A few years ago, I went to visit an old friend in Japan, in Kuroiso-shi, not far from Tokyo by the Shinkansen. My friend Jago-san lives in the country, in nature, and he makes pottery, traditional natural glaze earthenware. He used to travel away to sell his pottery, but then he had the idea to build a gallery right there, next door to his house. Soon people came to see him, in his gallery, where they too could be in nature, enjoying his pottery.

It occurred to me that if I built a dojo in the country, with a bathhouse nearby to soak away our aches and pains and woes, that people would come out to see us - and spend time in that nature - and to train in aikido!

....and so Aikido on Willapa Bay was born.

Located on 6 acres of dense woodland, Aikido on Willapa Bay is on the Long Beach Peninsula near the mouth of the Columbia River. The peninsula is a renowned wildlife sanctuary, and features the worlds longest stretch of sandy beach.

In the spring of 2005 we were able to bring Seishiro-Endo Shihan to Seattle for a week-end seminar. This was his first visit to the USA, though he has been teaching seminars in Europe for many years. Endo Sensei is an 8th Dan Shihan at Hombu Dojo, teaching there and at his own dojo in the city of Saku in Nagano Prefecture. Over 100 students, ranking from beginner up to high Dan ranks, students and Senseis alike, attended the seminar. Almost the entire floor space of a full sized basketball court was covered in mats of various descriptions (and all taped together!). People attended from as far away as Finland, Germany Atlanta, Orlando, Western and Eastern Canada, California, Oregon, Colorado, and more. (see link to Saku Dojo for a complete summary.)