In June this year I visited Mexico and Cuba for the first time, where I participated in a demonstration and practice as part of a delegation sent by the Nippon Budôkan.

The demonstration in Mexico was held in the sports hall of Puebla University. The audience was very enthusiastic. They didn't hold back any applause, not only for the well-known arts of karate and judo, but also for the demonstrations of Japanese kobudô, which were completely unknown in Mexico. We went sightseeing to Teotihuacan. At the top of the tallest pyramid, where there is said to be focused the most energy in the world, I practiced the kikoh(qigong) my wife taught me.

In Cuba, there was one demonstration and two practice sessions. More than 7,000 spectators packed themselves into the demonstration hall, the capacity of which was 5,000, showing their great appreciation for Japanese budô. The second practice was in humid heat, with the temperature passing 35 degrees. After 30 minutes, it was hard to even stay standing, but we made it through the one and a half hours taking breaks and rehydrating ourselves.

The city of Havana was divided into the new and the old. The old city districts, which were built in the days of Spanish rule and now designated as a Unesco World Heritage site, were practically in ruins but are starting to be reconstructed. I'm sure it will be a spectacular town once restored.

The budo envoy stopped and spent one night in the resort city of Cancun on the return trip. We rested in the blue waters and white sand of the Caribbean.

Two days after returning to Japan, I was suddenly hit by a fever of 38 degrees and severe diarrhea. Before departing Japan, I received various cautions and we were all practically neurotic about drinking water in particular, but... I would take food or water, but it would leave my body in no time. Even when I didn't take anything, water continued to pass through my body. I went to the hospital and received treatment. Three days later my fever finally went down, and the number of times I had to go to the bathroom decreased. Weighing myself, I found that I was 66 kg, the same weight I was at 40 years of age, and I felt faint. My body was shaky. But since I no longer had a fever, I decided to take on the challenge of practice. With some anxiety, I practiced shômen-uchi ikkyô, and found I could do it. Not being able to do it by force, the feeling was better than before. As always, I went to every person in the class. Sweat flowing, I could feel my concentration heighten. Next, shômen-uchi iriminage. Good!

About 25 years ago, I started to strive for soft and flexible practice that leaves out strength. Since then, I've tried to concentrate my feeling, keeping my composure, and wished the same for my students. Regardless, I felt guilty for having fallen into such a grave psychological state as to use the word "challenge" because of that sudden physical change. However, because the result of that "challenge" remained as a good feeling, I hold renewed conviction of what I have done and said until now. (July 2000)