<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>

<!--
	Downloaded: 05-22-2013 04:31 AM
	From AikiWeb Aikido Forums, http://www.aikiweb.com/forums
	Userid: 19051
	User Name: niall
-->

<blogEntries>
<blogEntry id="4378">
	<title><![CDATA[smokin']]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][i][url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mi-ki/2700743151/"]Tokumochi Matsuri[/url] by Coal Miki[/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/i]


[i][highlight]There are many that I miss
having sent my last one out a car window
sparking along the road one night, years ago.[/highlight]
Billy Collins, The Best Cigarette

[highlight]Time takes a cigarette
Puts it in your mouth[/highlight]
David Bowie, Rock 'n' Roll Suicide

[highlight]Out with the light.
Let the smoke lie back in the dark.[/highlight]
Edwin Morgan, One Cigarette

[highlight]two hours later
you know where I was found
smokin' in the boys room[/highlight]
Brownsville Station, Smokin' in the Boys Room[/i]


My first aikido teacher Kinjo Asoh sensei, 7 dan, was a heavy smoker when he was younger. In the 1950s he smoked 80 cigarettes a day. He said that he was starting to lose the feeling in his hands when he began aikido training. He was 53 years old. He trained every day and twice on Sundays. It was called training 8 days a week in those days. He stopped smoking immediately. He lived until he was 84.  

Japan is late for many things. People can still smoke in restaurants and bars. Even today in the 21st century many sports players smoke. And many martial arts teachers smoke. Sometimes a teacher comes into the dojo smelling strongly of cigarette smoke. They don't have to do a technique. They can just breathe on an attacker. 

Niall


poems
[url]http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/Billy-Collins/816[/url]
Billy Collins, The Best Cigarette

[url]http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/edwin_morgan/poems/15550[/url]
Edwin Morgan, One Cigarette


music
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jg4ekLG9Zo[/url]
David Bowie, Rock ‘n' Roll Suicide

[URL]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVvMyvQ4ANI[/url]
Brownsville Station, Smokin' in the Boys Room


background articles and smoking manners posters
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Collins[/url]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Morgan_(poet)[/url]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking_in_Japan[/url]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Tobacco[/url]
[url]http://www.jti.co.jp/sstyle/manners/ad/gallery/index.html[/url]


my columns on aikiweb: 
[URL="http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20495"]Resistance[/URL]
[URL="http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20409"]Martial Arts in Manga and Animé[/URL] 
[URL="http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20289"]Indigo Blue[/URL]
[url="http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20047"]Improvised Weapons No.1: The Umbrella[/url]
[url="http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19943"]Brothers[/url]
[URL="http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19821"]Unbalance - Feet of Clay[/URL]
[URL="http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19741"]Half a Tatami[/URL]
[URL="http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19617"]Zen in the Art of Aikido[/URL]


I have an essay in a [URL="http://fortohoku.org/"]charity e-book[/URL] put together by some writers and photographers to raise money for victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku on 11 March 2011. It costs $9.99.[/i]


© niall matthews 2011]]></body>
	<date>12-09-2011</date>
</blogEntry>
</blogEntries>