Yoshihiro Akiyama departed from Tokyo's Narita Airport today for a month-plus trip, during which he plans to train with (among others) Lyoto Machida in preparation for his upcoming bout with Wanderlei Silva. Upon returning to Japan, Akiyama told reporters that he hopes to train with fellow judoka Hidehiko Yoshida, who twice faced Silva in Pride FC, battling "The Axe Murderer" for a total of 35 minutes.

Photo via Akiyama's blog