My Uchideshi Experience at Kobayashi Dojo
By Anita Bromley
Why?
Being that there are very few Aikido dojos that follow the Kobayashi style oftraining in the UK and even fewer female Aikido-ka, our dojo was encouraged todiversify its membership by starting classes for children and by getting more womento participate.
I asked to come to Japan to be an uchideshi, because
I saw it as a great challenge and knowing that it would take a
lot of courage and determination to complete. I set out
needing to prove something to myself, at least at that time.
Preparation
Five months in advance of my arrival, mypreparation consisted of fitness training at a gym everyday
and, in my mind, I tried to piece together what it would
really like to be an uchideshi by talking with few people I
knew who had accomplished it already (the two people I
know and spoke to are from Sweden and the UK).
What I gathered from them was that, for one, I wasn’t going to get much sleep,and two, there would be a lot of cleaning involved and that I would be expected tohelp out whenever and wherever I was needed and to be flexible about the Dojo'sarrangements.
After my duties were completed for the day, I imagined that sleeping andeating would be my only priorities. Sometimes I felt like I was at the bottom of amental `Black Hole`, but on the positive side, I would meet what would turn out to besome very kind people and that this would be an experience of a lifetime.
In my Mind
I set out to enjoy my life as an uchideshi as much as possible, mainly because
I considered it a great honor to be accepted into the program through Aikido
Kobayashi Dojos Scholarship Program even though I was just a White Belt at thetime.
Since their were several individuals in theprogram, uchideshi life at Kobayashi Dojo meant
working as a team and, believe me, when you don’tallspeak the same language or come from the samebackground, and you have to cope with sleep
deprivation, you learn to be very efficient and very
quick to respond to whatever the dojo needed at thatmoment.
Of course, maintaining a good sense of humor throughout along with a highlevel of tolerance and sensitivity to every need above and beyond your own personalneeds came in handy. I did this with an open heart and did not retain a grudge

whenever something came up that caused a momentary situation.
In my opinion making judgments about others is a big no-no, because thenthey can always surprise you when you least expect it. I did discover that the only
major difference in the treatment of men to women is that women had to stay at
Kodaira Dojo on their own, but then again I did have a private room that I couldorganize the way I wanted to, and at that time I was the only female so I was able toenjoy some privacy though I was comforted in knowing that Kobayashi Sensei andhis wife were just upstairs from me.
People would trade places with me, if they could
I am sure that right now around the world, there are many yudansha thatwould love to trade places with me, and even though there were many times where I
was exhausted and overwhelmed, I would not trade them…EVER!
My strategy was simple: think positive, always show willingness and carry on
day after day after day…. GAMBATTE!
In the times when my energy was low someone would smile at me or makeme laugh and it would just give me the energy to carry on and that nothing was too
serious as to cause me to stay down.
Practice was many things
A challenge for me, a source of inspiration and ofgreat relief, the atmosphere on the tatami was similar tothat of Iyasaka Dojo in Stockholm, Sweden, and once I got
over the fact that I was in Japan, it was easier to relax andconcentrate.
As an example, my problem with the techniques ofNikyo and Sankyo laid with me the student, not the teacher,and Kodaira Dojos’mat spaces were always filled withpeople who were more than patient with my continuous
wrestling of these two techniques in my mind. Needlessto say, I am very grateful to them.
Kids class, outings with Barbara-San and the Swedes
Assisting the kids€31
classes was great fun and really rewarding. Just how
much fun can you have inventing games for them? To see them do the 31 Jo Kataand to make Irimi/Tenkan/Kaiten movements without hesitation was great to see.
Oh, and to see them jump and take ukemi over three others was really inspiring.
I think my outings with Barbara-San and with the Swedes came at a criticaltime for me because sometimes you need to step away from the deshi routine andremember that the world outside operates by different rules.
Dojo life for me
Going to Japanese class, experiencing Golden Week, going to Tokyo andvisiting Yamawaki Sensei` Dojo were all fully enjoyable and appreciated. I cameaway feeling like a part of a large close knit family, rather than just a guest student,which made a big impression on me.
In return, I hope that a little bit of Wales and the United Kingdom rubbed offon them. Of course, if anyone would like to come over in order to understand thedifferences better, they are more than welcome.
What did I get from it?
Well, hopefully my Aikido is better than it was two months ago. My test istomorrow night in Bristol…. I think that for me the quality of my Aikido is areflection of how confident I am inside, and this aspect improved a great deal byhaving trained in what I perceive as the Mecca of Aikido Dojo.
I gave it my bestAikido Kobayashi Dojo seems to be more about taking care of people, andnow I have some understanding of how much effort goes into keeping all the dojosorganized and running smooth. A friendly and interesting place, it was a greatchallenge to undertake, because I know how hard it can be at times and to keep going
was the only answer. I gave it my best and came home in one piece having madesome good friends in Japan who I hope will be genuinely pleased to see me as I
would them if I am able to return one day.
The plan however is to continue to study Aikido and see what I can do tofurther establish our Dojo in Bristol….
Thank you very much to Kobayashi Shihan and to Hiroaki Sensei and all theother instructors and members of Aikido Kobayashi Dojo for allowing me to havesuch a great experience.