Stories about people, stories about life.

Hometown Stories.

The Shimokita Peninsula is the northernmost point of Japan's main island.

Here, a remote elementary school reopened after a four-year hiatus,

for just one family that moved back to their hometown.

My name is Sakai Kotaro
and I'm in third grade.

I'm Sakai Sena.
Nice to meet you.

Separated from their friends, these two siblings are the only students in the school.

I'm so bored.

I don't know what to do.

Their parents are feeling pangs of guilt.

The community is doing
so much for our family.

It's hard to ask for help since
our kids are the only ones here.

I'm exhausted.

Life in a depopulated settlement has its share of problems.

For this family, it's a process of trial and error.

I'm worried about everything to be honest,

but I know my kids will lose spirit
if they see me down.

I'll do my best to get over it.

This story depicts six months in the life of a family in a small community with few other children.

Sai-mura is a cluster of small fishing communities along the Tsugaru Strait.

It's March. An elementary school in the heart of the village is holding a farewell party.

We've all written
farewell messages for you.

Take a look.

Thank you.

I've made so many special memories here.
Thank you.

Fourth-grader Sakai Sena is transferring to another school.

As is her younger brother, second-grader Kotaro.

I'll come back and visit once in a while,

so please hang out
with me when I do.

I love you all.

The siblings are going to move to their father's hometown.

The school there is currently shuttered.

Good luck Kotaro.

I'm sad to be moving away
from my friends,

I'll try to enjoy my new school.

I'm excited to live with
my grandma and grandpa.

Let's dig in.

Nice job on your test today.

This is their father, Sakai Takehito.

He's been commuting two hours every day round trip to his parents' home.

We caught lots of cod this year.

Best catch in my 20 years of fishing.

He leaves his house at 4 AM and fishes alongside his relatives.

Mao is a homemaker.

They decided to move to Takehito's hometown so that she could help care for his aging parents.

My kids would have preferred to stay here.

But we want to support my in-laws
and be close in case anything happens.

We want our entire family to be together.

As part of Takehito's family,
I should help out as much as possible.

Here we go.

We'll meet again.

Bye.

Takehito's hometown, Ushitaki, is about an hour's drive from the village center.

This fishing settlement was once home to 300 people.

Now it has dwindled to a mere 92 residents.

The community once gathered at the local elementary school for sporting events, school festivals, and other activities.

Its last student graduated four years ago.

The school then closed down when the Sakai family moved away and there were no children left to teach.

It was hard for Takehito to send his kids to a school with no other students.

But he was driven by his strong attachment to the place where he grew up.

I felt like I had somehow
betrayed my hometown.

I thought about it a lot
the past four years.

But during that time, I heard about
locals getting married and having kids.

So I wanted to try bringing
this settlement back to life.

Having a school would make it easier

for younger people to live here.

The siblings will start attending their new school today.

We haven't eaten with
Dad for so long.

- It's been a month, right?
- More like a year.

Returning to Ushitaki has given the family more time together.

Good luck.

Be sure to greet everyone.

Follow your sister's lead.

I'm so worried,

but today won't be too long and
I hope they enjoy their first day.

Let's begin the opening ceremony

for the 2023 school year.

These two students will spend their days with the four new teachers.

- Are you nervous?
- Yes, I am.

One of the benefits of a small school is that all their lessons are tailored to their needs.

They're going around the community to see people doing all kinds of work.

Hello.

Is it OK that my hands are cold?

No problem.

Today, an instructor will show them what nurses do for a living.

- Did you get a good look?
- I did.

Now that kids have returned to the school,

things seem to be getting back to normal.

Thank you.

That made me so happy.
I haven't spoken to children in so long.

It's nice to see them around.

They're the gems of this region.

On the weekend, the kids help out with their family's fishing business for the first time.

Something's in its mouth.

It's fun to help out.

It's pork soup.

The entire family spends its days looking out for one other.

Eat so you'll get strong.

As the kids adapt to their new life, a few things have been weighing on Mao's mind.

It doesn't look like a school
with all these weeds.

I wouldn't want my school to
be so unkempt and overgrown.

I feel bad for the kids.

During the time the school was closed, the weeds began to take over.

To ensure her kids enjoy their new school life,

Mao has been tending to the school grounds in her free time.

A neighbor came to see the newly reopened school.

After seeing Mao hard at work, she decided to lend a hand.

We did it.
We can finally see the soil.

Although she was happy to see the flower beds cleared, Mao was still harboring a mix of emotions.

I feel bad that others are doing
so much for our family.

We'll be depending on help from
neighbors for a lot of things.

It's hard to ask for help since
our kids are the only ones benefitting.

I'm wondering how to
approach this situation.

On this day, they are discussing how the school will be run.

Takehito is the PTA chair.

Lots of decisions still need to be made about the school.

Joining the discussions will be the community representative,

who's been a bridge between the school and local authorities for many years.

I'm sure the teachers are very busy.
We'd like to set up the sports field.

We talked about doing
that in our free time.

The field is not fit for sports, so Takehito and Mao were planning to spruce it up.

We wanted to get rid of the weeds and
bring in court rollers in our spare time.

Let us know if it's too much
for you two to handle.

We have to ask for help.

You don't need to bear
all of the burden.

This concerns all of us.
We want to lend a hand.

I'm tearing up.

No need to deal with this on your own.
Just ask us when you need help.

We'll do whatever we can for you.

Hello.

Reviving the neglected local park and school flower beds will be a big job.

You've been working on it?
Thank you so much.

Over ten community members gathered to help improve the school environment.

Hold this part.

As they plant the flowers, the children are also learning.

Very nice.

Looks beautiful.
So glad.

The local fire brigade is helping clear the field.

Give us a hand.
Not enough people.

We're all close.

It's about friendship,
not PTA obligations.

It's great that the entire community
is coming together to do this.

This is what we call a warm community.

Now you can play sports here.

Initially, we were carrying
the load on our own.

But now it feels lighter since
we've been getting so much help.

I need to open up my heart even more.

Thanks to the entire Ushitaki community, the school is looking more like its old self.

One month has passed since the family moved to Ushitaki.

While the kids were initially having fun, something seems to have changed.

How do I say this...

When I want to do something,
my brother wants to do something else.

- When she's studying...
- You interrupt me.

We share a room, but she says
she wants to be alone when I'm resting.

Really? I had no idea.

They used to be all smiles
on their way to school,

but recently they've been
wanting to see their old friends.

They've also been saying
how bored they are.

I knew this was bound
to happen and it has.

I knew they'd get frustrated,
but not this quickly.

Although they are the only two students in the school, they want to do different things.

They were starting to feel sad about not having friends around.

Name a Czech food.

I'm heading to the swings.

Svickova.

You're not playing with your brother?

No, we always end up fighting.

I'm so bored.

Don't know what to do.

A joint sports event is being held on this day.

The kids will get a chance to see friends from their former school for the first time since they moved.

How're you feeling?

It's a big day so I'm nervous,

but I'm also looking forward to it.

What's your main goal today?

To do my best in relay.
I always lose.

They arrive at Sai Junior High School, in the village center.

The children are finally reunited with their old friends.

Sena is excited to see her friends after a month apart.

But Kotaro seems nervous.

He's finding it hard to fit in after so much time away.

Once the games begin, a smile returns to his face.

Ready?

It's time for the relay race, an event he's always lost.

Teamwork is of the essence.

Go, Kotaro.

Run, Kotaro.

"The white team is leading."

"The white team wins first place."

Good job. Why're you crying?

You're sad because you didn't win?

But you came in first in the other race.

It's okay, it's okay.

For Kotaro, this was an opportunity to bond once again with the friends he left behind.

I think he wanted to win
as part of a team.

His feelings for his friends
are stronger now that they're apart.

When the day's over, he'll be sad
to be away from them again.

As his parents, we have to take steps
to make sure he doesn't feel lonely.

Takehito came up with an idea to make sure his children don't feel too alone.

I'm eager to see
how many people show up.

On this day, the children are slated to take part in club activities.

Takehito has invited some young neighbors to join in.

We'll be kicking off our club activity.

Today's game is dodgeball.

Have fun and don't get hurt.

I chose dodgeball because
it's one of my favorite sports.

Usually, the siblings have just one teacher to play dodgeball with.

But this session is packed with neighbors.

A cheerful chorus of voices has returned to Ushitaki.

When we were kids,
we'd play with our neighbors too.

I think it's great to come together
and enliven the community.

I feel rejuvenated, like I'm young again.

Though I'm not that old.

They made time to come play here.

It shows how kind and warm they are.

That's the warmth of our hometown
I also felt when I was young.

I want my children to remember
that feeling and carry it with them.

Their new lives in Ushitaki have just begun.

But with no high school nearby, the kids will be moving again in just a few years.

Sena dreams of becoming a pharmacist.

She is planning to attend a school that's four hours away.

Kotaro's many ambitions include becoming a carpenter or a fisher.

He will also move away for high school.

But for now, these kids are finding more and more things to love about their home.

I love the sea views.

But there's so much garbage in the sea.

I said views.

I like the distant part of the sea.

At sunset.

I hope they cherish the warmth of family
and this community even when they grow up.

There's not much here,

but I want them to return
to see all of us here.

That's the kind of place
I want it to be for them.

It's fine if they move away,

as long as they're happy and independent.

They'll always have allies here
if they ever have difficulties.

I want Ushitaki to be

a place of comfort for my kids.

In a small and secluded community, a family is making everlasting memories.