A Ukrainian Boy's Martial Art Journey

Where We Call Home.

Surrounded by mountains over 2,000 meters high is the town of Takamori in Nagano Prefecture.

And here, diligently training in martial arts...

...is 13-year-old Artem Tsymbaliuk from Ukraine.

He was among four families that came to seek shelter from the war in their homeland.

The children all practice the same martial art style, the head "dojo" of which welcomed them to Japan.

I love training.
It gives me energy.

Artem wants to show he can be strong for his father who's fighting for their country.

He's going to take part in his first tournament in Japan.

Go, Artem!

A budding martial artist who fled the war with his mother.

Here's the story of Artem.

Takamori has a population of 13,000.

Abundant water resources have contributed to local agriculture.

This April, young Ukrainian martial art students and their families came here to seek refuge.

The oldest among them is Artem Tsymbaliuk.

I'm not used to living here yet,
but I'm excited to be here.

Today, he and his friends are heading to the dojo for the first time.

A local man offers some directions.

Go straight there.
That way you won't need to cross.

Follow her. She'll show you the way.

It's safer.
There's too much traffic the other way.

Stay safe.

The town residents take good care of the young newcomers from afar.

They finally reach the "Zendokai Karate dojo."

Founded in 1999, Zendokai Karate incorporates elements from various martial arts in a combination of strikes, throws, and ground techniques.

Artem has been practicing Zendokai for five years.

Mainly due to the war, he hasn't trained in four months.

Today, he and his fellow Ukrainians meet the Japanese students for the first time.

Students come to greet their new dojo-mates, but the language barrier makes it impossible to start a conversation.

For the Ukrainian boys who wish to make friends, this is frustrating.

The training wasn't very hard.
It was fun.

I want to study so I can speak Japanese.

The Ukrainian students were welcomed to Japan by Ozawa Takashi, the chairman of Zendokai Karate.

Ozawa once visited and taught at the school's Ukrainian chapter, which counts some 10,000 students.

With the Russian invasion, he feared for their lives and immediately decided to invite some of them to Japan.

I knew I had to do whatever I could.

Ukraine is such a beautiful country,
and the kids are adorable.

When I realized that the children's
lives could be in danger...

I just had to do something.

Olena Volosenko is Artem's mother.

Four Ukrainian families - a total of nine people - have come to Takamori.

They were put up in vacant apartments managed by the local government.

For the time being, their living expenses are covered by donations from the dojo and the town of Takamori.

A local farmer drops by Olena's apartment.

- Hi!
- I've brought you some vegetables.

They look delicious!

Thank you so much!

It's a huge help.

It's almost as if they understand each other.

Olena uses the vegetables to cook a typical Ukrainian dish.

Borscht is very nutritious.

Simmered with plenty of vegetables, his mother's borscht is Artem's favorite.

Olena divorced her husband in 2019, and has been raising her son alone ever since.

Artem was born and grew up in the city of Vinnytsia, about 200 kilometers west of Kyiv.

He's always been rather quiet and bashful.

Impressed by a Zendokai Karate demonstration he saw, he joined a dojo when he was eight.

I love training.
I want to learn all kinds of techniques...

like throws and strangleholds.

I want to be strong and brave.

Artem attended all three weekly training sessions without fail, and ranked highly in local tournaments.

But when Russia invaded Ukraine this February, his life completely changed.

Bombs began to fall...

I wondered where to go to stay safe.

We hid in a room at night.

To keep any light from getting through,
we covered the windows...

with black sheets.

She then heard that Ozawa wanted to invite Ukrainian Zendokai students over to Japan.

At first, we considered fleeing
to a nearby country...

because we have relatives there.

But Artem had been passionately
practicing Zendokai for years.

He was really interested
in coming to Japan to learn.

As the fighting continued to grow in intensity, Olena decided to leave Ukraine.

But their arrival in faraway Japan brought a whole different set of worries.

When we passed the gate,
I didn't recognize anyone.

But when I saw Mr. Ozawa in a "gi,"
I knew he'd come to meet us.

I felt, 'Dear God, we finally made it!' I was moved by his warm welcome.
I get teary-eyed just thinking about it.

One month has passed since they arrived.

Little by little, they're getting used to their new life.

Artem and his friends no longer get lost on the way to the dojo.

Today, Ozawa makes an announcement that comes as a surprise to the Ukrainian boys.

On the 19th, there will be a
prefectural tournament.

It's a step toward your black belt.
Do your best.

Ozawa explains there's another purpose to the tournament.

At tournaments, opponents become friends.

At international events,
there's an awkwardness between the kids.

But after the matches they become friends.

This'll be a great chance to make friends.

Artem's first tournament in Japan.

He's eager to tell the news to someone in particular.

Dad's online.

He liked my photo.

He says, 'I love you.' For Vasilii - Artem's father who remains in Ukraine - news of his son is what he cherishes the most.

He's fighting in the war.

Vasilii enlisted to defend his country.

Sometimes without news of him for days on end, Artem worries for his father.

Back in Ukraine, Vasilii went to encourage his son at every tournament.

He's worked for a security firm for many years.

He enrolled to fight the Russian invasion this March.

Artem sends him a video message.

I'm going to take part
in a tournament in Japan soon!

I want to win and enjoy
how great it feels.

I want to try lots of new experiences.

Ten days before the tournament.

Ozawa points out to Artem that he has a tendency to flinch and recoil from strikes.

The matches are very short.
Move forward and throw many straights.

Don't pull back.

Ozawa explains that making use of his long reach and moving in on his opponent would help lead Artem to victory.

Sunday - no training at the dojo today.

Olena and her fellow Ukrainians are holding a banquet for the members of Zendokai Karate and town officials.

They worked hard to prepare a total of eighteen authentic Ukrainian dishes.

We really hope you'll like it.

This is the Japanese guests' first taste of Ukrainian cooking.

It's good!

To thank the hosts, Ozawa has some presents for his Ukrainian students.

Protective gear for the competition.

Thank you.

What a nice present. I'm really happy.

Let's do our best.

With that tournament,
I want to gain experience.

The day has come.

Taking part are a total of around 120 students from all around Nagano Prefecture and the surrounding region.

Artem wants to win for his father.

The time for his first match approaches; he becomes nervous.

Contestants wear protective gear and use direct strikes.

They're separated according to age and experience level.

Artem is in the Junior-high school boys beginner category.

Ozawa reminds him not to hesitate to move forward.

Daddy and your teacher in Ukraine
are rooting for you.

Focus!
And don't worry!

On the red side,
Artem Tsymbaliuk from Ukraine.

His opponent is a year older than him.

Victory is determined by scoring points.

Get ready.

Start!

The match is two minutes.

Artem falls into his habit of recoiling.

Go in and punch!

He then switches gears and becomes more aggressive.

Go for it!

Thirty seconds left... and then...

Finding an opening, he landed a punch.

Artem wins five to three.

It was a tough match.

The three other Ukrainian boys are in the elementary school category.

They gave it all they got, but unfortunately lost.

Next is Artem.

This one will determine the champion.

On the red side,
Artem Tsymbaliuk from Ukraine.

His opponent is a third-year junior high-schooler with a mighty hook.

Start!

Artem goes in from the start.

His opponent strikes back, turning the match into a seesaw fight.

3 to 3, draw!

The match goes into overtime.

Go, Artem!

The first one to score wins the fight.

Mustering all his strength, Artem moves forward.

And then...

Not flinching under his opponent's attack, he threw his signature upper strike.

Red wins by a full point!

Artem won his first tournament in Japan.

My opponent was strong.

I thought I'd lose, but when
it was a draw, I knew what to do.

I went all in.

The winner, Artem Tsymbaliuk!

A gold medal he dedicates to his father back home.

Right away, he sends him a video of his winning match.

I sent, 'I won, Dad!' I'm sure he'll tell all his friends.

A week later.

He received a long-awaited message.

He wrote, 'I'm so proud of you, Artem.' 'I can't wait to see you.
I love you, my son,' he says.

He says he often looks at my photo
and always thinks about me.

Fleeing the war, mother and son found a new home in Takamori.

Today, they visit a local temple.

Praying for peace to return to their homeland, and for Artem's father's safety, they continue to move forward.

Hi, I'm Yip Xue Qian.
I work in marketing for a snack maker.

There's never a single right answer
in marketing. That's the best part.

Seeing children smile
makes me happy.

Osaka.

'Eat till you drop' is a common saying
in Osaka, city of culinary culture.

Yip works for a world-famous
manufacturer of snack foods.

9:00 a.m.
arriving at work.

The only non-Japanese in marketing,
Yip is proactive in meetings.

Customers want it to be easy to open.

It's hard to open?

Yes.

That's better.

We can promote this way
of opening the package.

Marketing involves market research
and analysis, as well as adjustments...

in packaging and recipes.

Brands are like our children.

Yip samples products to improve them,
which helps with marketing.

He tries three different quantities
of cream filling for a product.

I don't just check the taste, but also
things like smell and appearance.

The moment I bite, then while I chew,
then the aftertaste after I swallow...

I check many aspects.

For no.1, the cream
has a nice and strong presence.

But while I chew,
I lose the biscuit's flavor.

No.2 has the most balanced
melt-in-the-mouth feeling.

We adjusted the recipe, the amount of cream...

and improved the texture of the biscuit.

We worked to make it
both tasty and healthy.

Yip went to China to study
food manufacturing in university.

He then was hired by his current employer,
moved to Osaka and studied Japanese.

I hit the language barrier at first.

I felt depressed and lost confidence.

There were times like that.

But little by little, I got familiar
with my team's members.

When we launch a product,
it feels so rewarding.

My supervisor, Taniguchi-san.

Hi, I'm Taniguchi.

He's so kind.
He's really close to everyone in the team.

He always eases the mood...

I often get angry, but afterward I say,
'I'm not angry!' I try to patch things up.

He's the one who comes up
with the most ideas.

He teaches me a lot about his experience...

and his philosophy on marketing.
I'm so thankful.

It's true!

One time, we thought we were done
working on a promotional product.

But Yip kept working to the last minute.

He wanted to find...

words that got through to customers.
I was impressed.

I have to rely more on my teammates
as I move forward.

That's what I have to particularly
pay more attention to.

Yip makes use of his language skills
to promote products overseas.

If you need any other info, I'll ask
the Japanese team and let you know.

I'm in charge of supporting communication
between Japan and overseas.

A brand I'm in charge of
was just launched in China.

I hope we can also release it
in many other countries.

My treasures are postcards
I send to my family.

I love to travel, so when I get
some time off, I go on a trip.

I want to share with my family
the impressions I have...

the scenery that inspires me, etc.

Their replies with words of encouragement
are all treasures for me.

The brand I'm in charge of
is gradually being launched abroad.

It hasn't been released in Malaysia yet.

But if it eventually is,
I want to contribute to its promotion...

in my home country of Malaysia.