How to get yelled at, without actually being yelled at.

Is this some confounding Zen koan? It sounds like it could be, but isn't. At all. It is entirely possible.

Apparently, I made a big social blunder at aikido last night, got yelled at, and didn't even know it. Japan is a strange land indeed. I mean, how can I possibly get lectured and yelled at by my awesome and totally cool but last night terrifying Shihan and not be aware of it? I mean, I know I can be a bit spacey... but let me explain.

In preparation for my upcoming shodan test, I got permission to train an extra night at a different dojo (under the same sensei, he's a travelling teacher) without having to pay the extra monthly fee. One of my dojo friends, Masahide, has been trying to help me out, giving me pointers on what I'm doing wrong and working with me after class. Anyway, I told him about my training Friday and he said he'd go to the dojo with me. So we sit down to bow in, and my sensei pulls him aside and just lets into him. Terrifying. Yamada Shihan is first of all, really really good at aikido, and really powerful. And terrifying when angry. I have no idea why he's yelling either. So my friend waits at the side of the mat all through warm ups, then only sort of half-way participates in class, and never with me. Usually I have to try to get away from him to train with other people. But not last night. After class he's talking with another aikido student, and I ask what they were talking about. Apparently he wasn't supposed to be training last night because he only paid the dojo dues to his home dojo (in the nearby town of Ako), and not for the Friday dojo. But this doesn't quite seem complete to me. I figured it would be impolite to push it and so I drop it.

This afternoon I was talking to a foreigner, not from my dojo, but who has a solid understanding of Japanese dojos and how the Senseis here tend to think. Apparently, my Sensei was also yelling at me, but indirectly. I had been granted a favor to train at that dojo, but my friend had not been invited. He had assumed that it would be alright to show up and practice but it wasn't. And since we had come to practice together, it was also my fault. I didn't get yelled at directly 'cause I'm not Japanese and don't know all these unspoken rules (probably also, I would have no idea why I was being yelled at.) But by publicly being angry, he was also warning me.

Now, was this a big mistake? Tomorrow when I see Yamada Sensei, will he still be angry? Did I get my friend in trouble? Am I in trouble at all? I feel bad, but who knows? It's Japan! Weeeeeeee!