How to visit a Dojo

After the very last class of the year, the Dojo will be cleaned to get ready for the next year.
One day after class , my teacher Sato sensei asked me to come and help clean up the Dojo with some of the other students from the other classes. So I did.
We all showed up early that Sunday morning and began cleaning up. Some of us dusted . some wiped and some swept, we each had a job .
My job was getting the Cob webs off the wall and around some the plaques and awards and things. I had not been a student very long and had never been to a Dojo year end cleaning , so I was not sure about this type of custom.

As I began dusting , I finally came to a place in the Dojo that we always faced when we bowed in.
It is called a Kami Dana. I did not know much about the Kami Dana at that time , but shortly I was going to learn how important it was to one of my seniors, his name was Tamura san.

The Kami Dana had a long wall scroll with the words Amatarasu no Okami written on it. There were also a couple of white vases on each side of the scroll with sasaki leaves in them.
In the front middle of the scroll there were two white bottles with lids on top. To each far end of the dana there were to Shi Shi, one on each side. Also some candle holders were there towards the front center.
As I took the broom to the Kami Dana and began swiping the scroll upper top for cob webs, my senior Tamura san, suddenly approached and grabbed the broom from my hand and said strongly,
"What the hell are you doing, wiping this precious scroll with this nasty broom? You should have more respect for this Kami Dana! Well, I was shocked that things suddenly went sour. Wow, I did not see that coming. Until now I had never been scolded by my Senior and I really did not understand why , but I knew he felt something about this Kami dana so I quickly I bowed very deeply and apologized . I said Sumimasen, Shitsurei shimashita Gomennasai.

After the scolding , we all started cleaning the floor. Then we rinsed out our rags and hung them up to dry and stowed our brooms and things. We were finish.
Suddenly, Sato sensei came into the room he had case of beer.Sensei said he had been saving the case that I had given him last summer for his summer gift. I remembered. That is right I did give him a case. I never expected to see that case again. What pleasant surprise! It is a custom to give your boss, teacher, or some other respected person at least two gifts a year. One in the Summer (Chugen)and one in the winter (Seibo).So we all had a couple of beers and talked. Afterwards we walked together to the train station and then went our separate ways.

So how do you visit a Dojo? Well please understand that the Dojo is not just a gym, it is more than that.
After you train at a Dojo you will become more appreciative of all the things it will do for you. Therefore you will gain genuine respect for it.
In the beginning , when you first visit a Dojo it will not mean much too you, but to others in the class this Dojo is a sacred placed. It will matter to them how you conduct your self in their house of respect. So visit respectfully.
Also, respect their teacher, he is the one who leads them on their journey. Be careful how you talk to him.
At first like I said this will seem all superficial to you, but it will not be to them. The Dai La LAma said,
do not forget the three R's, respect yourself, respect others , and be responsible for all  your actions. This is a good rule to follow not only in visiting a Dojo ,but through your whole life

It is good to know what you want to study and who the person is that you want to study from before you go.
Do not go there and waste their time asking things that you can Google for.I have had many people call me and ask how much is it? what do you teach? etc . Before I was a student , I saw something I liked, I asked my office staff what it was, I found out where the school was located,  I went there and discussed the terms , I joined.
When I met my second teacher, I called his office, I asked the reception/his wife if he taught how to use Taichi, she said yes, I found out what times, I went , I joined.
So in the first case I saw Taichi, it looked cool, I wanted to learn it. In the second case, I wanted to learn how to use Taichi, he taught how,I joined.

If you have trained some where else before, then it is a good thing to bring the teacher of the new school some small gift like a bottle of sake , or box of cookies,etc.. This will show that you had a good teacher before and will gain  respect for your former school. It is always good to make a good impression for you and your former school

What ever you do do not show up late for a visit. If you call a teacher and ask to come visit and do not show up, then that is totally disrespectful. Coming late is also disrespectful.
 Oh yea , one last thing. Do not come and start telling the teacher all about what you know. He is going to find out when you start training. You can bet your life own it .
Have a nice visit.