Tatsu Dojo Martial Arts And Fitness

How many of us go through each day thinking about the possibility of not being here tomorrow?  Something like a cancer diagnosis will definitely give you a different perspective, regardless of the severity, and no matter how much people love and care about you, they cannot understand that perspective unless they’re dealing with something similar.  But the rest of us go on with our day, trying to make it to Friday, to vacation and eventually retirement when we can lay it all d

Kashiima City Shrine, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan I had my first taste of Aikido summer training in Kashima City near Tokyo in August 1993.  Though not new to martial arts, I was very new to Japanese Budo , the “path to enlightenment through martial training.”  Training took place at a very old dojo near an older Kashima Shinto shrine and on our last day of training, we invited to partake in a ceremonial blessing.  I had never seen anything like and I was completely fascinated,

One of the things I miss most about Japanese culture is the practice of removing your shoes in many places like homes, resturants...and martial arts dojos. Now, there is a very functional reason for this: tatami mats. Tradidional tatami mats are made with a dense rice straw core, woven with a grass surface. They have a unique smell and texture that feels homey and quite. And, they are very suceptable to dirt and damage from shoes. Entrances like the one picutred here are

I have the privilege of having a tiny office in my home; my own little den with all of the books I’ve read, many I haven’t but they look...