Resources
You don't need to spend a lot to get started training. New students often begin by training in some comfortable workout clothing. But soon you will want to get a basic white training uniform.
Uniforms
The training uniform is called a gi. A karate gi is fine for our kind of training and can cost anywhere from $15 to $25 for a lightweight material, to $50 for a medium quality to over $100 for a higher quality uniform. If you can afford it, a mid-quality gi is just fine. As you gain experience you can invest in a higher quality gi for the long run. Please wear only white karate or judo gi.
It is customary in Aikido and Iaido, but not required, to wear a black (or dark colored) pant called a hakama. The hakama does not signify any particular rank in our dojo. It is a traditional samurai garment and is commonly seen in many Japanese martial arts. 
A hakama can run anywhere from $50 for an affordable one to over $100 for good quality. I suggest you wait until you have trained at least a month or two before investing in a hakama. You can speak with more experienced students and possibly try theirs on for fit before investing in your own. Like a quality gi, one hakama can serve you for many years, so it's worth it to go for quality if you can. There are quality gi's and hakama available from e-bogu.com. It is customary to where a white gi (uniform) in aikido. Again, I suggest a good quality traditional style karate gi. The "aikido" uniforms they carry are actually white judo gi's and they can get pretty hot in the summertime. Customary colors for hakama are black, dark blue, or other subdued natural colors (no white). There are also very nice custom made hakama from The Hakama Lady.
Swords
Iaido is taught as a separate art; however, Iaido classes are included in your membership. We practice three different forms of swordsmanship: Aiki Toho Iai which is a form of Iaido specific to Aikido, Zen Nihon Kendo Renmei (ZNKR) Seitei Iai which is the modern popular form of iaido practiced in Japan today, and Muso Shinden Ryu which is a koryu (ancient martial system) with roots dating back many centuries in Japan. You may choose to include Iaido in your training if you like. If you wish to join us for Iaido you can get started by using a bokken (wooden sword) from the dojo. However, you will soon need to get a practice sword called an iaito. This is a non-sharp training quality sword. It's important that you get a sword of reasonable quality for safety reasons. A poorly made sword can break and cause damage or injury.
For reasonable quality and price see the swords from tozando.com. The basic models are just fine for practice. You can expect to spend around $300 depending on the exchange rate. If you want to you can spend a little more for special features such as a custom tsuba (hand guard) or custom colored tsukamaki (handle wrapping). Do not use sharpened "live blades" (shinken). Also, do not use "display swords" for Iaido.
Bokken and Jo
The bokken (wooden sword) and jo (wooden staff) are a standard part of Aikido training. We have numerous bokken and jo for use at the dojo. However, at some point you will want to have your own personal bokken and jo. There are also good affordable wooden weapons at e-bogu.com.
Rank Requirements
Ranking is awarded through testing which involves a demononstration of specific techniques at each level. There are 10 ranks called kyu starting with 10th kyu and progressing to 9th kyu, 8th kyu and so on. After achieving 1st kyu a student may test for shodan which is the rank of black belt. Total minimum training days required for all kyu ranks up to shodan is 250 so with a consistent training 2-3 times per week a black belt can take about 2 1/2 to 3 years.
Requirements by technique classification (pdf).
Aikido technical outline(pdf).
Handouts
Aiki Toho Iaido Basic Forms (pdf).
First Level Muso Shinden Ryu Iaido (pdf).
