Sorry to rant but: who wears a gi and hakama in public??

**Flipper** · Posted On: 4/16/2011 1:55pm

My wife was at the nearby supermarket a few hours ago and she saw a man with his family exiting the store wearing a blue gi and a hakama. She said he was munching on something, and was heading to his car with the wife and kids with him.

My first reaction was to check the schedule of the aikido dojo right next to the store and they finished their last class of the day at 4pm. My wife saw the guy at 8pm.

Ok, now that I cleared that up, here's what's pissing me off:

a) who the hell walks around for hours after a class wearing a gi and hakama in public?? That's got to be the dorkiest thing anyone in an MA can do.

b) I've seen the dojo next to the supermarket and they have clean dressing rooms, so there's no reason why anyone can't get dressed after class. Even if I was stuck with no place to get dressed, I'd do anything and everything to not leave the dojo in training clothes, even more so in a hakama.

I don't think a BJJ student would do the same thing, same with the TKD and karate guys I know. Wearing the whole bit - gi and hakama - while walking around a supermarket is so fucking stupid. It's idiocy like this that pisses me off about aikido.

Sorry about that, just had to get that off my chest...

**Epeeist** · Posted On: 4/16/2011 2:03pm

What shade of blue was his gi? Because if it was indigo he may well have been a kendoka not an aikidoka. Some JJJ guys wear hakama too and I've almost never seen an aikidoka wear anything other than a white gi and hakama so he may well have just not been an aikidoka. Aikido doesn't have a hakama monopoly you know.

**Flipper** · Posted On: 4/16/2011 2:07pm

yeah he might be a kendoka. I realized that after I uploaded my post. Even then, it's still dorky to wear a gi and hakama in public.

**DCS** · Posted On: 4/16/2011 2:08pm

Originally Posted by Flipper

Wearing the whole bit - gi and hakama - while walking around a supermarket is so fucking stupid.

Agree, unless he was heading to a fancy dress party.

**Styygens** · Posted On: 4/16/2011 2:33pm

Originally Posted by Flipper

yeah he might be a kendoka. I realized that after I uploaded my post. Even then, it's still dorky to wear a gi and hakama in public.

And most serious Budo practitioners know this.

But then, sometimes life happens. You did say he had kids with him. Maybe he was pressed for time by them. Who knows?

Still, LOL.

***TaeBo_Master*** · Posted On: 4/16/2011 4:34pm

Originally Posted by Styygens

And most serious Budo practitioners know this.

But then, sometimes life happens. You did say he had kids with him. Maybe he was pressed for time by them. Who knows?

Still, LOL.

^^ This. Wearing a Hakama in public is more manly than neglecting your children.

**Larus marinus** · Posted On: 4/16/2011 4:45pm

Maybe he'd had his clothes nicked from his locker while he was training, or a pipe had burst in the locker room and soaked them or something.

I once had to walk home from a swimming pool in my trunks and barefoot because some bastard had stolen my clothes and shoes (someone had jimmied several of the lockers). Wasn't far, luckily.

Or maybe he *was* expecting trouble and wanted to be prepared...