There are some days I really love my job. Apart from banging my head on the walls in my lab because of some non-working experiments, I do get to travel a bit for scientific meetings everywhere in the world. It is nice because I also get to meet individuals as miserable as myself and we discuss the conditions of our respective failures. I can already hear you say "but what does it have to do with Aikido?" Let me explain...

I recently had the opportunity to go to San Diego for one of these meetings and since the scientific schedule was not too tight, I obviously used my free time to go and train with Californian aikidoists. I visited the dojo founded by T.K. Chiba Shihan, 8^th dan Aikikai and former uchi deshi with O Sensei for seven years. Unfortunately, I had been told that Sensei would not be here during my visit since he was himself on a trip teaching... in Britain. Never mind, from what I had seen on their website, there were enough high ranked practitioners in this dojo to provide me with some serious training. I also knew this because I had already experienced training for a few years with Chiba Sensei's former students in England. In fact, mister Chiba had founded the Aikikai of Great Britain before moving permanently in the United Sates in 1981. Following his departures, some students of his decided to set up an independent organisation from the one headed by new Aikikai delegate, Minoru Kanetsuka Sensei in order to perpetuate his teaching.