Seminar with Yoshigasaki Sensei
From August 23 to 29, 2015, the Associazione Ticinese Ki Aikido Balerna hosted its traditional summer seminar in Bosco Gurin.
This time, participants came from Switzerland, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Belgium.
Michele and Olmo from the Balerna Dojo were invited to participate as "uchideshi."
The old Walser village of Bosco Gurin is car-free. Only residents are allowed to drive to their homes, as far as possible on the narrow roads. We were allowed to drive a little further into the village to unload our luggage. At the entrance to the village, there is a large parking lot, which is kindly free of charge.
Cobbled paths lead to the houses Casa Pometta and Casa Don Bosco, owned by the municipality of Balerna. All participants were accommodated there.
In the morning, when the church bells rang unmistakably at 6 a.m., everyone got up and went to the misogi in the dojo. This was located, as always, in the Ostello Giovani Bosco.
Yoshigasaki Sensei taught mainly
At 6:30 p.m. sharp, the usual aperitif was served on the terrace in front of Casa Pometta. Emmanuele, the professional pizza baker, had brought his own yeast and flour from his own farm. He and a few helpers conjured up gigantic, delicious pizzas, each of which was eaten with gusto.
Although the kitchen often looked like a battlefield afterward, there were always people who helped clean the flour and dough residue from every possible surface.
