On August 9th, we had the pleasure of welcoming nine youth athletes from Germany to our university for a friendly sports exchange. Thanks to the warm hospitality of our university's Kendo Club and the enthusiastic participation of our high school Table Tennis Club, the visiting athletes enjoyed a fun and memorable experience.

We kicked off the exchange with a table tennis session led by members of the Tokiwa High School Table Tennis Club. After learning the basics—how to hold the racket and rally the ball across the net—they jumped into two fun mini games.

The first game was a fast-paced challenge: players had to hit a small red target using a table tennis ball. Divided into three teams, each participant had one shot per round. The teams rotated through until someone hit the target, which was then moved to a new position to increase the difficulty. The game brought out everyone's competitive spirit and plenty of laughs along the way.

The second game was called "King’s Cup." One player started as the King, while the others took turns challenging them. If a challenger won a point—just like in a regular table tennis match—they took the King’s place. The game continued in quick rotations, and when time was up, whoever held the King’s spot was crowned the winner. Despite not being regular table tennis players, the German athletes showed a strong competitive spirit, and a few of them even managed to claim the King’s title!

After a short break, we moved on to Kendo—an experience that’s rare even for many Japanese students, making it all the more special. It’s not every day you get to try a traditional Japanese martial art, and the German athletes were clearly excited as they picked up a shinai (bamboo sword) for the first time.

The Tokiwa University Kendo Team guided them through the basics: how to hold the shinai correctly, how to perform basic swings (suburi), and how to move using sliding footwork (suri-ashi). To top it off, the Kendo team demonstrated two matches, giving everyone a glimpse of how points are scored in real competition. It was both an educational and thrilling experience for everyone involved.

They enjoyed lunch together, with both the table tennis and kendo students mixing at the tables. Conversations flowed easily as they talked about the differences in their sports, cultures, trends, and all sorts of other topics. They were having so much fun that even when it was time to leave, they found it hard to stop chatting! As a small thank-you, the Japanese students were given a gift, which made the moment all the more special.

In the afternoon, the German students visited the Uchihara Aeon Shopping Centre, accompanied by volunteer Tokiwa University students. They enjoyed browsing the shops, trying local food, and spending time together. We heard that they enjoyed themselves and were thankful for the chance to interact with Japanese people beyond just the sports activities.