Reiko Sumikawa in Dojo Kimusubi

Reiko, can you tell a little bit about yourself

My name is Reiko Sumikawa. I live in Saku City, Nagano Prefecture. I started aikido
2 years ago when I moved to Saku. I didn’t have friends there, and because I wanted to start budo, I looked on the internet and found Saku Dojo. I was a little nervous going there, but the black-belts made me feel comfortable. My first practice was with Ariga Sensei, but I don’t remember who else was there then, and who was his uke. The keiko was enjoyable and comfortable, and, because one always works with a partner, a lot more fun than going to the gym on one’s own. I decided to continue.

Why did you come to Austria?

I came to Austria to practise aikido. Because Endo Sensei was giving a seminar in Liechtenstein in October and Ariga Sensei came to Kimusubi Dojo in the end of October,
I chose this time to stay one month in Austria. The reason for the whole idea was Jackson, because he told me in Japan about his aikido-travels, and I became a little jealous and decided to travel, too. I also wanted to practise with Matti Sensei.

Anything else?

It has been very enjoyable. I have stayed in Matti Sensei’s house. It’s like making a school trip – I have so much fun making “poison”, the compressed carrot juice for Ariga Sensei, Matti Sensei, Jackson and me, I’ve made puzzles, made my first trip to Slovenia after the aikido lesson by Greg Angus Sensei, 6.dan from Toronto, and gone to eat pizza in Italy.

Also our neighbour, Kurt san, is wonderful: He taught me to play piano, cook Austrian food and also how to play some Austrian card game, which I kept winning. Oh yes, the people in the dojo are great. We stayed one night with Stefan and Daniel in the dressing room talking until very late, and I learned to speak German. “Ich bin glucklich!”

Matti Sensei gets angry sometimes, because he says we make so much noise and play music too loud. So he has made Rules about ‘quiet times’ in the house, which everyone had to sign. The funny thing is, these rules seem to apply only to Jackson and I and not to Matti Sensei. Suspicious!