous gardens, explored Senso-ji in Asakusa, and took a day trip to Chichibu to see the flower fields, hot springs, and shrines. I personally saw a little more of the “everyday” side of Tokyo an extra amount this trip since I had my kids along. We visited several playgrounds and child-friendly walking trails, a train cafe, and a children's play center, all of which my preschooler still talks about to this very day (he really wants to go back!).
Even though we faced a fair number of challenges with our flights being delayed, including a late night sprint through Denver's never-ending hallway of a terminal, this was an incredible opportunity that I am immensely grateful to have had the chance to join in on. I so appreciate the Aikido International Foundation's support in making this trip happen! Having a portion of my travel expenses covered by my scholarship eased up the financial burden of a trip of this magnitude. I feel like traveling to different place, especially Japan due to the history of Aikido, has such an enormous impact on everyone who gives it a try: meeting folks from around the globe who share a joy in practicing together, seeing a culture and
life that feels in some ways so different than our own, and visiting amazing testaments to both history and modern innovation provide opportunities for growth, challenges to overcome, and a sense of wonder and joy at it all (especially if you have a constant little voice beside you describing absolutely everything to
you in child-like wonder).
Many thanks to the Aikido International Foundation for their support! And to anyone reading, regardless
of the stage of life you're in, if the opportunity to travel comes up, go for it!
2: Rebekah
Going to Japan with Aikido of Northwest Kansas was a really cool experience for me. I had never been abroad or even flown before, so it was a lot of firsts. I think one of the biggest takeaways for me was the difference in cultural values. In America, we highly value individual freedom and take every opportunity to express that freedom. But in Japan, the focus is more on society and how can I play my part well. Everyone is very courteous and very thoughtful of others. There is no eating while walking, no talking on the subway, and everyone stays out of the way. This respect and concern for others was really neat and made me feel very welcome. Training in Japan was also really cool. It was awesome to visit various traditional dojos and see how they did things differently. But the unifying factor I picked up on was joy. Aikido with joy is a an important principle, and one evident in every class. It didn’t matter that the classs were more formal or that we couldnt speak the language super well, these people had such joy in training with each other and to train with us. Even language couldn’t keep us from laughing together. Aikido as a way of life is something I’ve always strived for, but I think joy is a good place to focus. In all situations and all circumstances one is presented with a choice: to be sad, or to have joy. I want to be someone who chooses joy. Japan was awesome, and I would love to go back someday or even take my family. I think it really helped me broaden my cultural understanding and reminded me of why I love Aikido.
