Stories about people, stories about life.

Hometown Stories.

This road leads to a school.

I've lived in this town all my life.
It's a great place.

The water is so clear that
you can see the fish.

I've loved watching them
since I was a kid.

Good morning.

Beyond the hilly road is the smallest high school in the region.

The Nishitosa Branch of Nakamura High School.

Only 21 students are enrolled here.

Next to the school is the Shimanto River, one of Japan's largest clear streams.

This is training ground for the school's canoe club.

I was in the music club
in middle school.

I'd never worked out or run
every day like this before.

I didn't go to class much
when I was in middle school.

You joined this club to change, right?

Some students are reflecting on their identities for the first time on the banks of this river.

Classes have ended.

The 11 members of the canoe club make their way to their usual spot.

In canoe racing, once you've reached
the starting line, you're on your own.

No one else will be in your lane
so you have to be mentally prepared.

Go forward, go forward.

Done.

Matsuura Nanako is the captain.

She was born and raised in Nishitosa.

She began canoeing in high school.

Nanako specializes in the Canadian style, in which you paddle on one knee.

Good job.

She's the only third-year student in the canoe club.

Any comments, Nanako?

Overall, or even about
your own performance.

She struggles to conduct herself like a captain.

- Lost for words?
- Can't think of anything.

Nanako has always been shy.

Instead of attending a big high school in town, she decided to go to one in the place where she grew up.

I don't like crowded places.

I doubt I'd fit in.

You have to catch up.

Kageshima Madoka has been teaching at the school for a decade.

She urged Nanako to join the canoe club.

Good, slowly, slowly.

That's right, slowly.

At first, Nanako was the club's only member.

She had rarely played sports before, and struggled to stay afloat.

But she trained hard every day according to the coach's instructions.

Although results matter,
what's key is seeing the task through.

It'll be great if canoeing
can enrich their lives.

I hope their efforts here have
a positive impact on their future.

My shoulders are wider
and I'm so muscular now.

I even have abs.

Looking good Nanako.

The members who joined after her were all younger boys.

Falling behind them during practice left Nanako feeling frustrated.

Doing better.

Am I looking down too much?

You're not doing bad on time.

I'll give you 30-second head start.
Make sure you don't get overtaken.

I didn't lose yesterday.

Ready, set, go.

Day after day, the paddle against the currents of the Shimanto River.

During her last summer in high school,

Nanako managed to clinch a spot in a national high school canoeing competition.

Now do you see the light?

My advice worked, right?

I did well today, so I have to do
even better the next few days.

I asked if it was because of my advice.

- You should say "Yes."
- Yes.

In 2023, five first-year students joined the canoe club.

One of them is Mibu Yukito.

It took him longer than his peers to get the hang of it.

Good, good.

Don't grab on to the canoe.

Impossible.

It's not.

My legs hurt.

I'm freezing.

It's more fun than video games, no?

Games are easier to win.

Yukito lives in a school dorm, away from his family.

It's not as messy as everyone said
it would be - it's relatively clean.

I think it's messy.

I didn't attend classes
much in middle school.

How do I say this...

I didn't interact with people much,

other than my family.

Yukito struggled to fit in, and he stopped going to classes just one month after starting middle school.

Whenever things get difficult, Yukito says he makes excuses and runs away.

Hoping to change all that, he decided to move away from home and join Nishitosa High School's canoe club.

Yukito will do the same training today.

You don't have to keep up.
Just do your best.

On this day, Yukito will be taking part in the training regimen for senior club members.

First round.
Ready, set, go!

Within moments, he falls behind.

He eventually stops paddling.

Good, good.

Do a big turn.

I'm scared.

You won't get better
if you keep saying that.

Just try, even if you're scared.

In the end, he decides to stop practicing for the day.

You joined this club to change, right?

And you have.

But for me, that's not enough.

I want you to go to the nationals.

It'd be great if you could.

I think you're capable.

If you're feeling frustrated about today,

you can try to overcome
your weaknesses in the next session.

- You're crying?
- Yes.

No need to cry.

Cry after you win.

Just cry after you win, OK?

- You'll work hard?
- Yes.

Good.

That was embarrassing.

I quit because I was scared.

I'm disappointed in myself for
running away from a challenge.

The canoe club has been training in these waters for four decades under the watchful eye of the local community.

Hello.

This is from the school farm.

Thank you always.

The students often drop by this restaurant after practice.

Hello.

Done with practice?

- Back at it tomorrow?
- Yes, on the river.

Tomorrow too.

In the morning?

Hard work reaps results.

Thank you.

But now, time to refuel.

Nice and hot.

Yum.

This man said you can order
whatever you want.

- Thank you.
- No need to do that.

A local has treated the students to ice cream.

I live right next to the school,
by the pool.

- Mr. Mitsuishi?
- Bull's eye!

They're still quite pure and childlike,
compared to city kids.

They've come to a place without
traffic lights or convenience stores.

What memories will they have
of these three years in high school?

I'll be so happy if decades from now
they look back fondly on these days.

Year after year, the restaurant owner has watched over the canoe club from the restaurant window.

I've seen them grow
as the seasons pass.

At the start of the semester in spring,
they'd fall and get wet.

Now they can paddle so well.

If they work hard now,
it can enrich their lives after graduation.

It's something I always tell them.

In the hope of clinching the top spot in the nationals, Nanako has been trying out a new form.

You can't make the most of the water
if you paddle like that.

It's not going in properly.

She's really struggling.

She is unable to channel her energy into the paddle.

I can't do it.

Struggling with your form?

Yeah, basically.

You're used to your previous style.

Yeah, I've always paddled like that,
so it's hard to change.

With just one month till the competition,
there are so many issues to overcome.

This training camp is taking place 10 days before the nationals.

Nanako has been training hard under the guidance of a coach who specializes in Canadian-style canoeing.

Put strength into your torso
as you paddle.

Use your core to maintain balance.

With less than two weeks to go,
she needed to practice less to recover.

But her abilities were not sufficient
to win the nationals,

so she's sacrificing rest time to train.

The training camp lasts for a week.

Nanako wants to change, even if it means pushing beyond her limits.

I've come this far

and the local community
is rooting for me.

I need to give it my all,
everything I can.

Only then can I end the match
feeling like it was fun and worth it.

The day of the National High School Canoeing Competition has arrived.

It's being held in Yamagata, more than 1,000 kilometers from their hometown.

Alongside Nanako is a friend who's been pursuing the same goal.

Sada Yuria is a third-year student from Kochi Prefecture.

She and Nanako have been friendly rivals.

I hope we make it to the finals together.

Then we can compete
against Miyazaki Prefecture.

Miyazaki vs. Kochi.

I'd love to do that.

Everyone's been saying
how much fun that would be.

I want us all to be in the finals.

- Let's give it our best.
- Yep.

It would be sad if any one of us
didn't make it.

Nanako is at the starting line.

- Good luck.
- Thanks.

- I'm off.
- All the best.

She gained confidence
at the training camp.

Maybe we'll see a miracle today.

Coming from a school with just
21 students, she's brave.

Time for the next match.

She used to be quiet and laidback.

Now I think she's developed a sense
of responsibility and gotten braver.

To make it to the finals, Nanako needs to be in the top three in this race.

Nakamura High School
Nishitosa Branch.

Matsuura Nanako.

Nanako.

Midway through the race, Nanako overtakes the canoeist next to her and finds herself just behind third place.

Nanako came out sixth.
She did not make it to the finals.

Good job there.

I think I paddled well.

- You gave it your all?
- Yes.

I'm glad to hear that.

Hey.

- I couldn't make it.
- You didn't?

But I did my best.

I was watching from behind.
Good start.

Towel? It's there.

Thanks.

It's over.

We'll shout our lungs out
cheering for you in the final.

Tell me to carry your canoe.
I'll help you.

Good morning.

Yukito had been running when things got difficult.

But he's been exercising every day, something he did not enjoy doing in the past.

Since autumn, he has also teamed up with one of his peers.

In the past, if I was behind,
I would just paddle slowly.

Now, I try to catch up,
no matter how far behind I am.

I think I've become more optimistic.

Let's work on your form.

Taro, brake.

Keep paddling.

Yukito seems stronger.

Nanako has come to see the club train for the first time in three months.

You should tell him that.

It'll make him happy.

Nanako will move away from Nishitosa once she graduates from high school.

Nanako is going to a vocational school.

Let's hear a few words from her.

Perseverance is important.

That's what I learned in the canoe club.

I've met so many people,

and even improved my communication skills.

Keep practicing hard for
the prefectural competition in May.

A thank you to Nanako.

Thank you.

These kids continue to learn valuable life lessons in the beautiful waters of the Shimanto River.