My name is Haruto.

I am fourteen years old and I live in Hirosaki, Japan.

Today is Kendo training day.

Kendo means The Way of the Sword.

And I love it.

The best thing about Kendo is that everyone trains together.

Children.

Teenagers.

Adults.

Even grandparents.

In our dojo, age does not matter very much.

We all learn from each other.

Today we are practicing the basic strikes.

Our teacher walks between us and gives small pieces of advice.

Sometimes he changes the position of a foot.

Sometimes the angle of a sword.

Sometimes only a single movement.

Tiny improvements.

Again and again.

I have been practicing Kendo for five years now.

One day, when I am grown up, I hope I will become a great fighter.

Right now, I am facing Chiyu.

She is sixty years old.

Before we begin, she secretly winks at me.

That is probably not proper Kendo behavior.

But we are good friends.

We practice Men strikes.

Chiyu swings her shinai, a bamboo sword, in a large arc toward my head.

Luckily, the Men helmet protects me.

The strike lands with a loud crack.

"Too slow, Haruto," she says.

"I know," I laugh.

The final exercise of the evening is Kakari-keiko.

Free sparring.

My favorite part.

When I step forward, I see who my opponent will be.

Jiro.

He is the best young Kendoka in our dojo.

Much better than me.

And that makes me happy.

Because in Kendo, the strongest students do not try to show how strong they are.

They help the weaker students improve.

I know Jiro will push me.

I know I will make mistakes.

And I know I will learn something.

So I bow.

Jiro bows.

And we begin.

After training, we line up and thank our teacher.

Everyone bows deeply.

Then something happens that visitors always find funny.

Our teacher reaches into a small wooden box.

Inside are vouchers.

One by one, the children receive a small reward.

A CO₂ voucher.

I receive one too.

With the voucher, I can buy fruit from the local market.

Apples.

Cherries.

Or other seasonal fruits from the region.

Our teacher says it is a reward for training hard.

But it is also a reminder.

"A strong body needs good food," he always says.

"And a healthy future begins with small everyday choices."

I put the voucher carefully into my pocket.

Tomorrow I already know what I will buy.

An apple.

Maybe two.

Because everyone in Hirosaki knows something.

Hirosaki grows the best apples in Japan.

And maybe even the best apples in the world.

🌿