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Submitted by Jun Akiyama
Boulder Aikikai website
Hotels near Boulder Aikikai
Boulder: The Locale
Boulder is located just an hour from Denver International Airport
(DEN), a major hub for United Airlines which should make airfares
cheaper and flights more readily available.
Public transportation
including busses and shuttles run from Denver Airport to Boulder
regularly throughout the day.
As far as eating establishments go, Boulder has a wide range from
quick-and-easy pizza at Whole Food supermarket/health store right
across the street from the dojo to a very nice "historic" downtown
area just 10 minutes away from the dojo.
The weather in Boulder can get cold and snowy during the winter (of
course), but is basically very pleasant throughout the year. With 300
days of sunshine a year, Boulder's climate is quite a treat. It's
nice and dry, too, for those of you who may suffer from muggy summers.
If people are interested in sight-seeing, Boulder is home to some of
the most beautiful scenery in the country, being nestled up right
against the famous Rocky Mountains as well as being within an easy
busride to downtown Denver. Plenty of activities abound including
hiking, bicycling, and shopping. Oh, there's also pretty good aikido
here, too.
Boulder Aikikai
Established in 1980 and just recently having celebrated its grand
opening of its new facilities on 30th Street in December, 1995,
Boulder Aikikai is blessed with a very beautiful dojo (if I may say so
myself). The kamidana itself is a magnificent work of art and graces
the front of the mat space; you may have seen the shomen in the latest
Bu Jin Design video, "Irimi."
With approximately 160 Swain mats at 6'x3' each, Boulder Aikikai
sports the luxury of having nearly 3,000 square feet of mat space. In
addition, the dojo sports two dressing rooms with bathrooms and two
showers each, nor the second "level" observation area running above
the mat space. There is also a guest room with futon for those people
who may wish to stay at the dojo itself.
Boulder Aikikai is also well experienced in handling large amounts of
people for seminars. Plenty of parking spaces are in front of the
dojo, and the location is very easily accessible by car, bus, or
walking.
For people who may want to stay a little longer to train here, people
from any dojo, any affiliation, and any experience are welcome to come
train. Boulder Aikikai has classes seven days a week. With (at my
estimate) over 100 active members, Boulder Aikikai also has a good
amount of experienced students. A typical night of training on a
given week night can draw upwards of 30 to 50 students, some of whom
may have a couple decades of aikido experience under their belt.
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