Obon

In my frequent travels, I've noticed how crowded the airports have been, which reminds me a bit of Tokyo. In Japan, it is now O-Bon, an old Buddhist festival in which the dead are believed to come back for a few days. It also happened to be that World War II ended around the same time of year, on August 15th.

Traditionally, O-Bon is celebrated with folk dancing, but for sure now there are also a lot of horror movies showing all over the country, in theaters and on TV. Many people are also returning to their hometowns. Regardless of what religious, ethnic, or cultural difference, I've found it a good thing to pay respect to those that have passed away. No matter what happens to them, they live in our memory.

Another huge summer event in Japan is the National High School Baseball tournament. Each prefecture (state) gets to send only one team. I used to wonder why adults want to see non-professional kids play, because baseball for me was completely a professional activity.

But now that I'm outside Japan, I can see what they were after. The kids do have many glitches in their technique, but the beauty is that they play so sincerely, both to get there and against each other. It is one of the last places where we can see the true meaning of amateur sports. They are playing for honor, for their town and whole prefecture, which will remember them for decades if they play really well.

I've tried to find the same thing in this country, and indeed there are many amateur sports played at a high level. But when I see high school football, I sense a lot of pressure from parents. Not that there is not pressure in Japanese baseball - of course everyone wants them to win. The difference, maybe, is that after every game almost, both the players and spectators all cry. On both teams and FOR both teams - winners and losers - for happiness and sadness.

I hope we can have this in Aikido, a celebration of collective accomplishment, of having made it through, and empathy for those who made such a sincere effort, but lost.

Train well, and enjoy the rest of your summer!