The Seminar Experience

  I look forward to the seminar every year. It reminds me of the training camps I attended when I was living in Japan. Everyone trains together, eats together and stays together. There is not much escape.

   This is my one chance a year to get instruction. I make the most of it. I must say that I have been fairly successful with such a small amount of annual instruction. For that I thank my original instructors. Also I always take notes.

    I tell people that my notebook is the best book on Kyudo ever written. It was written by sensei for me. The first entry in my notebook is dated November 10, 1977. I must be getting old. Even now I read the old notes. I am happy to say that the nature of comments made by the sensei has changed over the years.

   I encourage everyone to take notes. They are a great supplement to the Kyohon.

   In addition to the instruction I have made a lot of friends. We have eight hours to train, eight hours to socialize and eight hours to sleep. It’s a perfect world.

   One of my Japanese friends, a very successful businessman, once told me that a person that didn’t play hard was worthless. He explained that if you don’t play hard you certainly are not going to work hard. If you don’t play hard or work hard what are you good for?

   We train hard then drink and talk and laugh. We go to bed and get up the next day and do it again. I love it.