Following: Berkeley and San Francisco--Day 1

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Berkeley and San Francisco--Day 1

First of all, we forgot to mention our little mishap before leaving Seattle.

This is why you use dishwasher detergent, NOT HAND SOAP!

Also, as part of the expanded Voodoo Doughnut gallery:

Now, back to the correct timeline. Started the day in Yreka (say it why-reka, not yu-reka). The highlight of our hotel experience that night was the orange marmelade at the continental breakfast.

Then many more hours in the car, past numerous olive and almond orchards.

As well as so, so many onions.

We were right at the bottom of Mt Shasta, but we couldn't really see anything because of the fog.

We were thinking of taking the coast route, but decided not to because it added about 8 hours. It's a good thing we didn't go that way, because you can't see anything in this weather!

Got to our wonderful Airbnb house in Berkeley, then drove into San Francisco for dinner at The Chairman.

Crispy tempeh and carrot.

Beef short rib and fennel.

Miso cured tofu.

Then off to class at City Aikido with Nadeau Sensei.

We're getting ready for an around-Berkeley day, and then class with Jan Sensei at Aikido of Berkeley.

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Aikido Glossary

These are the most common terms you'll see here. We've also prepared a more detailed glossary (see below).

Dojo: “The place of the way”. The training hall where we practice our art. In the US, many dojo are decorated with a Japanese aesthetic, but some are in racquetball courts or gyms. In the end, the dojo is wherever the people are who show up to practice.

Gi: Training uniform consisting of jacket and pants (normally plain white for aikido) and an obi, or belt. In our federation, belts are either white or black, but in many federations, there are colored belts, most commonly blue and brown, but sometimes there are more gradations. Some aikido practitioners also wear a hakama.

Hakama: The pleated pants (that look like a skirt) worn by some aikido practitioners. In some organizations, it is (or can be) worn by students of any rank. In others, it is reserved for black belts, and in still others, there are different rules for men and women (which are derived from some interpretation of Japanese ideas of modesty). It has no real practical purpose, but serves as a sort of historical link to samurai tradition.

Hanmi: “Half body.” We use it to mean an aikido stance which is sort of triangular. Front foot faces the partner, back foot points out at about a 45 degree angle. It provides a great balance of agility and stability, while offering only half the body as a target for attack.

Musubi: “Connection” or “joining”, although the word is also used to mean “knot”. A key principle of aikido because it helps avoid confrontation and collision, which lead to destruction.

Nage: The person “doing” the technique, generally the person being attacked in some way.

Seiza: Formal sitting posture, kneeling with a straight back. Tough on the knees if you are not used to it.

Shomen: The focal point of the dojo, the proper direction to face. Most aikido dojo have some sort of shrine to the founder on the shomen. Shomen is also shorthand for Shomen uchi, which is an overhead strike to the forehead with an open hand, like a classic karate chop. It's a stylized attack when performed with an empty hand, but would be devastatingly effective with a weapon.

Uke: The person taking ukemi. A good uke is more precious than gold, because he or she will help you learn better aikido not by teaching, but by creating the conditions that allow you to discover how to make sense of Sensei's teaching.

Ukemi: “Receiving” is the closest translation from Japanese. When someone performs an aikido technique on you, your are taking ukemi. It encompasses a lot of stuff, including the punches, grabs, and kicks that we use to simulate attack, as well as the falling and rolling we use to keep ourselves safe.
On a deeper level, it refers to the act of connecting with and following your partner. Great ukemi keeps you safe, allows you to be alert for opportunities to reverse a technique, and helps your partner learn better.