Welcome!
Thank you for your interest in helping welcome Bujinkan Daishihan Shiraishi Isamu to teach at his first United States Taikai!
This website is a source for all information about the event, as it becomes available. You can also sign up for the email mailing list if you prefer:
Purchase Tickets
Tickets (and T-Shirts, etc.) can be purchased in our new store page.
Thanks once again, and we hope to see you in July!
Event Information
Dates: July 24-26, 2026
July 24 – arrive 4:30pm, training from 5:30pm to 8:00pm
July 25 – arrive 8:30am, training from 9:00am to 5:00pm – 2 hour lunch
group dinner starting 7:00pm – venue and exact time TBD
July 26 – arrive 8:30am, training from 9:00am to 5:00pm – 2 hour lunch
Location: Lynnwood Event Center
Lynnwood Event Center is on the North side of the Seattle area. We have the whole first floor, including nearly 6000 square shaku of training space.
Thanks to Seattle’s new light rail system, getting there is easy – Just one direct light rail ride. No connections needed.
We plan to block out some group hotel deals in the area, including shuttles to and from the event. Hotel details coming soon.
Hotel Information
We now have information to share about hotels and logistics for the Shiraishi Taikai Seattle 2026.
Main Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn
Our primary hotel. Seven minute walk to the event space.
Being all in the same place should make it easy to meet up in between training times for a cocktail, to share stories, or whatever your thing is.
They’ve offered a discount on single-king and double-king rooms to all event attendees.
Note that the link defaults to 4 nights, checking in on July 23, and checking out on July 27. You can shorten this and still get the same discount nightly rate, but you cannot extend beyond this window and still get the discount rate.
Availability – These rooms are not held for us. The rate is available while rooms are available, and July is their busy season, so book as soon as possible. Also the discount is available through June 5, after which the rate may no longer be available.
Here is the link to book at the event rate:
Other ways to book –
Phone – 1-425-320-5905 and reserve under Group Code 902 Hidden Kihon Bujinkan, LLC Group Block Rate
Hilton App – Group Code 902
La Quinta Inn
Fifteen minute walk from the event space. Very close to the Hilton Garden Inn as well.
Might be slightly more budget friendly than the Hilton Garden Inn.
Best Western Inn
Five minute walk from the Event Center. Nothing fancy. But we come to train, do we not?
Best Western Inn Website
Of course, you’re all resourceful people, and there are several other hotels in the area. The three above are most noteworthy for being very close to the venue, which means the travel should be quite easy.
Travel in the Seattle Area
The primary plan is to take our nice new light rail from the airport to Lynnwood, where the venue and hotels are, and walk once in Lynnwood. Most of the hotels have breakfast. The Taikai will host a dinner on Saturday after training. And there are several restaurants nearby in Lynnwood.
Here are a few travel options to consider:
Light Rail – If you fly into Seattle-Tacoma Airport (Sea-Tac, or SEA), the Sound Transit Light Rail will take you directly from there to Lynnwood.
It’s about a 90 minute ride with no transfers. It’s the end of the line, so you can’t miss your stop. And, once you’re there it is a 15 minute walk from the station to the Hilton Garden Inn, and a similar walk to the Event Center and other hotels listed here.
It also goes to quite a few major urban areas – Downtown Seattle of course, downtown Bellevue, and others.
A one-way ticket is typically $3.00
Sound Transit Ride Information
Ride Share Apps – Ride share apps are common here, so if you need go farther than walking distance, they are a quick, easy option. That said, the trip from the Sea-Tac Airport to Lynnwood is fairly long and there will be traffic. Ride Share is not likely to save all that much time, and is significantly more expensive than public transit.
Renting A Car – Renting a car is a fine option also for flexibility, if you plan to do anything else while in town. Though, as with ride share apps, don’t expect them to get you to Lynnwood all that much faster than the light rail.
Buses and other Public Transit – In addition to the light rail system, there are buses in Lynnwood, and far more buses if you make some time to see downtown Seattle while you’re in town, but outside of downtown these are somewhat limited. They use the same Orca card as the light rail, and they can be useful. No reason not to use them if there is one going where you’re going.
Paine Field – The other airport. North of Lynnwood there’s a little boutique airport called Paine Field. You can fly in here if you want – but we don’t recommend it. The airport is nice and personal, far smaller than Sea-Tac, and physically closer to the Event Space. But, flights to it are limited due to its size, and being closer to the Event Space won’t save much time, because the light rail doesn’t go that far yet. The public transit to Lynnwood is two busses, which will take almost as long as the light rail from Sea-Tac. A better bet would be to rent a car. But if you like smaller airports and are planning to rent a car anyway, maybe this is for you.
Godan Test Information
Sensei will be administering the sakki test for anyone who is eligible.
To take the test, you must submit the required documentation one month before the Taikai – otherwise we cannot guarantee you will be able to sit for the test. That means by
June 24
We need:
- Your name
- The name of the Shidoshi / Shihan / Daishihan who is recommending you
- A copy of your 4th Dan certificate, issued by the Hombu dojo, dated at least
one calendar year before the Taikai
Submit the required documentation to:
Note that this is a different email address from the general information address.
There is no charge for the test itself, but all the standard fees for rank, certification, patches, etc. will be just the same as testing in Japan. We’ll be happy to help get things in order, should you take the test and pass.
Contact
For questions about the event or website, or to report bugs,
– email us at: info@shiraishitaikaiseattle.org
Reminder, this is NOT the address to use for Godan Test information. But it’s the right one for everything else.