Lars Peder Fjelldal
April 2008 - June 2008
Nationality: Norwegian
Dojo: Sunyata Aikido Dojo
Lars stayed in Tokorozawa dojo as an uchideshi for more than twomonths. He proved that even a white belt student can be a gooduchideshi. He gave us a wonderful time at his mini piano concert!

Two Months in Japan
Lars Peder Fjelldal
When I left for Japan on April 10, 2008, I did not know what to expect. I
only knew that I was going to stay in Kobayashi Dojo in Tokyo, Japan for twomonths. I knew that it was going to be tough and that it was probably going tobe different from anything I had ever experienced before. I was right.
I had trained Aikido for a year and a half at Sunyata Dojo in Oslo,
Norway, under the guidance of Mouliko sensei, 6th dan, and I was only 4th kyu
when I embarked on my uchideshi program. I had little or no experience withmartial art when I started Aikido. I must admit that I was a bit anxious about
what it would be like. Were the Japanese aikidokas going to be really strongand tough? What about my fingers (I am studying to become a pianist back inNorway)? I remember thinking: o.k., this is going to be very different, leave
your non-complying Norwegian mind back home and just try to do your best!
There is no way you can do everything right. You are going to make lots of
mistakes, but just learn the Japanese phrase for “I am sorry”and use it! I didlearn that phrase and I had several occasions to use it.
Having finally discovered Aikido at the age of 26, I decided I should go toJapan as soon as possible to see for myself the source of all this. The way you
think about Aikido keeps changing. While some people see it as simply anothermartial art and practice that way, others have little interest in the martial aspect
and practice just because they like it. The reasons I started doing Aikido weremany. I must admit in the beginning there was they idea of learning selfdefense. Furthermore, having encountered serious problems with my hands andupper body due to exaggerated use of force during piano practice, I was looking
for something that could loosen up my body and make me feel physically
comfortable again. I soon realized that Aikido was just the right thing for me.
Even if I am only a beginner I have already noticed how Aikido can change yourlife. The attitude with which you enter the Dojo has everything to say. Enter
with a smile and an open heart, and people will teach you what they know.
Enter with an irritated and stressed mind, and not even your best friend wants topractice with you.
Bjorn, my Swedish uchideshi companion, and me developed the theory ofenjoyment. This theory is quite simple and easy to understand, and it helped usthrough all the hard times. It simply says that whatever you do, you should enjoy
it. Period. If you get thrown koshinage and lands on your neck, you enjoy. If you
clean the toilet you enjoy. When you are dead tired but still cannot rest, youenjoy even that. And believe it or not, it works! I never thought I would enjoy
cleaning toilets but there you go….
During my two months of being an uchideshi at the Kobayashi Dojo I
experienced so much that it will be impossible to mention it all. All the peopleof the Dojo were so friendly and generous to me that there is no way I can fully
thank them. First of all there is Kobayashi sensei. His whole being emanates
warmth, friendliness and generosity and he made me feel at home immediately.
He made me forget my anxiety and fear and taught me much more than I caneven know about. He gives you the impression that the whole training is being
done only for you. Of course, I do not think that this is the case, rather it seems
like he is able to communicate directly with everyone present in the Dojo andgive something to everyone at the same time, without much explaining or
displaying of techniques. I am so grateful for having had the opportunity to train
under a real master of Aikido.
I remember the first time Hiroaki sensei threw me irimi-nage, I now knowwhat it feels like to fly! He always starts training with some version of iriminage, and it is great because it really heats up your entire body. Hiroaki sensei
also speaks perfectly English which is good for me since I am not very good atJapanese… He was the reason I came to Japan in the first place. Having
attended seminars with him in Stockholm and Oslo, I decided I had to go andsee for my self what it was like in Japan.
Everyone Wednesday morning his wife, Miyoko san, cooked breakfast tothe uchideshis and this was another unforgettable experience. I suggested sheshould open a restaurant, but I do not think that she took it seriously. I have notcompletely understood how anyone can REALLY enjoy natto (fermented soybeans) though. I do not think that it is very good, sumimasen! I guess it onlymeans that I am not Japanese.
Yamawaki sensei was so kind to take me to his house and dojo at
Tsumagoi, on the way up we were listening to Rolling Stones and he wassinging along! He knows all the lyrics, incredible. His specialty is Frenchlanguage and culture, and I can tell you it is an unreal experience to be sitting inan Aikido Dojo in the Japanese mountains
speaking in French with a great Aikido
sensei. His hospitality simply overwhelmedme. I was served wonderful meals cookedby his wife and slept in his house like themost prominent of guests even if I was only
a beginner uchideshi from Norway. By theway I asked him what Aiki was, but he did
not want to tell me… The mountain air andlandscape reminded me of Norway except from the huge volcano in the middleof everything. That was definitely more of a Japanese thing.
The last month of my stay I went regularly to Kou san to get Shiatsu
massage for my aching body. The man simply works miracles. My respect forwestern medicine was low even before I left for Japan, but when I experienced
what real Shiatsu massage can do for you, I was even more convinced that theanswer to healing does not lie in eating pills.
Kanda sensei and his wife took me and Bjorn san to their house in thehills just outside Tokyo. Situated just about two hours from Kodaira the place
really demonstrated that Japan is a mountainous country. The air was
wonderfully refreshing and the small onsen left a scent of herbs on my skin forthree days. In the night we cooked beef, pork meat and chicken along with all
kinds of vegetables and ate until we could not possibly swallow another bite. We
had some Red Suntory whiskey while sitting on the veranda listening to thesounds of the Japanese night and we surely enjoyed.
Another memorable experience was going to the Aiki shrine at Iwama forthe anniversary of O Sensei. After the Shinto ceremony we had a nice lunch in
the open air with beer and sake. It was an almost surreal atmosphere to it,
nonetheless very pleasant. Imagine all the masters of Aikido gathered in one
place, there was Ki in the air I tell you!
Towards the end of my stay we went to Gratis Dojo to celebrate its 25thanniversary. Again we had a nice meal and a fair number of parties followed. I
believe it was three of them altogether. Speaking from a Norwegian point ofview I am very impressed by the way that the Japanese organize their parties.
They all start and finish at exactly the predestined time by clapping of hands,and then, magnificently, another party begins! Same place, same guests, but newparty. No need to worry that there will not be enough time to drink.
Some days later we joined the camp in the mountains with Kobayashi
sensei, Igarashi sensei and Yakota sensei. Again I had the opportunity to trainunder Igarashi sensei, something that I had already done a few times inScandinavia and that I will keep doing every time I get the chance. He often
starts with practicing basic techniques like tenkan kokyuho. He always makes
me realize that I still cannot even lift my arm in a natural way. There is a long
journey ahead for those who want to learn it.
But what is Aikido really? A martial art? From my humble position I
think yes, it is a martial art, but it is not a common martial art. While mostmartial arts try to do as much damage to your opponent as possible, Aikido has
different ideas. The ideas of non-resistance and no-force are mysterious. How
can you lead someone that does not want to be lead? What is Aiki? How does it
feel to be one with the universe? Should you no longer perceive your opponent
as your enemy? I guess the answers to these questions lie infinitely far beyond
my 4th kyu level, yet these are amongst the aspects that I find the mostinteresting in Aikido. While regarded as a cult by some ignorant outsiders,people who train diligently in Aikido and use theirobservational skills soon realize that there is great
truth to Aikido. It is this truth that we keep chasing
after. Yet surely, if at some point I think that I
understand something about Aikido, I will be provenwrong within five seconds. From this I must learn
patience. When the apple is mature it will fall downfrom the tree, and I will make a nice apple pie andinvite all my friends over. This does not mean that I
should passively wait for the apple tree to do all thework by itself, it will still need water and weeding
every once in a while. I can never know much about
the force that decides when the apple shall start growing or how it happens. I am
only an observer to the miracles of reality.
In the end, maybe thinking too much about Aikido will not help; it might
not give you any clear answers. My experience was though, that the more I
trained the less I needed answers. Every day I felt my mind growing simpler andlighter. I did not ask as many questions and I did not need as many answers. Inthe end, I was able to enjoy more whatever I did. Just training Aikido in such aplace as Kobayashi Dojo is enough, it will teach you everything that you need.
There is no way one can understand with the conscious mind how Dojocho
thinks, and there is no need to. One only needs to have faith that he wants what
is best for you and keep on training. Sometimes it is hard and your muscles hurt,
but those are the days that you need to focus the most. Getting through the hardtimes in a good way will teach you much more than surfing through all the easytimes.
And by the way, the only medicine against sore Aikido muscles is moreAikido.