Martial Arts Build Unbreakable Bonds

In a small town in central Japan, Ukrainian boys practice martial arts at a "dojo."

They and their mothers came to seek refuge here this April.

With the support of the locals, they've found another place they can call home.

I feel spoiled!

But the situation in Ukraine is worsening.

Time feels so long.
It's tough here without you.

The Ukrainians' hearts waver between two countries.

We followed them over six months.

Two hundred fifty kilometers west of Tokyo, surrounded by mountains more than three thousand meters high is the town of Takamori in Nagano Prefecture.

The cultivation of fruit like apples and persimmons is the main industry of this community of 13,000.

Two months after the Russian invasion began, nine Ukrainians - children and their mothers - fled the war in their homeland and settled here.

Hello!

Rent and utilities are free.

The town provided them with fully-furnished apartments.

Fourteen-year-old Artem Tsymbaliuk came to seek refuge here with his mother.

Hello?

Olena, divorced her husband three years ago, and has been raising Artem alone ever since.

Over the past six months,
we've had a quiet life here.

We don't hear any sirens.
We can live normally.

- Thank you!
- Here, I brought some vegetables.

A farmer from the neighborhood drops by to offer some vegetables from his fields, as he's been doing every week.

Today, he brought Chinese cabbage, turnips and a rarity in Japan: beets.

- You always grew beets?
- No.

I heard Ukrainians ate beets,
so I planted some.

Beets are rare in Japan.
They aren't sold at the supermarket.

But thanks to him, we can have borscht.

- She's very happy.
- Great.

I feel spoiled!

Artem, lunch.

Borscht with plenty of beets.

A little taste of Ukraine.

It's Artem's favorite.

- How is it?
- (In Japanese) Delicious!

Five p.m. - the other Ukrainian boys come knocking on Artem's door.

Let's go!

It's time to go to their martial arts practice.

The dojo is a fifteen-minute walk away.

The boys have lessons twice a week.

They enjoy them so much they haven't missed a single one since they arrived in Japan.

They learn a Japanese martial art called Zendokai Karate.

It incorporates elements from various fighting styles.

They use a combination of strikes, throws and ground techniques.

Zendokai has thirty-five branches overseas, including around ten thousand students in Ukraine.

It was the founder of Zendokai Karate, Ozawa Takashi who arranged for the Ukrainian boys and their families to come to Japan.

Three years ago, he visited Ukraine and taught at the school's chapter there.

With the Russian invasion, he feared for the students' 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.

At the end of April, Ozawa became the Ukrainian's guarantor and was able to call them over to Japan.

Four months later, Artem and the other Ukrainian boys had become close with their dojo-mates.

Miyazawa Sosuke is Artem's very first Japanese friend.

One last time.

Their age and similar stature made them ideal sparring partners.

Friendship came naturally.

Sosuke is a great fighter.

He's brave and puts a lot of heart
in his training.

I'm flattered.
I didn't know he felt like that.

At first, we didn't speak to each other.

The Ukrainians were on one side,
the Japanese on the other.

Now, we get along well.
We're all one group.

Meanwhile, the women felt they couldn't depend solely on the support of others, and so, they began to work.

Good morning!

This is a roadside rest area in a neighboring town.

- Here you are.
- Thank you!

At this food trailer, the women sell pirozhki, another quintessential Ukrainian household recipe.

Stuffed with ground meat, onions, eggs, and other ingredients - they're a nutritious on-the-go comfort food.

Based on a recipe proposed by Olena and the other Ukrainian mothers, a local bakery prepares a fresh batch every morning for them to sell.

The food trailer was provided for free by a home renovation company that used it at various events.

How about some tasty pirozhki?

Come and try pirozhki!

Good afternoon!

Selling pirozhki with them is Wachi Masahiro, a manager of the renovation company.

He's normally in charge of the firm's maintenance work department.

He admits he was quite reluctant when the company's president first asked him to help the Ukrainian women.

I wasn't too eager.

It was the language barrier.

I worried, 'How will we communicate?' But they're so hard-working.
So, I came to really want to help them.

- Two coffees.
- Thank you.

- Two coffees, two pirozhki.
- Thank you!

Now, they make a perfect team.

He's very thoughtful.
It makes work so easy.

I'm blushing.

Six months have passed since the Ukrainians arrived.

They're gradually getting accustomed to life in Japan.

Today, some local women organized an event for them to experience Japanese culture.

- Can you tie it yourself?
- It's OK. Thanks.

A quiet everyday life, away from the hardships of war.

For the Ukrainians, this is an invaluable experience.

However, their worries for the future continue to grow.

The first issue that came up was their children's school education.

Two or three years ahead,
school will be the biggest problem.

It sure will.

I know they can master Japanese
in two or three years.

But how about high school?
Will it be too far?

The other women share the same concerns.

- My son in 4th grade is lagging.
- I don't know what'll happen either.

In addition to going to Japanese school, the boys take online classes with a Ukrainian school, but the time difference makes it hard for them to attend regularly,

and so, they're having difficulty keeping up.

Olena has another issue she can't ignore.

My mother.

Her mother, Nadezhda, stayed behind in Ukraine, and lives alone.

She's in Vinnytsia, a city two hundred kilometers west of Kyiv.

It's also where Artem was born and raised.

It's now been eight months since the Russian invasion began.

In response to the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian forces, Russia has been retaliating by striking at the country's infrastructure, such as power plants.

As the cold Ukrainian winter approaches, the threat of power outages looms over the citizens.

Olena and Artem keep in touch with Nadezhda on a daily basis to make sure she's fine.

How are you?

The sirens are ringing here.

Nadezhda has difficulty walking, and couldn't follow her daughter to Japan.

She decided to stay behind.

However...

How're you doing?

My leg hurts and my blood pressure's high,
but with my medication, I'm OK.

I worry every time I hear sirens.
I can only pray my home doesn't get hit.

I miss you!

So do we.
Don't cry.

Time feels so long.
It's tough here without you.

I feel the same.
It's all because of the war.

We're getting used to Japan.
People here are so kind and supportive.

But I also want to go back to Ukraine,
and be with you, Mom.

The thought of leaving her mother alone any longer has become hard to bear.

Olena feels pressed to make a decision.

With winter coming, I'm very worried.

Shopping, shoveling snow,
hanging the laundry to dry...

My mother can't do that alone.

Everyone here is so nice to us.
They're such wonderful people.

But I also want to go back to Ukraine.

The three other families also can't hold back their worries for the loved ones they left behind.

I miss my husband.

He'd like to come and visit us
here in Japan, but he can't.

Men can't leave Ukraine.

So, I want to see him.
I miss him so much.

As a result, all four families decided to head back to Ukraine at the beginning of November.

Only two weeks remaining before their departure.

Artem and the other Ukrainian boys have only a handful of lessons left at the dojo.

To give the Ukrainian students a chance to show the progress they've made over the past six months, Ozawa decided to have them take a rank advancement test.

They'll have matches with the Japanese students in which their performance will be evaluated.

To his students who are about to return to war-struck Ukraine, Ozawa wishes to impart some important principles of martial arts.

Beyond nationality, politics
and religion, they must be...

kind, brave and considerate.

That is the core philosophy
of martial arts teaching.

I hope I can plant that seed
in their minds.

In order to move up in rank, Artem has a major obstacle to overcome.

He has the reflex of flinching back from attacks.

See, Artem?

This is no good.

He needs to overcome his fear, and muster up the courage to step in.

For him, this will be the key to pass the test.

He stays after lessons to undergo special training.

Five days left.

Come and try pirozhki!

This is the women's last day of work with Masahiro.

Having learned that Olena and the others would go back to Ukraine, many regular customers come to the shop as soon as it opens.

- Take care.
- Thank you.

- Please come back.
- Thank you.

Three hours after opening, they're down to the very last of their one hundred pirozhki.

Here you are. Thank you.

Good luck.

We loved working here.
It was such a warm atmosphere.

I'll never forget working
with such wonderful people.

I feel the same.

The language barrier
was quite big at first.

But with time, I could almost say
we understood each other without words.

I had a great time working with them.

- Thank you!
- Take care.

- Take care.
- Thank you!

Crying?

Saying goodbye is so painful!

You're crying!

You made a sixty-year-old man cry!

Please sit!

The day has come for the ranking test.

The matches will be full-contact with protective gear.

I want to do my best and pass the test.

The elementary schoolers go first.

Ready!

Begin!

The students are evaluated not by scores or victory, but by their stance, attitude and the precision of their technique.

The three boys bravely faced the challenge.

The fourth match.

On the red side,
Artem Tsymbaliuk.

On the white side...

Miyazawa Sosuke.

Artem is paired up against his friend Sosuke.

Go, Artem!

Ready!

Begin!

Sosuke is one rank higher than Artem - a tough opponent.

Artem opens with his signature jab.

Sosuke strikes back.

But today, Artem won't back down easily.

Artem! Artem!

Go!

Go, Artem!

With courage, Artem moves in.

Go, go!

Time up!

Stop!

Just as Artem was about to do a ground technique, the match is over.

Tell him that was his best performance
since he came to Japan.

Thank you.

The results are about to be announced.

Come forward if your name is called.

Artem!

A great match.
Good job.

Artem passed.

He proudly dons his new belt.

I'm so happy I passed.
This gives me strength.

All the other Ukrainian boys passed as well.

November fifth - it's time to go.

I'm sad.
My heart is breaking.

If only we could live
in both countries.

I'm going to cry.
So, I'm not wearing makeup today.

It's time for Artem to say goodbye to Takamori, the town he called home for the past six months.

It's nice here.
There's no war.

I love martial arts,
and I love everything about Japan.

But I also want to support my grandma.

It's too hard for her alone.

Martial arts have built bonds between Ukraine and Takamori.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Though far apart, they will stay close in heart and mind, and pray for peace to return as soon as possible.

Two weeks after their departure,
we received a message.

Artem!

You've grown!

They're reunited with Nadezhda.

I missed you.

And you, too!

Amid the sirens blaring through Vinnytsia,
Artem's martial art journey continues.