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2005 SHINKIKAN NEWS
JAPAN FESTIVAL DEMO
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April 2, 2005.
The Japan Festival this year was a smashing success. So successful that it took me over 30 minutes to find a parking spot. Hector had to walk all the way from the children’s museum to get to our demo spot.
The food was great, the dancing, music and of course the best was our martial arts demonstration.
ShinKiKan students got a chance to demonstrate the art of Aikido, and everyone did a wonderful job.
After the demo, we all got t-shirts and food tickets. And the day was there for us to enjoy. The balance between the sun and the wind, made the weather more than perfect.
The Japan Festival is put on once a year at Herman Park, next to the Japanese Gardens, by the Japan American Society of Houston. This organization does a wonderful job in promoting the Japanese culture in Houston.
For more information about this organization please visit:
www.jashouston.org.
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RIVER OAKS BAPTIST SCHOOL DEMO
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Thursday, March 17, 2005 marked the fifth year that ShinKiKan participates in the River Oaks Baptist School Japan Festival. Each year the six graders participate in a day of Japanese culture. They start off by dressing Japanese, They get a taste of the Japanese language, culture and arts.
At the River Oaks Baptist School students are prepared to successfully meet the challenges of today and tomorrow through the provision of a superior academic education which is undergirded by a strong spiritual component. The school community is committed to the education of the children and young people intellectually, physically, spiritually, morally and emotionally. The students' achievements and joy of learning is optimized and facilitated by supportive faculty, staff, administration, peers, parents and a challenging and exciting environment.
The highly lauded programs are offered for children from age two through the eighth grade. We are accredited by Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) and the State of Texas, through the Association Committee of the Texas Association of Baptist Schools (ACTABS).
For more information please visit www.robs.org.
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IAH DEMO
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On Sunday, February 27, 2005, the Asian Pacific American Heritage Association (www.apaha.org) in conjunction with Continental Airlines put together a Celebration of Diversity. From art to dancing to martial arts, they had it all.
The Asian Pacific American Heritage Association was formed in Houston in 1992 to “promote awareness and increase understanding of the Asian/Pacific American Culture and its diversity through education and celebration. Membership to this organization is $25.00 per year or $100.00 for life. Please visit www.apaha.org for more information.
The performances on Sunday were incredible. We saw Hawaiian dancing, Indian dancing, we heard wonderful music, and we even got to see husband and wife battle it out in Tae Boxing.
The ShinKiKan demonstration went smooth and as usual we got AHHHHHSSSS and UUUUUSSSSS from the crowd. John Shukers MC’d the event. Alexandra did the women’s self defense with Matt Trimble. Don demonstrated a bit of the basic movements of Aikido, and the rest, Shawn, Andras, Ray and Srini got a little taste of my Aikido. Last but never least, Diane manned the camera so we got some great footage of what we did, and Alex’s Mom and Andras’s wife rooted us on.
Thank you for being a part of ShinKiKan’s Demo Team.
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AIKI CRUISE
"It was during the Month of January, the 22nd to the 27th to be precise that one of my Students decided to attend a Seminar
hosted by M. Saotome & H. Ikeda Shihan, yet this was no ordinary Seminar it was to be presented over five days at sea on
board the Vessel "Inspiration" a ship owned and operated by the Carnival Cruise line. The ship was to sail from Tampa Florida
to Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands and then on to Cozumel, Mexico finally returning to Tampa five days later.
This was the first time to my knowledge that an Aikido seminar had been held onboard a ship. Needles to say it was a sell out
long before its departure date.
The Seminar was attended by over 200 Aikidoists mainly from the US, however some had travelled from as far away as the UK &
Canada too.
Stephen A. Fasen Instructor/Dojo Cho of Shindai Aikikai Aikido Dojo in Orlando, Florida had kindly organised the event. Along
with Dennis Hooker Senior Instructor at his Dojo, (the club is (ASU, ) to M . Saotome Shihan).
Training was organised over the 5 days and was held outside on deck with up to four classes per day commencing at 06:00hrs
and totalling up to a total of 17 hours overall over the five days. Training was usually divided into two classes of which
the weapons class was normally taught by M. Saotome Shihan. Other classes were headed by H. Ikeda Shihan or 6th dans
depending on the schedule. Other instructors featured Dennis Hooker as previously mentioned, from Orlando, Kevin Choate
Aikikai Chicargo, and Paddy Saotome (M. Saotome wife), all 6th Dans.
Based on the success of this Seminar, Stephen Fasen of Shindai Aikikai Aikido Dojo in Orlando is planning to hold a return
Seminar in February 2006. Saotome Shihan will lead. The dates tentatively have been set for somewhere around the first two
weeks in February. Further information will be forthcoming. Notice will be placed on the Aiki web, the Aikido Journal site,
Bujin Design, and ATM (Aikido Today Magazine) for further announcements. spaces will be limited."
"Train to be in harmony with what is. Seek the ideal, but do not get caught up in its illusion".
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HELPING HANDS
Helping Hands visited Herman Hospital Children’s center for a special Valentines day preparation.
We brought glue, scissors, construction paper, foam, flowers, paint and glitter so that we could sit
down with the children and help them make Valentine Cards for that special someone.
I think the children there had more spirit than we did. They did there best creating cards that
looked better than the hallmark cards you find at Randalls. I was surprised and impressed when four
of the children gave up there Xbox time to come make cards with us. (I know I wouldn’t have if I were that age)
I would like to give a special thanks to all those that participated in making this event possible.
Giving and being able to give is one of the most precious things that we can do. It’s a luxury, it is.
Being able to give, one must be extremely wealthy inside. A wealth that can not be measured. And, it’s so
easy to do. Please try and participate again in future events for Helping Hands.
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SPIRITUAL AIKIDO
Spiritual Aikido
Most people that join a class of Aikido are interested in learning about the spiritual side of Aikido.
We’ve often heard, “Mind, Body and Spirit.” This month, the first month of 2005, we will focus on this side
of our Aikido Training.
What is it and how can we learn more about it? Please visit the links below to read about the weeks focus
and plan to attend class.
WEEK 1 WRITE UP
WEEK 2 WRITE UP
WEEK 3 WRITE UP
WEEK 4 WRITE UP
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