The twelfth and final animal in the Chinese zodiac is the Pig (or Boar). Actually, it is the year of the Earth Pig. The Pig is not thought to be a smart animal in Asia. It likes sleeping and eating and can become fat. Therefore it may have a reputation for laziness and clumsiness. On the positive side, it behaves itself, has no plan to harm others, and can bring affluence. The Pig is a gourmet, faithful in friendship, stylish, and can actually be a perfectionist and hardworking. He is a tolerant being, recognized by his friends for his kindness and generosity. The Pig is passionate, caring, and seductive. His big heart attracts faithful friends as well as others who seek to enjoy his benevolence. However, he can also be irritable and resentful; it is better not to be an enemy of the Pig!

Haha! Interesting! A being with two-sides – in and yo. Some good, some not so good. Like most of us, I suppose. We'll revisit this in-yo dichotomy, below.

So what happened in 2018? Quite a bit, as usual!

In terms of international travel, my first stop was Switzerland to see my friend Phil Bradshaw and the Zurich Buyῡ Dojo folks. We had a great time and everyone is training very diligently.

There's always a stop at Restaurant Zeughauskeller for bratwurst, sauerkraut and beer. Here I am with my friend, Luke Walker (his real name!).

I attended the German BuyῡKai in July. It was at a new venue this year, Schloss Buchenau. We celebrated the 35th anniversary of Steffen & Sabine Fröhlich's dojo. I have participated in BuyῡKai a number of times. This is a GREAT event and I encourage all my martial arts friends to attend. I think there were buyῡ from over 17 countries there this past year – with some top-notch coaching on everything from the basics to pretty advanced stuff. Really, you MUST go.

BuyuKai info here: buyukai.de. See you there next July!

We lost an international pioneer of the Bujinkan this year, Bo Munthe.

Bo was a great friend and one of the very first to introduce Ninjutsu to the outside world. Rest in peace, buyῡ.

We also had training seminars in NJ, of course. It's amazing how many people from around the world find our little training group in Spring Lake.

Sadly, we lost another great buyῡ this year. Vaughn Troy Aiken passed after a long battle with cancer.

We had a couple of workshops in Florida. Ed and Claudia Figueroa of Tampa Bay Buyῡ Dojo (Ed also trains the Orlando group) sponsors these workshops.

I traveled to Grand Rapids (there's still no rapids, by the way). Had a great time training with some fine folks.

Thanks, Craig Gray, for setting that up and buying the coffee.

I also got to train once again with my friend, Joe Lopez, and the dedicated buyῡ of Hawaii Bujinkan.