Once upon a time...
thousands of years ago...
wild apples were small and hard, with no hint of sweetness.
They were just one sort of fruit growing on trees.
But after all those years, and countless trials and errors...
people gradually learned to cultivate sweet ones.
And then about 100 years ago, apples were imported to Japan.
They were cultivated across Japan almost straightaway.
But people weren't the only ones who welcomed this sweet fruit.
Apple trees were infested with insects
and eventually most farmers stopped growing them.
Despite all that...
here in Aomori Prefecture, we never gave up on apples.
And that's the spirit of Tsugaru!
That's what my Ethics teacher taught me in grade school.
But even after a hundred years, growing apples remains difficult.
Many farmers have quit along the way.
FRUITS OF FAITH
Tsugaru, Aomori ~ Spring of 1953
Stop it, Akinori!
Mikami Akinori.
As a boy, his way of playing with toys
was slightly different from everyone else's.
Akinori! You're taking things apart again?
Akinori!
How could you?
I didn't lend you my scooter to do this!
Are you sure about this?
It's high-performance, my friend. You're going to love it.
Okay, here I go.
Motchan!
The road you travel...
has no end in sight
so for what reason
do you grit your teeth?
Motchan, let's rock the gym.
I built a sweet new amp.
We'll put on a concert.
Okay, here we go.
1, 2, 3, 4!
Kimura Mieko.
Mikami! What did you do this time?
I told you over and over again!
A farmer's son only needs to learn farming.
Akinori will never listen.
Since you have so much free time, go catch the rats in the orchard.
For the next week, I don't want to see any rats there!
You mind the amp failure more than being punished, don't you?
It must be an output malfunction.
But how'd you know?
You won't give up until you find the answer.
That's just how you are.
Don't give up.
If you fail this time, just learn from the experience.
Each failure will bring you closer to the answer.
Mom...
His mother's words were all the encouragement he needed.
But mechanics wasn't the only subject he had questions about.
Why don't rats smile?
If you could act more friendly, you won't be so hated.
Why are humans the only species that can smile?
Cows and pigs don't smile either.
Humans are the only ones that smile.
That's the one ability that sets us apart.
Ability?
That's right, ability.
Maybe people are incredibly...
You must be an idiot.
They say the student council president is weird.
I guess they're right.
I see.
I'm an idiot.
That explains why I don't know anything!
"That's why I'm curious about everything," he said.
And so as a second son...
he decided to go against his father's wishes
and secretly found a job with an electronics manufacturer.
Arriving in Tokyo, he saw not the red sunset of his hometown
but an orange sun behind a haze of pollution.
Still, he was thrilled by the bright future before him.
He was assigned to the cost control team...
to carry out the hated role of cutting expenses, but...
This is a waste.
Here, here and here! We're wasting resources!
It was the perfect job for him.
[Typhoon Destroys Aomori's Apples]
Until one day...
he received a telegram.
[Come home immediately. Apple orchard wrecked by typhoon]
400 trees were totally ruined.
100 trees were damaged.
This is hopeless.
Farming is full of these inefficiencies.
That's why I hate it.
- Ouch! - Shut your trap.
Farming is what put you through school, idiot.
Now get to work.
I'm using my brains to help you now.
Mom!
Mom.
Watch what you're doing!
I'm all right.
Sorry.
Enough of this farming nonsense.
I'll support you from Tokyo.
You can chase your dreams in the city.
I prefer a life grappling with nature.
- An arranged marriage? - Yes.
I can't let you horse around in Tokyo forever.
I'm not horsing around. I'm helping to build the future
where everyone leads happier lives.
Akinori...
don't you want to be near Mom?
Well...
The lady we set you up with is an only child.
Her mother passed away when she was little.
It's been just her and her father all this while.
They're fine apple farmers.
Apple? Why apple farmers?
Isn't it obvious?
They're willing to adopt you as their heir.
But that's...
Why an apple farmer?
Do I have to be one too?
Motchan, slow down, please.
You're an hour late already.
It's not my fault you're hungover.
Motchan, let's just go to Tokyo instead...Tokyo!
- Get in there. - Tokyo!
- Akinori? - Akinori!
Ouch...
Such an idiot.
Kimura...
I'm Kimura Seiji.
This is my daughter, Mieko.
She still has a lot to learn. Please take care of her.
Hey...
The apple orchards here represent the spirit of Tsugaru.
Do you remember the story our ethics teacher told us?
Apples are hard to cultivate so most farmers in Japan gave up
but the farmers in Aomori Prefecture never gave up.
Day after day, they worked hard, with this mountain watching over them.
This is the spirit of Tsugaru.
- You'd rather be in Tokyo, right? - Well...
not a bit, not a bit... I don't know why...
What's happening here? When I'm with you...
I feel restless somehow.
But I can't take apart my heart to figure out the reason
so...
maybe we can figure out the answer together.
What do you think?
You're so silly. We already know the answer.
Just ask the mountain.
What? Ask Mount Iwaki?...Why?
On the day of our wedding...
we had the heaviest snowfall of the year.
What happened?
It's probably a blackout caused by the snow.
Not exactly auspicious, is it?
You shouldn't say that even if you think so.
Don't worry.
Akinori, but that's for the altar!
Whatever gives us light, right?
Everyone, find whatever you can.
Come on, Dad. Bro, you too.
You're like the sun.
Always lighting the way for all of us.
I am?
Yes.
From here on...
I hope you'll continue to light the way for us.
Okay.
I promise.
I promise...Father.
Call me "Dad".
Yes, Dad.
"Maybe that was the first candle service in a Japanese wedding,"
he still recalls with a laugh.
Every spring, the apple orchards are shrouded in white mist.
It's a rite of spring here in Tsugaru.
Pesticides are sprayed over ten times a year.
To protect consumers...
the amount is controlled so that the apples are safe to eat.
[When sprouting, use dichlone...]
However, growing safe apples...
doesn't necessarily mean growing apples safely.
It itches and burns like hell.
That's why I hate growing apples.
I can't believe you've done this for so long, Mieko.
Doesn't the pesticide ever make you sick?
Every time I help out, my skin itches like crazy afterwards.
I can't stand it.
What's wrong?
Mieko? Mieko!
Mieko, what's wrong?
What's the matter? Mieko!
It happens every time. Don't worry.
Every time?
She's always been sensitive to pesticides.
She throws up or falls sick whenever we spray it.
She was once sick for a month.
If that's the case, we should stop using pesticides.
If we stop, the apples won't grow.
That's the reality we face.
I'm sure you're aware of that.
After that, he was determined to find a way to alleviate my condition.
He did everything he could.
[ Closed for Private Event ] We're gathered here today...
for the first meeting of the Youth Association for Reassessing Pesticide Use.
Cheers!
Wait, wait, wait...
Shouldn't we add "Tsugaru" to the name?
Really? Must we?!
Anyway, won't the elders get upset if they know about this?
They won't listen
so it's up to us young farmers.
We must change things.
Even if we don't do it for Akinori, we should do it for Mieko.
How'd you snag a fine woman like Mieko, anyway?
This group of young volunteers founded the association...
spent countless hours studying how to reduce pesticide usage
and even tried to use compost to grow apples.
Hey, I got it!
Even after some losses...
compare this to pesticide costs.
Look.
Man, that's a huge profit!
That's incredible.
Our theory is that...
those bugs were probably attracted to the excessive nutrients.
So instead of chemical fertilizers...
we could use chicken manure. That's what we'll propose.
Hey, Mieko. What do you think?
Mieko. What's wrong?
Mieko?...Mieko! What's the matter?
- I'm fine. - But why?
I've already cut down our pesticide use.
- It's not that. - It's not? What do you mean?
- No, it's... - What else could it be?
Really, with anything except mechanics, the man is an idiot.
What is it?
It's a miracle.
Two separate people come together and now a new life is born.
There's no-one like her in the world..no, the universe.
Isn't this amazing?
"Raising Your First Baby"
No, no, no...
Look what you've done!
I'll buy these too.
Sorry.
"Raising Your First Baby"
"The One-Straw Revolution. An Introduction to Natural Farming."
"Farming without the use of any fertilizers or chemicals"
'Even without human assistance, leaves will grow...'
'flowers will blossom and plants will bear fruit'
'without the use of fertilizers or any chemicals.'
I get it, but still...
The "do-nothing technique"?
Do nothing? Seriously?
No way.
I found it.
This is it.
This is it!
Mieko, I found the answer!
Organic farming?
You're not the only one.
Others suffer the ill effects of pesticides too.
If this works, it'll help everyone.
It's for future generations.
Dad, please.
May I use one of our four orchards...
the one where we reduced pesticide use last year...
to try out organic farming?
It may produce less yield
but consider the annual costs of 16 pesticide rounds.
- Just one orchard of the four? - Yes.
Sure, if you can persuade our neighbouring farmers.
I'll take it up with the farming co-op.
Okay, Dad!
~ First Year of Organic Farming ~
Everything seemed fine.
Even without pesticides, the flowers blossomed.
Bathed in the spring sun...
the leaves grew large and took on a healthy sheen.
No powdery mildew, no apple scab...
I might be onto something big.
We don't need pesticides.
We did it! We did it!
[ Closed for Private Event ]
Sorry, I'm late...
Welcome.
Kimura.
This time you've gone too far.
Huh?
Everyone got a good scolding from their fathers.
We reduced pesticide use and now our trees are bug infested.
Oh, come on.
It's up to us young farmers to bring about change.
You can't fight the farming co-op.
Hey, you know Akinori.
Once he gets going, he listens to no-one.
The bottom line is...
it's not possible to grow apples organically.
That's not true!
Check out our orchard. The leaves are totally healthy.
Truth is, we don't need pesticides.
But our hopes were dashed after just three months.
Alternaria blotches...
Marssonina blotches too.
Of all farmed crops, organic apple cultivation...
was said to be "the work of God".
That's because...
Apples are the product of selective breeding over thousands of years.
They're susceptible to disease and vulnerable to insects.
It's the forbidden fruit.
Now cheer up, will you?
Only one orchard was affected. By next year, you'll be fine.
- It's fascinating. - Huh?
Apples...they're fascinating.
It's like when I first opened up a motorbike engine.
It looked way too complicated.
But as I took it apart, I figured out how it worked.
It's the same for apples.
If I can figure out how to protect the leaves...
Look, you're not a school kid any more.
You've got a wife and a daughter.
You need to make money...
- I see. - If you get it, then...
Wasabi.
I should put wasabi on the leaves.
Wasabi and ginger can kill bacteria.
I can use wasabi instead of pesticides.
I'm going to try it right away.
Thanks, Motchan.
Thank you, Motchan.
~ Second Year of Organic Farming ~
[Powdered wasabi]
What is he doing?
Oh man, this stings!
It turns out that wasabi works, but only on certain insects.
[Vinegar]
[Barley tea]
He also tested many other ingredients.
[Garlic]
[Coffee]
[Whiskey]
[Carbonated water]
[Onions]
[Sardines]
Anything that's edible.
[Milk]
It was a quest to find the best pesticide substitute.
But the apple trees remained diseased
and the flowers didn't bloom.
To get faster results, we needed more testing grounds.
All four orchards?
We aren't committed enough.
At first I thought we'd just try in one orchard
and use the other three to pay the bills
but that's no answer.
Four orchards might provide a solution in three, no, one year.
We'll find a way to make ends meet.
I'll grow vegetables next to the orchards.
This year's snowfall will be like the one four years ago.
That means the cherry blossoms are likely to bloom earlier.
We should order the plant growth regulators earlier than usual.
That's all from the co-op.
Any questions?
Yes.
What is it, Kimura?
Go ahead.
Starting this year, we're going completely organic.
Completely?
That's all four orchards.
If that inconveniences anyone in any way, please let me know.
Dad, thank you for today.
But, why?
I saw you wouldn't take no for an answer.
Umm...what is that?
I've been meaning to ask.
You wouldn't understand.
Dad.
- It's dirt from a battlefield. - Ah, Manchuria.
No, Rabaul, down south. See, you won't understand.
Come on, try me.
So why'd you keep dirt?
It's from part of a jungle I cultivated into a garden.
So things were peaceful in Rabaul then.
I'd just reached the frontline, when I was ordered back.
I walked through jungles and marshes with no food
for hundreds of kilometres over several months.
When I finally got back to base, no-one was there.
The place was deathly quiet.
Tens of thousands had died from starvation and malaria.
I don't know how I managed to survive.
I ate frogs, snakes, lizards... anything I could find.
I started a vegetable patch, knowing that it was useless
without pesticides and fertilizers.
And yet...
one morning... I found an eggplant flower.
I thought I was dreaming.
In a wilderness full of weeds... with no pesticides or fertilizers...
the taros grew this big.
"I'll give you my entire fortune if I can return home alive"
"so please give me food."
People were saying that as they starved to death.
It felt like those comrades were trying to tell me...
from the soil they now rest in... that I had to live.
This is the dirt from that vegetable patch.
You lack commitment, you said?
Yes.
Are you ready to commit like a loyal soldier?
Yes, sir.
~ Third Year of Organic Farming ~
[Onion sauce]
What effect would each food have on the various pests and diseases?
How diluted should each be to avoid hurting the leaves?
[Vinegar]
We tested numerous foods to narrow down our choices.
"Rice wash x 600"
~ Fourth Year of Organic Farming ~
Our second and third children were born.
That gave him motivation to continue.
Egg white!
Egg white, of course! It's got to work.
The point is to freeze them without destroying the proteins.
All right, now I can defeat those plant lice!
The leaves look much better than last year.
It'll finally work this year.
- Is that right? - Yeah!
Don't you eat our leaves.
Hinako, record this too.
"Garlic, Vinegar"
By narrowing down the possibilities...
the answer was slowly coming to light.
I can almost see it.
Okay, here I go.
And yet...
at the end of spring in the fifth year...
a chilling sight awaited us.
~ Fifth Year of Organic Farming ~
Every single tree in our orchards was diseased and crawling with pests, hundreds of thousands.
What is this?!
What if your pests and diseases spread over to us?
I'm make you compensate us for our losses!
- Stop all this organic nonsense now! - We're so sorry! So sorry!
Mieko...it's back to square one.
We have to start from scratch.
Back to square one.
For now, kill as many bugs as we can!
From dawn to evening...
we just kept picking pests from the trees.
But it was like pouring water into a leaky bucket.
- Our sincerest apologies! - Our sincerest apologies!
Ouch...
Our sincerest apologies.
Please... accept this as compensation.
It's a bad habit of Akinori's.
Whether it's modifying a motorbike or wiring an amp...
the harder it is, the more he obsesses. But growing apples isn't a game.
It's our livelihood. Please accept our apologies.
Mother...please get up.
He'll find the answer in the end.
That's how he's always been.
He didn't modify the motorbike or wire the amp for himself.
He was doing it to make others happy.
He got into organic farming for me.
I can't accept this.
I agreed to let him try organic farming.
Besides, Akinori is my son now.
I'm equally responsible for my son's actions.
I have some savings put away.
There's no need to worry about our finances.
So sorry.
That's not farming. It's just mucking around.
Kimura...
what you're doing is no different than what our ancestors did.
You've heard the stories, right?
It was hell for them back in those days.
Woolly apple aphids, moth larvae, borers...
Hundreds of thousands of bugs had to be removed by hand...
from morning to night.
The worms were batted off with sticks.
Each apple was carefully bagged.
And the trees were carefully washed.
And if the trees still died...
they chopped them down and planted more.
After the trees survived the pests, they had to battle the diseases.
They tried quicklime, Japanese andromeda, sulfur, soapy water...
they tried everything under the sun.
They did all that... to no avail.
What finally saved them from crisis was...
Pesticides.
Exactly.
After decades of struggle, the answer they arrived at was...
pesticides.
- Pesticides saved Tsugaru apples. - Darn right.
- So you understand then. - Then why're you doing this?
If this inconveniences...
What?
If this inconveniences any of you...
we'll use pesticides at once.
Until then, I hope you'll support us.
Are you sure you want to do this?
Yes.
I understand. Please wait a moment.
[Account balance: 0]
'Farewell, dear Rabaul'
'until I come again'
'For now this goodbye...'
'brings tears to my eyes'
'it fills me with such yearning'
'memories of that island'
'through the leaves of the palm trees'
'I see the Southern Cross'
Here's your lunch.
Okay, I'm off to work.
~ Sixth Year of Organic Farming ~
In the sixth year, we had no income.
We sold our truck and motorbike
and had to walk two hours to the farthest orchard.
It's the whole family.
Stupidity is contagious... oven snuffer.
An "oven snuffer" refers to a bum who doesn't work
and can no longer afford food to cook in the oven.
Eventually the villagers stopped talking to us.
He began leaving for work before dawn...
and returning home after dark
in order to avoid seeing anyone.
~ Seventh Year of Organic Farming ~
Good, the leaves look better than last year.
It'll finally work this year.
Sure it will.
The other crops do fine. So why not apples?
At that time, our only income
was from the vegetables and fruit we grew next to the orchards.
We sold them at the market, and bought rice.
But with a family of six, the rice was always gone in no time.
Stupidity is contagious.
Oven snuffer.
Honey?
I just dreamt I was in hell.
But this reality is far worse than hell.
What in the world is that?
[Warning to all pests: If you harm our trees any further, we must resort to using powerful pesticides]
Heck, that's creepy.
They've finally gone mad.
I gave you that eraser!
Why? Why would you cut it up?
You oven snuffer!
Wake up, Akinori! Give it up now.
If I give up...
If I give up now...
it would mean... mankind has given up.
So be it.
We'll just go on like always...
growing apples using pesticides.
And that's fine.
What's wrong with that?
Your kids are putting up with humiliation
and you talk of mankind?
My daughter gave this eraser to Hinako.
And Hinako cut it up to share with her sisters.
When I heard this, my heart broke for them.
Who are you doing this for?
It's not for Mieko, it's for yourself.
It's all just for yourself!
I can't be your friend any more.
Welcome.
Welcome. Please feel free to browse.
Do you want a mask?
I'll take one.
I don't want it.
What's wrong? Put it on.
I don't want it.
Why? Just put it on.
What's wrong? Why are you crying?
You scared her.
Scared her?
Smile a little. This is a festival.
What good is smiling?
What?
That one ability sets us apart from animals, right?
A useless ability.
Borrow money?
Have you no shame?
I can't let my children suffer.
So I'm begging you, please.
In that case, Akinori, will you quit organic farming?
I'm close to a breakthrough. You'll see.
I'm getting some results.
How could you still...
They'll blossom next year. It'll work.
You fool!
You're ruining our family!
This is a small village.
Have you any idea how you've shamed your mother?
I know! I know, but...
Mom, are you there?
Mom?
Mom, open up.
Akinori.
Give it up.
Why?
I thought at least you would understand.
We need to know when to give up.
It's my fault for not teaching you that.
That's why I'd follow you to hell or anywhere else.
But...
you can't drag Mieko and the children down with you.
Give it up.
There's nothing I can do now.
Even if I use pesticides now...
the apple trees will take years to heal.
It's a no-win situation.
'The road you travel...'
'has no end in sight'
'so why...'
oh why do you grit your teeth'
'and walk that road?'
Apples are high-profit fruit.
In the age when apple trees were considered cash cows...
Akinori was the only apple farmer who worked part-time jobs in Tokyo in winter to make ends meet.
Ah, watch your feet, sir...
Watch it!
I'm sorry.
'when the sun rises again in the sky'
'the young man once again begins his journey'
Hey, you!
Wait!
Get lost!
Get lost, damn it!
Give it back!
Why?!
How could you?!
Mieko, how are you?
I'm doing fine.
Okay. Can you put Hinako on?
Hinako, how'd the school play go?
Are Saki and Natsuko getting better at talking?
Don't forget to give Grandpa shoulder massages.
Mieko...
The next year, when he returned from Tokyo...
~ Eighth Year of Organic Farming ~
he used the money to spray the trees with vinegar.
However...
[Foreclosed Property]
Hey, what are you doing?
Ah, Mr. Kimura.
Since you haven't paid your taxes
and your land is mortgaged, I have no choice but to do this.
Wait, it'll work this year. I know it.
Sorry, but we can't keep waiting.
We won't get much from these dying trees.
No, wait... hey!
[Real Estate Sale and Purchase Agreement]
Wait!
"The seller, Kimura Akinori..."
"agrees to the handover of said property..."
"Land category: Apple orchard Area: 200 square meters"
"Kimura"
What an oven snuffer.
After giving up two of our four orchards...
his heart began to malfunction like a broken machine.
You don't look so well.
Are you okay?
What's wrong?
Ah, don't worry. I won't tell anyone.
What's wrong?
But why? I even cut the underbrush for you!
So I don't want to hear that.
You can't die on me, okay?
Please.
Hey, your complexion looks good today.
Is the vinegar working?
At this rate, you'll turn into sushi. You and me.
How are you?
Still feeling sick?
What?
But I have no more money.
Even if I give up organic farming...
I can't afford pesticides or fertilizers.
I can't afford anything.
I'm penniless.
I'm sorry.
It's tough on you, trying to hang in there.
I'm so sorry.
I promise I'll get rid of those bugs tomorrow.
Kimura, are you...?
You're home.
Tomorrow, let's go to the festival together.
We should get divorced.
You'll never find happiness with me.
What about the apples?
Don't you need the answer any more?
It's all over.
We have to give up now.
We just have to give up.
You can't do that!
Hinako?
That would mean we were poor all this time for nothing!
No! You can't do that!
Hinako...
- Hinako? - What's wrong?
Gosh, she's burning up!
A doctor... we need a doctor.
Our phone line has been cut and we have no car.
No health insurance either.
What do we do?
I'll go!
Excuse me!
May we borrow your car?
Excuse me!
We need a car!
Hinako, hang in there.
I'm taking you to the hospital.
Hang in there.
Stress-induced fever?
Yes, as evidenced by the spot balding.
It's not uncommon in children.
Anyway, we should keep her here for a while...
to make sure she'll be fine.
Hinako...I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
You're getting really good at this, Saki.
Sis drew those.
Really? Sorry.
Mom!
Are you okay? Mommy's home.
How was it?
- Is Sis okay? - Yes, she's fine.
She just needs hospital rest for a while.
I see.
Where's Dad?
- He's not home? - No.
Well, Mommy has to go back to the hospital soon.
Boy, I'm hungry though.
Grandpa, feed us.
Thank you.
You know...
I can handle being poor but...
he said we should divorce.
What is he thinking?
He made a promise.
He promised to keep lighting the way.
He promised...
"My Father"
Sorry. I read this without asking.
I'd give it a perfect score.
I always knew you were a genius.
Is Daddy really giving up on apples?
He won't...I won't let him
or else we would've been poor all this time for nothing, right?
Okay then.
I'm ready to do battle.
Hey!
Weirdo!
"Organic Cultivation Diary" "Kimura Akinori"
"Mieko looks fit as a fiddle."
"Mieko is free from all itchiness!"
"Mieko doesn't feel nauseous any more!"
"We did it, Mieko!"
"Mieko's belly is getting bigger by the day."
"Going home to my family for dinner together each night makes everything all right."
"Right, Mieko?"
"I've barely spoken to Mieko lately."
"I don't know who to speak to or what to say anymore."
"Mieko, thank you for everything."
Mieko.
I've finally found the answer.
A clear and obvious answer.
Why didn't I think of this earlier?
You were right. I really am an idiot.
It's so beautiful.
This will make everyone happy.
Really?
I can't do anything right.
Apples?
In the middle of the mountain?
How?
How can it grow out here in the wild?
It's not an apple?
It's a walnut tree.
It has no bugs on it.
But there are bugs all around it. Why?
And without pesticides? Why?
It's so soft...
The other crops do fine so why not apples?
In that wilderness full of weeds, with no pesticides or fertilizers...
the taros grew this big.
This is it.
This is it!
Honey!
Mieko!
I found it! I found it!
The trees in the mountains and forests have no need for pesticides.
Why? Why didn't you tell me?!
Why couldn't you have told me earlier?
Mieko.
Will you let me try one last time?
Read this.
"My Father"
"My father grows apples."
But I've never eaten an apple.
I've never even bitten into one.
That's because my father's trees have bugs instead of apples.
But my father never gives up.
So that's why, one day, I'd like to eat his apples.
I want to eat one with Grandpa, Dad, Mom, Saki and Natsuko.
Hinako...
You're idiots... both father and daughter.
Is it okay if I give it another shot?
As long as you smile.
It's what sets us apart from animals, right?
It's what we need, isn't it?
Yeah.
You're right.
Yes!
It's the soil that's different.
In the mountains, fallen leaves and dead plants accumulate.
They're broken down by bugs and micro-organisms and returned to the soil.
The tree roots grow and break up the soil.
Just like your vegetable patch, Mieko.
We didn't weed the patch, and the soil is healthier.
All along, I thought weeds were the enemy.
It turns out that pulling the weeds was the mistake.
I've always hated waste
but I was letting valuable resources go to waste.
I was completely blind.
Apple trees don't live in isolation.
They thrive in surrounding nature.
Like humans.
Hinako.
It's quite the research material.
Use it well.
Hinako.
Saki.
Natsuko.
Let's do this.
I'm going to try again.
We'll do it together.
Idiot.
And so...
the next spring, we embarked on a brand new year.
~ Ninth Year of Organic Farming ~
To reproduce the mountain soil...
we stopped weeding the orchard and sowed soybeans instead.
Sure enough, turtle doves flocked here and made nests, turning the orchard into a haven for doves.
What in the world?
Growing beans not apples now?
Welcome!
- What are you doing here? - This way, please.
This is pathetic. Have you no pride?
I tossed that into the garbage.
At first I thought part-time work would be embarrassing
where I run into people I know
- but I realized I'm not alone. - Huh?
Even superheroes have loved ones. That's their motivation to fight evil.
Here's a hot towel for you...
Here...
Soon the soybeans grew waist-high
and the orchard became more like a jungle.
What are you looking at?
Your drawing made me realize something.
Ladybirds lay their eggs next to the pests' eggs.
When the pests hatch, the ladybirds eat them.
What does it mean?
It means not all insects are harmful. Right?
Wait, Kimura.
What are you up to now?
Yes?
We've put up with your shenanigans for years, but no more.
With those overgrown weeds, your bugs will fly to our side.
Clear it. Clear it right away.
See, look at those moths.
Their larvae eat up our leaves.
Dad.
Not so. The moths are flying from our orchard into his.
Our orchard isn't the source of insects.
It's where they congregate.
It's their safe house.
It makes sense. If you're an insect...
you'd prefer Kimura's pesticide free orchard.
Shut up.
Here, have this... It tastes amazing.
- The insects all went to Kimura's orchards? - Kawase saw it...
and cut down his trees bordering their orchards!
It's so his pesticide spraying won't affect Kimura's trees.
Their daikon radishes are huge.
Their tomatoes are really sweet, so big and bright red.
Sorry, it's all I have right now.
Pay us another day.
My conscience can't accept the interest.
Your youngest will go to school soon. Buy her a school bag.
I also noticed people were treating us differently.
So you're paying Kimura's 14 months of unpaid electric bills?
Yes.
Natsuko, put away your school bag when we eat.
Truly, the kindness of people knows no bounds.
Mom!
That winter, my father was hospitalized.
Dad, aren't you bored here? I'll bring a shogi board next time.
It's a while since we played.
This is from Mieko.
It's hand-knitted. See, just like mine.
Why, thank you, kind sir.
He went in for pneumonia but he also suffered dementia.
~ Tenth Year of Organic Farming ~
Dad!
What is it?
Go get Kimura.
Kimura!
How can't he be here for this?
Mr. Kimura! Where is he?
Mr. Kimura!
Morning, Motchan! Mieko will help in your orchard today.
Thanks for everything.
- Have you been to the orchard? - Whose?
- Your own apple orchard. - Not in four or five days.
- Take this and go. - What? Where to?
Your orchard, of course! Hurry and go! You too, Mieko.
Honey?
Mieko, I can't...
I can't...
What is it?
Mieko.
What is it?
White flowers...
But, Mieko, is that even our orchard?
Isn't that our neighbour's? No?
They've blossomed.
Mieko, they've blossomed.
The apple trees...blossomed!
You did it.
Thank you.
Here.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much.
I'm sorry for all the trouble.
Thank you so much!
Mom.
Dad.
Brother.
Why are you...?
Years ago, your father-in-law came to us
and said he wanted us to see these trees when they blossomed.
They're beautiful.
The failures you went through make them more beautiful.
These are your flowers. You earned them.
Mom...
Thank you so much!
Daddy!
- What is it? - Why are there no flowers here?
I didn't talk to these trees.
Why not?
I was embarrassed to be seen talking to them.
I guess they sensed it.
Just like children.
You must give them your love and attention.
And then...
the long-awaited autumn came...
and finally there were apples...
They were pathetically tiny but seemed gigantic to us.
Delicious!
The best apples I've ever had!
Yeah? Really?
You have to eat it, Dad.
Yeah, we made these apples together.
You have to eat them!
Okay then.
Holy moly!
It's amazing.
It's delicious.
He died in his sleep.
We'll wash his body now.
Gosh, I can't get it loose.
What? Let me do it.
This is weird... He's awfully stiff.
Please just leave it.
Let him keep it, please.
- Please. - All right.
This has never happened before.
I guess he really liked apples.
~ Eleventh Year of Organic Farming ~
- These apples are yours? - I'm sorry.
The train station isn't your personal post box, okay?
[Kimura Akinori c/o Ueno Station]
I'm from Aomori...
From the universe's perspective, people are like tiny ants.
Organic?
And yet ants continue to walk the earth...
Sweet apples for sale!
...with the one asset they have.
Sweet apples for sale!
"Dear Kimura Akinori, I bought your apples in Tokyo."
And that one asset...
"They were the best apples I've ever eaten."
"I would like to order a whole box."
...is hope.
Honestly...
Honestly, I wavered many times.
But still...
thank you for our eleven years together.
I treasure every day with all my heart.
Say, Mieko...
Yes?
I realized something.
Commit to one thing...
and the answer will come one day.
That's the truth.
You're really an idiot.
Were you trying to sound all profound?
No good? ...Was that no good?
No good, huh?
We're home!
Welcome home!