What if one day, your homeland suddenly became a war zone...?

Last year, Daryna decided to take refuge in Japan from her country, Ukraine.

Missiles, explosions...
things were so tense.

My everyday life suddenly fell apart.

She hurriedly packed all that she could into one backpack.

In it, she put a certain item.

It's a bottle of perfume.

It's not that expensive,

but I feel so peaceful when I put it on.

Many people were forced to evacuate war-torn Ukraine.

In the limited time they had, each of them hastily chose to bring something important with them.

This is the key to the dormitory
in Ukraine where I lived for a year.

I wanted to have something
to remember it by.

This is my grandfather's shirt,
which was handmade by his aunt.

It's part of the history of Ukraine
as well as my family.

A ball made of a beloved cat's hair.

Earphones given to her by a brother who went to war.

Each item has been imbued with its own set of memories, its own life events.

We'll hear from each of the owners, to find out the precious stories from Ukraine each item has to tell.

"Perfume
Daryna, 23 years old"

When I evacuated, the train was
very crowded with so many people.

So I could bring only one bag.

Daryna lived in the city of Dnipro.

With the danger of air strikes looming, she evacuated alone, separated from her family.

She only had an hour to get ready.

After placing her computer, clothes and other essentials in her bag,

she packed this green tea perfume into the space that remained.

My grandmother gave it to me
on my 12th birthday.

It was the first perfume in my life.

I was so happy.

It made me feel more mature,

to have a fragrance like my mother,
or like my grandmother.

It is the same perfume used by her grandmother and mother, which she has worn since her teens.

To Daryna, it is the fragrance of her family.

The first thing I think of is,

hugging my grandmother and my mother.

I feel so peaceful when I put it on.

Daryna now attends university in Sendai city, and commutes from the dormitory every day.

My life is fairly simple.

But Sendai is a lot like Dnipro,
the city I used to live in.

It's a green city.

Sometimes difficulties arise, such as
in my studies or my research.

When this happens, I put on
my perfume, and tell myself,

"Daryna, get it together. Pay attention!
Concentrate!"

Then, I feel I can do anything.

Kris also evacuated from Dnipro.

She, too, brought something special with her...

"Key
Kris, 19 years old"

This is the key to the student dormitory
in Ukraine.

I lived there for a year.

The last time I used this...

was on February 24, 2022.

I had no way of knowing what to do,
and what would happen next...

and didn't know what to take with me.

Kris evacuated on the first day of Russia‘s military invasion.

Even though she has no current use for it, she keeps the key with her.

I thought this key would be
a comfort to me.

Even though I can‘t use it,

I wanted something to remind me
of my earlier life.

It was my first time living alone...
without parents, siblings, or relatives.

Here is the dorm.

There were 500-600 people
living there, I think.

My room was on the top floor.

There was no elevator, so I had to
climb the stairs.

The dorm was in an old building where the doors were sometimes broken, and the water sometimes leaked.

Cockroaches were everywhere.
In my room, the kitchen, the shower.

The girls next door tried to kill them
with a strong insecticide.

But it was all to no avail,
because they came back.

We finally gave up, made our peace,
and decided to live in harmony.

We played games, watched movies...

ordered pizza and did homework together.

She says that she would often cook with her friends.

This is a dish they used to prepare to save money ー potatoes mixed with eggs and flour.

We used to make at least three,
or four times this amount.

We'd make a lot of it instead of popcorn,
and eat it when we watched movies.

I'm worried about what will happen...

to the dormitories, my room,
my university.

Even if there is nothing left, I want to
keep this key, and hope to return some day.

It was an old, run-down dormitory,
but I hope to live there once again.

"Vyshyvanka
Dima, 25 years old"

I took this vyshyvanka with me
when I evacuated.

I didn't want anything to happen to it.

It's part of the history of Ukraine
as well as my family.

When he evacuated, Dima made sure to include this shirt in his luggage.

It was worn by his grandfather, who died before he was born.

The vyshyvanka is the traditional embroidered folk costume of Ukraine.

For people of Dima's generation, it is not something that is worn casually, but an important part of their national identity.

Do you think women are more attractive
when they wear a vyshyvanka?

Of course! For sure.

This map shows that the patterns
and coloring of the vyshyvanka...

are different from region to region.

The embroidery patterns have meanings.

My grandpa's has the simple pattern of
eastern Ukraine, where he was from.

It is a common vyshyvanka
for middleclass people.

His grandfather wore it more than 70 years ago.

Dima inherited it from his grandmother.

From what I heard, most of these stains
came from food at family reunions.

My grandmother told me about an incident
during his friend's wedding.

It was late at night, and everyone
was dancing and having fun.

A man carrying food walked by
and bumped into my grandfather.

These stains are a reflection of
my grandfather's history.

At the time, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union.

Though the garment represented part of his identity, Dima's grandfather only put it on in front of relatives.

Dima says people began to wear it freely after Ukraine became independent.

This is Independence Square.
We celebrate "Vyshyvanka Day" there.

Ukrainians finally gained independence,
and could revive our traditional culture.

History may repeat itself.

That is why we must protect
our cultural heritage.

This is what the vyshyvanka
looks like when I wear it.

I feel like I'm reunited with my history
and my ancestors.

It makes me feel four times
more Ukrainian.

My grandfather would have
probably felt the same.

Some have lived through turbulent times only to be displaced later in life.

This is 87-year-old Lidiya.

My mother is very strong, resilient woman.

She's overcome many difficulties
along the way.

"Accessories
Lidiya, 87 years old"

Walk slowly. Please sit down.

I brought these earrings
and one ring, that's all.

I had a lot of accessories at home
and wore different ones every day.

She loves fashion and has always worn accessories.

But when the time came to evacuate, Lidiya couldn't make up her mind about what to bring with her.

She left countless necklaces, earrings and rings behind in Ukraine - all of them given to her by her late husband.

Each contains memories of him.

My husband was very handsome.

Everyone was jealous.

I may not be as beautiful as him.

It was my 30th birthday.

My husband bought me
a necklace from Kyiv.

A very beautiful one with three rows.

When my daughter Iryna
was in kindergarten,

she and her friend broke that necklace.

I said, "What have you done?"

Part of it is still at our home.

It is a very beautiful Czech necklace.

Father was in great shape, and always
wore the latest fashion.

Many women found him attractive.

Maybe mother dressed so well, so father
wouldn't be interested in other women.

- Now, I'm upset...
- Why?

Because I remember your father...

So many treasured keepsakes left behind...

so many treasured memories.

My mother longs to go home.

It's a sad story.

But a place has been prepared for her,
next to my father's grave.

My mother says she wants to be with
her husband when the time comes.

Oleksiy brought from Ukraine an item that inspired him on his own personal journey.

I started studying Japanese
using this notebook.

I still can't believe that I was able
to bring it with me to Japan.

"Notebook　
Oleksiy, 22 years old"

When I was still in high school,
my mother made me a challenge.

She said to start studying Japanese,
any way that I wanted.

She promised to buy me a new smartphone,

if I could continue studying
for a certain period of time.

Because of that challenge, I fell in love
with Japanese language.

I started by learning
five kanji characters every night.

Once I got used to it,
I increased it to ten.

Eventually, I learned 500 characters.

From this single notebook, Oleksiy's interest in Japan deepened.

While in Ukraine, he studied the Japanese economy.

The war started just before he graduated from university.

My hometown was almost destroyed,
including the school I went to as a child.

Missiles also hit my home.
It caught fire and burned to the ground.

Now it is just a pile of bricks.

Oleksiy searched for a way to leave Ukraine, in order to continue his studies.

However, strict restrictions were placed on men leaving the country during a time of war.

I had to work hard to be allowed
to leave the country.

I went to the conscription office
many times for interviews.

I had to show my study permit
and prove my documents weren't fake.

In March of 2023, after a year of trying, he finally was allowed to leave the country to study abroad.

My notebook is a symbol of my first step
when I began studying Japanese.

It has led me to Japan little by little.

If I continue trying my best
in studies and in work,

I believe this notebook will continue
to lead me to my goals.

It's still a long way off,

but through my own effort,
I want to create a new life in Japan.

I want to find a job, buy a house,
raise a family and lead a normal life.

Hello.

"Her favorite room
Armina, 22 years old"

This is my room.

When she evacuated, Armina packed two suitcases to the brim with her most precious possessions.

I chose all sorts of precious things,
little things that reminded me of home.

I felt like I was trying to
bring my home with me.

This is Armina's former room.

She decorated her floral walls with posters, photos and notes, and spent time surrounded by her favorite things.

She's trying to recreate that atmosphere in Japan.

I've put my precious photos on the fridge.

This is my dog. Misha.

This is me, my mother and my brother
at a restaurant on my mother‘s birthday.

This is my motto that I brought with me
from Ukraine.

"While you waste your time,
your family is working. Take action."

This is my dad's waistcoat.
It is far too big for me, but I wear it.

My father weighed 100 kg,
so it is XXXL.

She also has a stuffed animal that she got in Moscow, Russia, when she was little.

I always carried it with me
when I travelled.

When the head came off,
my mom put it back on.

I don't want to let go of
important things. I just can't.

Armina says she actually wanted to bring four suitcases.

Still, it's safe to say that not all important things in life can fit into one's luggage.

I bought the decorations online.

She hopes to keep her new room full of her favorite things, to make up for everything she was forced to leave behind.

I often invite over my Ukrainian friends

We drink tea together in hard times
and happy times.

It's like our "therapy room".

I can smell my perfume. Can you smell it?

I forgot to add salt!
But it tastes good.