Heading East

Departure day arrived amidst immense excitement—my first return to Japan in over five years felt long overdue. Waiting for the airport bus to my London flight, I spotted a familiar face and exchanged a warm smile, feeling that instant camaraderie forged over years of shared practice.

My first trip to Japan had been brewing since I first met Grandmaster Tanemura Soke years earlier. In May 1998, that dream became reality as I boarded a flight from London Heathrow to Tokyo Narita

In August 2017, ninjutsu practitioners from around the globe gathered at Dublin City University’s Glasnevin campus for the Ireland Tai Kai—a multi-day event of intense training, camaraderie, and martial tradition.