Good morning.

I make mulberry tea in Yamaho,
Ichikawamisato Town, Yamanashi Prefecture.

My name is Han Seong Min.
Nice to meet you all.

A big voice from a big body.

Han Seong Min is from South Korea.

He is cheerfully promoting his product.

Mulberry is a plant of exceptional vitality.

At this point, Seong Min has been in Japan for 8 years.

He speaks fluent Japanese and explains the selling points of mulberry leaf tea.

Mulberry tea!

Seong Min eventually begins to promote the production of mulberry leaf tea

with a university in the Philippines as part of a JICA international cooperation project.

- Very very tea!
- Very very tea!

The production of the tea has become the lifeblood of the Yamaho community.

May our smiles reach the whole country!

This is an 11-year record of a man who has devoted his life to mulberry leaves.

Spring, 2011.

The town of Ichikawamisato, south of the Kofu Basin, has a population of around 15,000.

In Yamaho, a 10-minute drive from the town center, there is a company run solely by Seong Min and his wife, Miki.

Yamaho is a depopulated community.

Like all rural areas in Japan, Yamaho has a declining birthrate and an aging population.

Mulberry fields are a symbolic landscape of Yamaho.

Seong Min buys mulberry leaves from the locals to make tea.

Most of the mulberry leaves grown in this community are used as raw materials for Seong Min's company.

The most common use of mulberry leaves is in silk farming,

formally known as sericulture, the industry that produces silk thread.

In the past, silk farming was popular in Yamanashi,

and at its peak, cocoon production here was fourth highest in Japan.

However, as demand fell over the years, Yamanashi's silk farmers switched to growing fruit.

And now the number of silk farmers is very small.

Seong Min's company only uses mulberry leaves produced in Ichikawamisato that are no longer used in silk farming.

The tea has a dark green color and a clean taste.

Seong Min is solely responsible for production and sales.

Just like people, machines can go wrong at times.

To cut costs, Seong Min repairs the machinery himself.

"What is hurting you today?"
I fix the machine while talking to it.

When my company collapses,
I will work for this machinery company.

Always cheerful and dynamic, Seong Min was born in Changwon in the south of South Korea, the fourth of five brothers.

While working in an engineering factory, he met the love of his life who was studying language in South Korea.

This was the reason he came to Japan.

I instantly knew in my heart
she was the one I should marry.

Right here.
It just came to me.

I didn't think about the obstacles
of an international marriage.

I really liked him.

I was really happy to have met him.

Miki is in charge of administration.

Sales are made by internet and telephone mail order.

It is a small company in a small community, and they do everything on their own.

Seong Min and Miki moved to Yamanashi to start the business.

Miki's father Toru is the owner of a health food company in another prefecture and was the couple's inspiration for tea-making.

Toru focused on the health benefits of mulberry leaves.

Learning of the unused mulberry leaves from a friend in Ichikawamisato, Toru decided to start making tea.

Seong Min and Miki took over the business in 2008.

Sales are growing. However, the reality is that the couple can barely get by.

It's a tough business and
we have to be diligent.

To be honest.

But it's just me and my husband,
so we manage to get by.

The house is 50 years old. The rent is 15,000 yen.

It is rented at a reasonable price to the couple who work hard.

Life may be hard, but they never forget to smile and have hope.

This is their way of life.

Seong Min is a bit nervous today.

There is the annual meeting with the growers who sell him mulberry leaves.

There are 18 growers, but they are getting very old.

The oldest is 87. The youngest is 70.

None of the farming families have a successor.

One of our growers,
Osada Hidetoshi, passed away.

I think this kind of problem will arise
more often in the future.

It would be best if your heirs could take over,
but they don't want to.

They might do it if they could make a living,
but we can't guarantee that yet.

Mulberry is in dire straits.
I can't tell my children to take over.

Seong Min shares his thoughts with growers who are expressing their concerns.

I really want to make mulberry leaf tea production
a success here in Ichikawamisato.

I believe that history will look back
at what we started here.

Dreams and reality are different.

I want you to have this passion.
I'm doing my best to sell our products.

I understand, but...

I have the passion...

We may be small now,

but we want to attract your sons and
daughters, don't we?

I want to make it a great company...

and increase the number of young people.

That's my ambition.

Thank you very much.

The desire to increase the number of young people was a pipe dream at the time.

August is the season for harvesting mulberry leaves.

It is done every day until the frost comes in October.

Mulberry maintenance begins around the spring equinox.

By pruning and fertilizing in March to encourage new buds to grow,

mulberry trees will grow to more than a man's height in just four months.

This is hard work.

It's not easy.
It's hard to cut the branches.

Harvesting long branches is hard work for older growers.

Do you look forward to it every year?

Now that I'm older, I don't look forward to it.

Is that so?

It's different from when I was young.

It gives me a sense of pride.

It's my reason for living.

Among the growers was Ozawa Yoshimi, the only silk farmer in Ichikawamisato.

Compared to the past, his cocoon production is a third of what it used to be;

he sends his surplus mulberry leaves to Seong Min.

Here in Yamaho, we don't grow
any other crops like fruits or anything else.

We have been doing nothing but silk farming.

The silk farming tradition ends with him.

I can't say, "Please take over."

No one can make a living from this work.

Silk is a precious thing,
but it is not economically viable.

It must be that the times have changed.

The flow of time cannot be changed.

But it is precisely because it is a mountain village where time passes slowly that such a nostalgic scene endures.

I'm Osada Suguru.

And this is my sister Azusa.

- That's not a net, it's a bag.
- Yes.

- Can you catch bugs with that?
- Sure.

I made it myself.

- You made it yourself?
- Yes.

- This place is full of nature.
- Yes, it's fun.

There is a man who makes tea
from mulberry leaves.

Oh, I heard of him.

Do you know his name?

- Is it Mr. Han?
- Yes, yes. It's Mr. Han.

Suguru knew Seong Min only by the name Mr. Han.

A few years later, this boy's life takes a surprising turn.

So skillful.

From August to October, the couple makes tea from early in the morning until late at night.

The mulberry leaves are harvested by the growers in the morning and made into tea on the same day.

They are steamed, rubbed, and dried.

The process is the same as for green tea.

Seong Min has special feelings for this year's new tea.

That's because he was entrusted with the farm of one of the growers,

and he started to grow mulberry trees himself in addition to making the tea.

This is Osada Hidetoshi, who used to ship the most mulberry leaves.

Mr. Osada was a silk farmer for over 50 years.

He was one of the people who welcomed and supported Seong Min.

I enjoy working all day.

I'm fortunate to be able to do this
while maintaining my health.

Five months later, Mr. Osada passed away.

It happened suddenly.

We all die, one day, somehow.

I've thought to myself,
we're all going to die eventually.

Mr. Osada had high hopes for mulberry leaf tea.

As a mulberry expert, he also gave Seong Min advice from time to time.

When Seong Min offered to take on the work of the farm,

Mrs. Osada readily agreed, and entrusted him with all the support she could.

This was the car that Mr. Osada always drove,

so whenever I'm in it, I remember him.

He was like a local father,

urging me to ask him anything
I needed to know.

He took care of me in many ways.

He was a hard-working man
who did so much for me.

Seong Min's workload is increased, but he never complains.

He is entrusted with the farm because the locals trust him.

Autumn, four years after the Han couple lived in Yamaho.

On this day, the Yamaho district and the local elementary school held a joint sports day.

Even though Seong Min and Miki are busy,

they always participate in local events and are now true members of the community.

You took a lot of time.

Yes, more than I expected.

What's wrong with you?

Yeah, I got stung by a bee and lost my bearings.

Didn't that happen last year?

No.

In November, after the tea production was finished, Seong Min visits the Osadas.

He wanted to express his gratitude for the successful harvest to Mr. Osada,

who supported mulberry leaf tea production before his death.

Seong Min starts tending the field in preparation for the next harvest.

He has decided to protect this one himself.

In many ways, I really appreciated Mr. Osada.

I think that Mr. Osada
had his own ideas and worked hard.

Therefore, I naturally wanted to take
good care of this farm.

Seong Min wrote a letter of gratitude to Mrs. Osada.

Dear Mrs. Osada,

Thanks to you, this year's
mulberry harvest was a success.

This summer, I was able to pick leaves
from the mulberry field for the first time.

While picking leaves, I thought a lot
about the late Mr. Osada.

I don't say this often,

but I want to live my life cherishing Mr. Osada.

Please listen carefully to what
we sincerely want to say, Mrs. Osada.

Thank you and please stay in good health forever.

It makes me cry.

My daughter asked,

"Is there a young person in Japan
who writes letters like this, Mother?"

So I said, "Probably not."

My daughter cried as she read it.

It made us happy.

I read it again and again, crying.

If my husband were alive,
he would have been so happy.

With the death of his benefactor, Seong Min steps forward to revitalize this Mulberry farming settlement.

There are many rough mulberry fields in Ichikawamisato.

Compared to silk cultivation, the amount of mulberry trees used for tea is still very small.

The rest have been abandoned.

- It's not just five years, right?
- It's more than 10 years now.

The causes are the same in all rural communities.

In another five years, it will be more difficult.
There are growers now over 80 years old.

People are getting older and older.
This is the biggest problem for farming villages.

Seong Min's challenge begins.

I am Han from Kuwanosato.

My name is Han Seong Min.

Pleased to meet you.

In order to revive the abandoned mulberry fields, sales must be increased.

Seong Min attended a number of trade shows in an effort

to get corporate orders in addition to individual mail orders.

And he won a big contract.

When I received a 15-ton order
from a pharmaceutical company, I was so happy.

I thought, "If we made the proper plans
and expanded this business,

we could receive many orders."

I felt it intuitively.

Seong Min's actions, which arose from his intuition, far exceeded people's expectations.

The rough mulberry fields have been cleaned up, and there are rows and rows of what look like wooden sticks.

These are mulberry seedlings.

His plan is to plant mulberry trees on the abandoned farmland in Ichikawamisato Town.

The total area is 27,000 square meters!

- How many in total?
- Twenty thousand.

I regret a little that I ordered twenty thousand.

He borrowed money to plant these mulberry trees.

It is a big venture for Seong Min.

I'm willing to bury my bones in Ichikawamisato.

I'm passionate about this, yes.

I will definitely do it no matter what.

Abandoned farmlands have been revitalized.

Residents are surprised by this landscape.

In the old days, the scenery was just like this.

There were beautiful mulberry trees everywhere.

I was surprised when I heard that
he was going to plant 20,000 seedlings.

A revitalized mulberry settlement.

The green shines.

And the performance of Seong Min and Miki's company increased dramatically.

Tea production quadrupled in three years.

In addition, the couple ran out of labor and had to create jobs locally.

The people of Yamaho are also happy to have a place to work in the community.

I really appreciate this company
for creating jobs.

Some light trucks and agricultural equipment was also purchased.

The company, once run solely by the Han couple, is now the hope of the community.

Spring, 2014.

To further increase tea production, 16,000 more seedlings are planted.

The families of the company staff lend a hand.

Among them is a familiar face.

An eighth-grader plowing with a deft hand.

And an energetic 3-year-old girl.

Azusa, here you go.

Thank you.

I got one!

Do you remember them?

I'm Osada Suguru.

And this is my sister Azusa.

Suguru is the boy who was catching insects with his sister on his back.

Suguru and Azusa are very close just like before.

They came to help with their mother, who works at Seong Min and Miki's company.

You're good.

Suguru seems very motivated.

Do you like farming?

Yes.

You seem happy. Are you?

Yes.

I'm interested in farming.

Do you want to do it in the future?

I want to.

Seong Min has high hopes for Suguru.

He's great. I'm proud of him.

I've never seen such a fine child.

Suguru gives me energy.

Five months later, Suguru who loves farming, was there for the harvest.

The mulberry trees he planted have grown to over 2 meters tall.

I'm happy.

- Are you?
- Yes.

Suguru has been helping the farm often.

As he spent time with Seong Min, a thought occurred to him.

- Will you keep helping here?
- I will.

- For many years?
- Yes.

- As long as Mr. Han is doing it?
- Well, I'm thinking of working here...

...in the future.

- Oh, really?
- Really.

Seong Min's wish to "attract young people" has been realized.

I heard it, too. So, I am very happy.

I will continue to think about what
Suguru and I can do together,

and we will run toward our dreams with joy.

Suguru went on to an agricultural high school.

He has started to make steps toward his dream.

Seong Min, too, flew overseas to pursue his new dream.

Seong Min is visiting a farmer in the Philippines.

The reason why I came here is

because I want to grow mulberry trees with you.

In order to increase farmers' income,

I am thinking of a system.

The province of Pampanga boasts vast farmlands.

This is Pampanga State Agricultural University.

There are large mulberry trees growing on a test farm here.

Mulberry tea!

In the Philippines!

Seong Min planted them with students in 2014.

Introduced to the university by a Korean friend living in the Philippines,

he began planting mulberry trees as a volunteer.

This initiative has moved the country.

Seong Min applied for a project to support developing countries through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA.

His proposal to assist the Philippines with Japanese mulberry farming methods was accepted.

He then formed a project team with his friends in Yamanashi Prefecture

to try to help Philippine farmers with Japanese agricultural technology.

I want to plant the spirit of Japan
in the Philippines.

I want to do whatever it takes to make this happen.

In 2016, the JICA project was launched to test the cultivation of Philippine mulberry,

which is suitable for the mass production of tea.

University President Honorio Soriano Jr. plants mulberry seedlings with Seong Min.

He is excited about Seong Min's passion and the benefits that mulberry will bring to Philippine farmers.

- Very good!
- Very good. Very very tea!

Very very tea!

So, mulberry will be a very important commodity.

And, the governor of the province of Pampanga is very much happy to be part of this planting of mulberry in the whole province.

It has a very high prospect.

This is the first time for the students to grow mulberry.

Seong Min teaches them how to cultivate.

Rafael's family are rice farmers.

He too is growing mulberry for the first time.

Cutting... the edge.

- Do you have a girlfriend?
- Yes.

- One hundred?
- One hundred!

University President Soriano and Seong Min formed a strong friendship.

Since this project is an international contribution, it does not benefit Seong Min's company.

I don't care that my company won't make
any money from this project.

I just want to offer my knowledge
and experience from Japan,

and help this country.

We are the same, right?

Brothers and sisters of the human race,
I want this country to become truly prosperous.

While living in Japan for 13 years,

I have been taught and supported
by many Japanese people,

so I want to repay their kindness.

Eight months later, the mulberry field is lush and green.

In the Philippines, where it is warmer, mulberry leaves can be harvested even in winter,

and production is much higher than in Japan.

It's so healthy.

It's perfect.

The growth points are good too.

The project in the Philippines has achieved a good result in the cultivation of mulberry trees.

But Seong Min's expression on the plane home is rather cloudy.

Upon returning to Japan, he heads for the home of a mulberry farmer who has been a long-time support for him.

Hello.

Oh, you've come.

I just came back from the Philippines.

From the very beginning,
you helped me arranging things,

and taught me a lot, so...

Thank you very much.

Kobayashi Sadao was the head of the mulberry growers' association.

He warmly welcomed and supported Seong Min, who jumped into the community.

He also told him the harsh reality at times.

Mulberry is in dire straits.
I can't tell my children to take over.

He was very important to Seong Min.

Mr. Kobayashi, I'm sorry, I'm late.

He passed away peacefully.

I'm so sorry that I couldn't come sooner.

No, no, it's okay. You've been busy.

I'll do my best, so please watch over me.

Thank you very much.

If I have time to miss him,

I should work harder to make up for it.

I want to give Mr. Kobayashi a good report
when I see him in heaven.

So I'll do my best.

"I want to give my benefactor a good report."

With this in mind, Seong Min's company continues to grow.

It now has more than 40 employees.

Let's bring our smiles to the whole country.

Here we go...

Hip, hip, hooray!

In the beginning it was just
the two of us, my wife and me.

It's our passion.

After all, our passion is capital.

The company had made a major capital investment and installed a stick packaging machine.

This reduced a large amount of outsourcing costs and significantly increased profit margins.

They have also stepped up over-the-counter sales.

Their products have been adopted as a souvenir of Yamanashi at highway rest areas

and are now available at most supermarkets in the prefecture.

Seong Min has been asked to give talks to share his story of transforming a marginalized community into a place of hope.

Words are like seeds.

People who say only bad things
end up going in the wrong direction.

People who speak straight and
beautiful words sow beautiful seeds,

and their lives turn out well.

The factory operates 24 hours a day because tea production cannot keep up.

Seong Min is in charge of the late nights.

Oh, you're still working.

What time is it?

It's 25:35.

I start at 7:00 p.m.

and work until about 6:30 or 7:30 a.m.

No matter how much I make, it's never enough.

- Is that true?
- Yes.

Wow, it must sell well.

Yeah. It now sells well. Really.

In the first year, 2008,
the production was 550 kg.

What about this year?

This year, we need to produce about 20 tons.

Han Seong Min doesn't need to sleep
to make good mulberry tea.

This will revitalize the community.

When the community is revitalized,
young people will come back.

All his hard work paid off and Seong Min had built a new home.

Hello.

This house was a gift to Miki.

Seong Min let her decide everything, including the design of the house.

I'm hardly ever home.

I'm only home half of the month.

Are you?

Even when he's in Yamanashi, he's out a lot.

He comes home late and just goes to bed.

That's true.

"Contribute to Yamanashi, Japan, and the world,

with the goal of living a hundred years, and shining a thousand years into the future."

Seong Min is busy running around to achieve this goal.

Miki, who supports him, has one more dream that she really wants to fulfill.

However, it is something she feels difficult to discuss with Seong Min.

Do you ever have the urge for a break...

...as the company is rapidly growing?

Well...

I want to have a baby soon.

But it's not easy when my husband is so busy.

When we get home, we are both too tired.

So sometimes I think that it would be better
to relax and think about it instead of working.

I really, really want to have a baby soon.

At this time, they've been married for 16 years.

In 2020, the project in the Philippines made significant progress.

A tea factory was completed.

Wow, it's done!

Unbelievable.

Amazing!

The international cooperation that Seong Min started in 2012 has finally reached this point.

To finish off the factory, Seong Min and University President Soriano placed seals on the machine

that honor Japan's assistance to this project in the Philippines.

"From the People of Japan!"

Thank you, father!

I am very, very grateful.

I'm holding back tears.

This is the result of the strong bond between University President Soriano and Seong Min, who are like father and son.

Now, I'm very happy.

Now our dream is realized.

Seong Min immediately brews the first tea in the Philippines.

Beautiful green mulberry leaf tea.

I am so happy.

Good. Good!

- Very nice color.
- Very nice.

- Golden mulberry tea!
- Golden mulberry tea made in the Philippines.

Yes! Made in Philippines.

Shortly after this, however,

the Philippine factory was closed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After graduating from an agricultural high school,

Suguru, who admired Seong Min and wanted to pursue a career in agriculture,

went to an agricultural academy to learn more about the industry.

After graduation, however, he decided to take a different path than Seong Min.

There are many kinds of agriculture,

and I'm interested in learning
about different methods and practices.

That's what I'd like to see.

Are you not so attached to Mr. Han's company?

Well, that's how it is now.

In April, 2021, Suguru started to work for an agricultural production company in his hometown of Ichikawamisato

because he became interested in growing vegetables at the Agricultural Academy.

But he is still grateful to Seong Min for teaching him the joy of farming.

When I knew nothing about farming,
Mr. Han taught me many things,

and increased my knowledge and opportunities.

He is my precious...

...benefactor.

Suguru has realized his dream of farming, which he has held since he was a small child.

And Seong Min has also realized his next dream.

Do I look cool?

It is a brand-new tea factory.

I sincerely thank you for coming from far away
to attend the opening ceremony of our new factory.

We have grown together with
Yamanashi, Japan, and all of you.

When we die, we cannot take anything with us,
but we can leave something behind.

As a culture for children and for the future,

I'd like to pass on our sincerity and aspiration.

Let's work cheerfully and joyfully.

Here we go... Hip, hip, hooray!

Finally, a long-awaited moment arrives for the couple.

Because of COVID-19 protocols, Seong Min is waiting in his car.

We got here at 3:30 a.m.

And it's almost 2 p.m.

I've been here the whole time.

I'm fidgety and nervous.

I...

I can't stand it anymore.

I can't wait.

We've been waiting for a long time.
My wife more so than me.

I gave up halfway through, to be honest,

in the 15th year of our marriage.

I can't sit still. I'm so anxious.

And finally...

Miki!

The baby's born.

Born!

Oh, congratulations, Miki!

Good job.

Thank you.

I'll send you some pictures.

Sure. Miki, how are you?

I'm a little exhausted.

Was it an easy birth, Miki?

Hmmm... the delivery was... a little hard.

Come see us.

I'll meet the baby first,
and then I'll go see you in two hours.

Okay.

Okay. See you later.

Miki, you did great!

Here's your Papa.

A baby boy weighing just 3000 grams.

- It's nice to finally meet you.
- Yes, it is.

My wife really wanted a baby.

We've been married for 18 years and 2 months.

- She cried a lot.
- Yes, I did.

She was crying, "I want to be a mother."

I had to wait for Hikaru for 18 years

because I needed to be ready...

You're right.

It was the time I needed
to become Hikaru's mother.

That's how I felt in the hospital.

First meetings are always moving,
but this one is exceptional.

As soon as the ban on international travel was lifted in 2022, Seong Min flew to the Philippines.

- Very clean?
- Very clean!

The purpose is to reopen the factory at the Pampanga State Agricultural University, which had ceased operations for two years.

It's not rusty.

It's fine.

Finally, it is time to restart.

But not everything will be the same as before.

Seong Min has lost someone important to him.

Well...

Sorry, I'm late.

Thank you for everything.

Honorio Soriano Jr.

- "Golden Mulberry Tea!"
- "Golden Mulberry Tea made in Philippines!"

University President Soriano, whom Seong Min loved as his father in the Philippines,

was infected with COVID-19 and passed away at the age of 65.

Father.

Please continue to watch over us in heaven.

I will make this wonderful path,

that you and I created together,

into a fine path.

Please send me your strength.

Thank you so much.

I would like to see you again, Father.

I miss you, father.

Mulberry leaves are abundant again this year.

Hikaru.

He made his debut in the field this year.

Hikaru, come here.

It's a mulberry leaf.

This is what makes the tea.

Hikaru, when you grow up, please help Papa.

Did you throw it away?

Hikaru...

Let's create a wonderful future together!