A Thank You Gift

Hi,

I'm going to be moving soon and I want to get a thank you gift for my sensei. I'm posting anonymously in case he's a member of this board. I want the gift to be a suprise.

I don't know his non-Aikido hobbies or interests so I don't have much to go on. Any suggestions for what to get him?

Thank you,

Off the Record

What do you want the gift to reflect and who will be sharing in it? Appropraite gifts generally can relfect your personal relationship to sensei or your relationship to aikido and thus to sensei. Generally, appropraite gifts can be calligraphy to be hung in the dojo, booze, an embroidered gi. I would talk to the seniors in the dojo to see what your sensei would most appreciate.

I'm moving far enough away that I'll have to join a new dojo.

I attend the 6:00 AM class. Since that class is small I often receive 1:1 instruction from a shihan. I want to get something to express my gratitude a little better than "Thanks, bye"

I like your suggestion Eric, I have a discreet sempai I can ask.

Thanks for the direction.

Sometimes we give our sensei a gift card to a restaurant where he can take his family out on us. We appreciate his sacrifice and his family's. He has plenty of Aikido stuff, and we give him golf stuff all the time. Just an idea.

Good idea. Gift certificates will be perfect, because I haven't noticed anything Aikido related that he (or the dojo) needs, other than a better website.

sometimes I offer a box of incense

In gassho,

Mark