February 16th-19th, 2012
I went to Iran to visit friends I had not seen in a very long time. Even though it was February, it was very warm and I enjoyed seeing the sites of Tehran. To the north of Tehran, a towering range of majestic snow covered mountains loom as a commanding site and local residents of Tehran make good use of these mountains for recreation and to enjoy their beauty.
Tehran is well known for its fabulous Iranian restaurants that serve up ample and delicious Kabobs at very reasonable prices! Some of the restaurants are so famous they attract long lines of customers that often cause traffic jams! My friend and guide and I stopped by an ancient market that
was teeming with literally thousands of people buying and selling daily wares. We passed by the Khomeini shrine that was still under construction as it had been 6 years ago when I last visited. My guide informed me that he was not sure just how long it would take to complete the shrine but they were making progress!
During my stay in Tehran, I was able to practice for about 2 hours at Ali Sensei’s dojo where I first held a seminar in 2007. The practice was enjoyable and a good time was had by all.
My visit to Iran was only for a few days but I had a wonderful time and I want to thank everyone for taking such good care of me.
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- Practice at Ali Sensei’s dojo
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- Dojo for women only
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- In front of Iranian Independence Tower
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- A panoramic view of Tehran
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- Long lines at this restaurant, it’s delicious!
On an ending note, I wanted to share with you a photo of a picture I saw in one of Ali Sensei’s student’s houses where we went for dinner one evening during my stay.
This student was a very devout and modest Muslim who had generously invited us to his home to dine with him and his family. I was a little surprised looking around his home to see two pictures on the wall, one painting that looked very much like “The Last Supper”, and adjacent to that painting, a picture of verse from the Koran. Some might find it unusual to find both images side by side, but in my experience with so many different peoples and religions around the word, I found this to be a testament to human commonality. There would be fewer wars fought in the world if more of us expressed this kind of understanding.
Written by
Gaku Homma
Nippon Kan Kancho