01x04 - Legacy

[bunniefuu]

SARA: The first time I surfed Japan
was when I was 16.

I was in a very small rural town
called Nichinan.

It was New Year's, and it had snowed
which it never snows there,

so it was really rare.

And the ocean was steaming.
It looked like a hot spring.

It was just, like,
the most beautiful sunrise.

And New Year's is the biggest holiday
in Japanese culture,

so everyone goes to see
the first sunrise of New Year's

and lines up along the coast.

I was so hyped to go surfing in Japan.

I jumped in and just, like,
stood up on my first wave

and was like,
"This is coolest thing ever."

And I realized after that,
I'm gonna move to Japan.

Get closer to my heritage, my roots.

My grandfather helped make baseball
an Olympic sport,

so I feel extremely connected,
and I feel this responsibility.

Like, it's up to me to make him proud
and continue that legacy in my blood.

My Japanese heritage definitely influenced
a huge part of my surfing career.

My mom told me, "If you're gonna do it,
do it properly.

Reach your full potential."

My grandparents would hide
my dad's boards,

so he wouldn't be able to go surf.

Obviously, the love for surfing
was stronger than that, you know?

It's crazy that the passion
that my parents have has passed onto me.

And now, my grandparents
don't miss a single wave of mine

in a competition.

I think it's every athlete's dream
to make history,

but it all starts off with a belief

that you have the ability to do it.
You are born to do that.

My dad started helping me
when I was about 17.

He became my coach,
which I think made all the difference.

It was my dream to be
a professional surfer,

and be one of the best, and...

I don't think I would have been able
to do it without him.

YUMA: [IN JAPANESE]
My parents were both surfers,

so they did want me to surf.

But for me, when I found friends who surf,
that's when it became really fun.

That's when my life as a surfer began.

SARA: [IN ENGLISH]
To have this community is huge to me,

but I have friends, and family,

and younger generations
who do look up to me,

and so I wanna make them proud.

Probably one of my biggest fears
is what if I let them down?

[ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYING]

[FEMALE VOICE OVER P.A.
SPEAKING INDISTINCT JAPANESE]

SARA: I came back to Japan from L.A.

It was not an easy decision for me

and, yeah, I got really nervous
for some reason.

It felt like I was coming to move
to Japan

for the first time again,
which is such an interesting feeling.

Part of it was, like,
because during coronavirus,

the first two weeks here,
it's kinda like a self-quarantine thing.

I felt... in the beginning, yeah,
a lot of lone... loneliness.

So, something I always have to do
when I get here

is, like, separate my coins.

A lot of FaceTiming with my friends,
my dad.

Hey, Dad!

ACEY: Hey, Sara, what's going on?

'Cause unfortunately,
my dad would usually come with me,

but quarantine, you know,
two weeks is quite a long time.

So, um... I had to challenge this alone.

But it makes me feel
very independent and strong.

Moving forward, I feel like nothing
can really stop me reaching my goals.

I do have a dream,

to be in the Olympics.

I really am looking to represent Japan,
reclaim my roots.

That's why I came back.

Came out to Kochi, Japan.
It's on the Shikoku island.

It's typhoon season right now,
so prime season to be here.

[IN JAPANESE] For me, it's the first time
this year to have waves this big.

I can't wait.

SARA: [IN ENGLISH]
Competitions are running again,

and I'm focusing now on the JPSA league,

which is the pro league here in Japan.

I think, for me, the most important
form of training

is just getting in the water,

and then my confidence is up.

Then I know my skills will come in.

So, in Japan, in order to become
a pro surfer, it's quite different.

In America, and I think pretty globally,
it's accepted that,

once you start making money, um,
as a surfer from sponsorship,

you're technically a pro.

But here... [CHUCKLES]
...it's a little bit different.

You have to take a test.

And the first test was, "Can you paddle?"

Like, "Can you duck-dive?"

Then the third was, like,
"Can you stand up?"

And I couldn't just be like,
"Can I just take the top-level test?"

I had to start from the bottom.
So, it was a process for me.

I was kind of like, "What is this?"
Like, "Can I just compete?"

And if I lose, I lose.

Like, "If I'm not good, like if...
you know, like, doesn't it show?"

I've already passed the five levels
throughout the past couple of years.

So, I just have to have
that final pro-license test.

And that's coming in October.
So, that's what I'm preparing for.

In order to pass this test,
you have to score a heat total

of above 11, or a single score
of seven or above.

So, if I do one of the two
within this heat time,

I will be a certified Japanese pro.

["I CAME TO MOVE MOUNTAINS" PLAYING]

CONNOR: I'll be leaving
in about three weeks

to compete in the Challenger Series,

which is a qualification series
for the world tour.

And, hopefully, qualify
for the 2024 Olympics.

But...

I think the surfing industry
at the moment is... it's pretty cutthroat.

So, to be honest, the next couple
of months will be pretty important for me.

[IN JAPANESE] Hand-rolled sushi.

-You don't need the core?
-No, no need.

-FINBARR: [IN ENGLISH] Restaurant quality.
-We cater.

-It's better than restaurant quality.
-Better than restaurant quality.

I would've never have thought
of being a professional surfer as a kid.

Mom and dad
are massive fans of surfing.

If they didn't love surfing
as much as they did,

who knows what my career
would have... would have ended up like?

My mom started surfing
at a pretty late age, around 18 or so.

She flew over from Japan to compete
in this professional surfing event

in Cronulla, and, uh...

that's how they... they met here.

AKEMI: [IN JAPANESE] Okay, this is for
hand-rolled sushi, so cut it this size.

CONNOR: [IN ENGLISH] As a kid
growing up in Cronulla,

I feel like I'd describe myself

as mostly Australian
and a little bit Japanese.

I just wanted to kind of
fit in with... with all the other kids

that were fully Australian.

So, I kind of put that whole
Japanese nationality a little bit

on the backburner.

FINBARR: They're not the same size...

You're supposed to have them
exactly the same size.

Anyone apart from you guys,
I... I'd actually try harder.

-FINBARR: You'd try harder. [LAUGHING]
-Oh, you... Oh, sure, sure.

CONNOR: [IN JAPANESE]
I'm not a chef, right?

AKEMI: That's true. [CHUCKLES]

[IN ENGLISH] Boys got no choice.

I speak Japanese to them.

At our house,

little Tokyo!

[IN JAPANESE] I forgot we have
the radish pickles that Connor loves.

[IN ENGLISH] He was growing up,
he looks like a full Japanese,

but his primary school
was not many Asians.

And I could always feel
that he's a bit shy.

CONNOR: School lunches and all that,
Mom would always make,

like, sushi and stuff for lunch,
and I went to school once,

and one of the kids was like,
"Oh, that stinks.

Like, why does that smell so bad?"
And from then on, I was like,

"No, peanut butter sandwiches
from now on." [CHUCKLES]

[IN JAPANESE] Next!

Whether he had poor experiences
through his life is more than possible.

AKEMI: [IN JAPANESE]
What do you call this in English,

this sticky part of Natto?

String.

AKEMI: [IN ENGLISH] Yeah.

But you're still Japanese.
But I didn't...

push it.

He doesn't want it. I understand.

CONNOR: [IN JAPANESE]
Does this need soy sauce?

Yes, put some in.

But no hot mustard.

[IN ENGLISH] Now, he gets big and tall,
and then, more full confidence.

That's very good
for surfing competition, I think.

But he's still not 100% yet.

[CHUCKLES]

If you want to win Olympic sports,

he has to understand himself.

FINBARR: Concentration.

It's the most important. Yeah.

[IN JAPANESE] Well done.

I knew you could do it.

[GROOVY MUSIC PLAYING]

YUMA: Wow, that's gorgeous,
where those clouds are over there.

Mountains are sweet.

Guy, do you eventually want
to live by the ocean?

Not necessarily.

Really?

The mountains would be cool.

I see.

YUMA: This being our first trip,
it got pretty stressful yesterday

when this kid... this camping van started
having issues,

and we had smoke coming out.

It's hot!

The oil is leaking from here.

Apparently, one of the bolts securing
the engine has gone bad.

The parts weren't available,
but the shop said

we could keep adding oil.

[CHUCKLES]

[IN ENGLISH] I got the oil.

[IN JAPANESE] Just making sure
not to burn the motor and we should be ok.

She's got some miles on her,
so I was pretty worried.

But she's better now,
and the oil has stopped leaking.

So, today, we're heading to Kyoto,
to meet an "urushi" lacquer artist.

Urushi is the most familiar to us
as the lacquer on miso soup bowls.

They use the sap from a special tree
to make the lacquer.

It's like a traditional art form.

But I did hear someone
is making surfboards now with it.

That's who we're meeting!

Surfboards with urushi lacquer!

-I can't wait.
-GUY: Yeah.

Kyoto is incredible.
Huge temples everywhere

with such intricate architecture!

Good morning, Taku.

Good morning.

It feels like we walked right
into your studio.

TAKUYA: You're right.
Here's an urushi tree.

YUMA: Oh, wow.

-TAKUYA: Have you ever seen one?
-No, I haven't.

I sort of know the basic idea
of cutting the tree

and extracting something.

That's right. When the urushi tree is cut,
it tries to protect itself

-and produces this sap.
-YUMA: Mm-hmm.

So, shall we go see the workshop?

YUMA: Yes, please!

This way.

Come in.

So all of this is filtered urushi.

Whooooaaa.

Cool!

About how many years ago
did they start using this kind of process?

The Jomon period.

The Jomon period?

About 10,000 years ago.

That's quite a tradition!

Has your family been crafting urushi
for many generations?

Yeah, that's right.
This is my grandfather's house.

I'd often come and play here as a child,

and he'd make me toys using bamboo.

YUMA: Yeah?

And if I left them here,

by the next week they'd be lacquered
with urushi.

What made you decide
to carry on the business?

TAKUYA: I had no intention of doing so,

but one day my dad called me out
of the blue

and said, "I need your help."

It was the first time I ever heard him say
he was struggling,

so I decided to return home.

And once I started, I found it super fun.

And your father, he's alive and well?

TAKUYA: Yes, he is.
He's a powerhouse.

He is?

Shall I go and get him?

YUMA: That would be great.

-TAKASHI: Oh, hello.
-YUMA: Hello.

It's a pleasure to meet you.

And you as well.

The thing that brought me here is

your urushi-lacquered surfboards.

I'm really hoping you can show us?

-I'd be happy to.
-YUMA: Will you?

-Absolutely, gladly.
-Yay!

GUY: Oh wow, they turn out like this.

Yeah. This is the one I use.

Nice!

Is this cork here?

TAKUYA: Yes, cork rails.

Cool.

So light.

It's light.

Wow.

The fin's urushi, too.

TAKUYA: Yeah, the fin, too.

Pretty big.

Looks like a fish.

Me using urushi on surfboards
like this is, well,

it's not exactly taboo in this industry,

but since our family has been known
for generations as urushi artists,

and our clients often trust us
with restoring cultural treasures,

I put a lot of pressure on myself.

Like you shouldn't be doing
this sort of thing?

TAKUYA: Yeah, exactly.

I got a lot of harsh criticism
at first, like,

"You're putting urushi
on something that people will step on?"

But, you know, in traditional inns,

they also use this sort of urushi

called "fuki-urushi"
to lacquer their floors.

So, people stepping on urushi

isn't something that personally
bothered me.

YUMA: I see.

TAKASHI: On the contrary,
using urushi lacquer

on items that young people use,

and conveying to them the benefits
of natural urushi in commercial products

is something that's really important
when you think about our future.

So, I was rooting for him.

YUMA: Oh, yeah?

Yes, I don't know how my son felt
about it, but...

Apparently,
he was putting pressure on himself.

[ALL CHUCKLE]

YUMA: So who shaped this board?

TAKUYA: Rodrigo from Lasca Woodworks.

YUMA: Oh, I see! I've never seen
his boards in person before.

There aren't many people
making wooden boards in Japan,

so I've wanted to meet him.

TAKUYA: Sure thing.

And what about urushi trees?
Are they close by?

The mountains where we plant them
is only about ten minutes away.

-Can we go?
-TAKUYA: For sure!

Wow, yay!

-Thank you.
-GUY: Thank you so much.

[MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING]

My name is Makoto Shimasaki.

I grew up in Kochi prefecture.

And I am a...

a Buddhist monk.

[CHANTING]

MAKOTO: And, besides that,

I started surfing when I was 18.

-[CHANTING COTINUES]
-[DINGS]

MAKOTO: When I was a child

there was a fishing port nearby,

and I used to go fishing there.

One day, after a typhoon,

the waves were really high,

and it was too dangerous to go fishing,

so I was just about to leave.

That's when I saw some surfers
for the first time right in front of me.

Then, many years later,

I had a friend who happened
to be a surfer,

so we went to a small beach and I tried it
for the first time.

Of course, all I could do was paddle.

[CHUCKLES]

It was hard at first.

I got so many abrasions,

and I couldn't get to the deeper parts
of the ocean.

I thought it was all so difficult.

But every time I saw people having fun
riding the waves,

I was motivated to get better like them.

At that point, I was still in high school,

so I was still trying to decide whether

I should become a monk.

I wasn't really interested
in the family temple.

So, instead,
I got more and more drawn into surfing.

[UPLIFTING MUSIC PLAYING]

MAKOTO: I started thinking I could become
a professional surfer.

It was my dream.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

But then, around that time...

my grandpa passed away.

And when he died,

losing such an important life

gave me an opportunity to face my roots

and embrace the temple where I grew up.

I kind of felt like my grandfather
helped me

to redirect my career and my future life.

So, I became a monk

and I pretty quickly gave up on my dream
to become a professional surfer.

[CHUCKLES]

Of course, on my days off, I would still

go surfing with my friends.

And I kept learning from my seniors
who had started surfing

in the '70s and '80s.

The truth is, I'm most grateful
to be surfing

because of the strange beauty
of connecting with other surfers.

And how that circle
of connections keeps growing.

Connecting with a community
who I can share the joy with

is really what I love most about surfing.

JAMIE: [IN ENGLISH] The thing
that is really magical about surfing

is if community and finding...

commonality among people
is a good thing,

like hardcore surfers, it's just there.

BRAD: It's kind of
a spiritual thing to surf,

and... and a cosmic thing,

and something you share
with your brothers and sisters.

WADE: Whether you're in this country
or another country,

you get to meet up
with the same friends or athletes

that you travel with or compete with.

That's your family bond

when you're on the road.
So, that's probably the highlight,

is building those long-term relationships
in different countries.

SARA: So, when I'm surfing in Japan,
in Kochi,

it feels like a real family community
out here.

And Makoto is always in this spot,
my local spot that I always go to.

Super kind guy.
I found out he was a monk,

and it was the first time I ever heard
that there are surfing monks around

and I thought that
was really, really special.

MAKOTO: [IN JAPANESE]
I think it was about two years ago.

One of my senior surfers introduced me
to her.

So I knew she was an athlete aiming
for the Olympics

and she was training hard every time
I saw her at the ocean.

[SIGHS]

SARA: So I'm really curious
about a lot of things.

-MAKOTO: You want to learn.
-SARA: Yes.

For example, you're a monk

but also a surfer,

and I really want to know
how the two things connect.

Actually, I'm quite divided there.

Surfing is surfing. Monk is a monk.

Wow.

You know, I always imagined

that all monks would be great surfers.

Because you're meditating every morning.

-Yeah.
-And so, with a clear mind in the ocean

you can predict all the movements
of the flowing waves

and easily see many things.

That's true, it's a little like that.

You observe the waves closely

and discern how to ride it.

When you can achieve that,
surfing feels the best.

Yes.

That's why I think surfing
is such a mental sport.

Yes. That aspect is similar.

We think deeply in search of clarity.

And when you find it...
it's like when you make it through a tube.

Ah.

It really hits you for a moment.

But then,

you think,
"I want to do that again." Right?

You're right.

-I want to ride another one.
-Yes.

So, that sort of desire,

in my Buddhist denomination,

the desire to get even better
after achieving something...

Right.

...is something we embrace
as not a bad thing.

-Interesting.
-That's what it teaches.

That's cool.

Finding confidence in yourself,
and happiness.

Right.

But not happy all the time.

No, it can't be all the time.

It's only because you fall
that you can go up.

If you're happy all the time,
you won't be happy, right?

MAKOTO: That's true.

SARA: So it's important to fall.

Just like in surfing.

Yeah, it's a bit similar there.

[IN ENGLISH]
Challenge, challenge, challenge.

MAKOTO: [IN JAPANESE]
What's next? A competition?

SARA: A match in Kamogawa.

-MAKOTO: Trial?
-That's right.

I'll do my best.

I want the test to go pro.

-Are you training?
-Yeah.

Training a lot. It's a challenge.

MAKOTO: Sara, your athletic gift,

it's in your DNA.

Your grandfather and father...

-SARA: You think so?
-MAKOTO: It's amazing.

SARA: Well, you know,

I want to surf until I'm 85.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

SARA: [IN ENGLISH] I definitely take pride
in my family

and who my grandfather is.

I feel like it gives me power
and it's the gift.

[IN JAPANESE] I think surfer parents
and their kids tend to surf alike.

You see any second-generation surfers
whose parents are also surfers,

and because they share
the same bone structure and DNA,

their surfing style becomes similar.

A great example is Joel and Tosh Tudor.

Their surfing style is exactly the same.

I think my style is somehow similar
to my parents, like,

when I go like this with my left hand
at the bottom turn.

So that may be similar.

TAKUJI: [IN ENGLISH]
When the surfer parents are like,

"I don't care if my kid surfs,"

that's... I don't know how true
that is because, you know,

everybody knows how great it is
when the father and son

or the mother and daughter
are surfing together.

CONNOR: My mom's super competitive,
and I might not seem it on the outside,

but on the inside, I'm definitely,
um, a competitive person.

And I feel like that's the similarity
between myself and my mom, you know?

That's what I get out of her, is that...

you know, I hate losing, so... [CHUCKLES]

[IN JAPANESE] Why are you laughing?

CONNOR: Do your feet even fit here?

Well, but they don't sell these.

[IN ENGLISH] Mom's 60-something. Sixty.
[CHUCKLES]

Still out there,
she surfed twice yesterday. She loves it.

Whenever I go surfing with her,
she's always smiling and very friendly

and then also, wants
to be up on those waves, so... [CHUCKLES]

[UP-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING]

I'm born in Kunitachi.

Little bit west of Tokyo,

lots of greens and it's very quiet.

Akemi's parents used to run a laundry,
six and a half days a week.

There'd be the ironing boards
and the big presses,

the washing machines upstairs.

I said to my parents
I want to do surfing more,

and then my parents said, "No way."

That time surfing was not
an Olympic sport.

So then my mom and dad got really upset,

then they said, "If you want surf,
go, move out of the house."

So I'm 20 years old, old enough.

I said, "Okay, thank you,"
and moved out of the house.

And I go surfing during the day,

but a long time to get sort
of quite famous.

[IN JAPANESE] We asked Ms. Karasawa
why she became a pro surfer.

Well, when I won a competition
that gave me a pro license,

some were against it,

but I knew it would push me
to commit to surfing.

FINBARR: [IN ENGLISH]
Akemi never really made

much of a song and dance

about her levels of achievement,

but Connor, he was surrounded by,
you know, the large trophies

that the Japanese tended to give away.

So, I don't necessarily think that it was
her career that inspired him,

but he could see what he needed
to do, day in, day out.

CONNOR: [IN JAPANESE]
This is pretty new.

AKEMI: I told you we can't buy it.

-It's unfair.
-FINBARR: [IN ENGLISH] That's cheating.

-CONNOR: Hey, this is...
-Cheating, yeah.

-CONNOR: This is experience.

Yeah, Mom was good and bad at times.
As a Japanese lady, she's very passionate.

Not only my mom,
but a lot of Japanese people

are very passionate with anything
that they put their mind to.

They wanna do it properly.

So, she was pushing me
to always strive to be better.

And looking back,
she just gave me that drive

and motivation to constantly
keep improving.

Not only on my surfing,
but on myself as well.

STEPHANIE: Jengi, get the bird.

-Get the bird.
-CONNOR: Where's the bird?

And jump! And jump!

Connor.
He's definitely getting more involved

on his multicultural side.

There was these things being thrown out
for him to represent Japan fully.

But Connor really wanted
to be Australian as well.

He wanted to represent both countries.
And I was like, "Well, why can't you?"

My wife, Steph,
was sitting on the lounge, watching TV,

and she kind of just turned to me
and said, "Why don't you try and see

if you can get
a Japanese flag on one shoulder

and an Australian flag on the other.
You're half-half."

I thought,
"Yeah. Why not?"

So, I decided to put a Japanese flag
on my jersey.

AKEMI: Oh, I'm very proud.

For me, and my mom especially,

for all my family and friends,
everybody's stoked.

STEPHANIE: Your goals, and hopes,
and dreams, Connor.

CONNOR: My hopes and dream is to,
one day, make the Olympics.

-STEPHANIE: Make the Olympics?
-CONNOR: Yeah.

STEPHANIE: What country?

CONNOR: To see an islander,
I think that'll be really cool.

-STEPHANIE: What country though?
-CONNOR: Australia would be cool.

STEPHANIE: But Japan too?

CONNOR: Yeah, Japan would definitely be
in the picture now.

FINBARR: To acknowledge
his Japanese heritage was to understand

a part of him that I think
he didn't want to try and understand.

For him to do it was brave.

He was strong enough, big enough,

and mature enough to...
to properly acknowledge it.

AKEMI: Now that he got
the Japanese flag on,

that means he got
to show the Japanese spirit,

which is mom's spirit.

YUMA: [IN JAPANESE]
There's a uniquely Japanese way

of loving,
and coexisting with nature,

and when I think about my DNA containing
this kind of rich history,

it makes me want to learn more
about Japan.

YUMA: We just arrived
at the urushi tree forest.

Let's enjoy the visit.

Wow. You must be Rodrigo.

Yes, I'm Rodrigo.

YUMA: Nice to meet you.

-RODRIGO: Nice to meet you, too.
-YUMA: Finally!

Rodrigo.

[ALL CHUCKLE]

Normally, we'd meet by the ocean,
since we're all surfers,

but today, we're in the mountains

because I really want
to connect the mountains

and the ocean, and I thought

maybe wooden surfboards
could accomplish that.

That's why I'm growing urushi trees here,
as well as paulownia trees for the boards.

So it's not just about surfing,
but many surfers

are also environmentalists,

so my hope is to connect surfers
with a bigger community as well.

-Wow.
-TAKUYA: So, I'd love to show you.

-Let's go.
-Okay!

-We'll see some bears.
-TAKUYA: They're really here.

We'll be lucky if it happens.

GUY: Not sure I'd say lucky.

So, what got you interested in shaping,
Rodrigo, Matsuda-san?

Well, my grandfather made sanshin.

GUY: Sanshin?
[The instrument] From Okinawa?

Right.

So, I love handmade things,
and when I began surfing,

I wanted to make surfboards.

That's an amazing natural progression.

You inherited within yourself
the art of making things.

My parents were both surfers too,
and we owned a surf shop.

But I didn't want to surf at first.

Oh.

I really didn't want to surf.
But my dad loved big waves,

and he would take
on really big waves in Hawaii.

So I thought surfing was dangerous,
and scary.

But now, I love big waves,
I love Hawaii.

So I had inherited that before I knew it.

Here's a lacquer tree.

GUY: This?

TAKUYA: The small one. In its first year.

-YUMA: Wow.
-TAKUYA: This one too.

It's bigger.

This whole branch is a leaf,
and will fall off in the winter.

Oh, that's why the stem is so bare
all the way to here.

TAKUYA: There is a person who is poking.

YUMA: He is poking.

The lacquer-poking man.

This is paulownia.

-This?
-TAKUYA: Yes.

-The leaves are really big.
-Very big.

So, this will be a surfboard.

[SPEAKS JAPANESE INDISTINCTLY]

Yes.

Paulownia is light, it has flexibility,
and it doesn't absorb much water.

YUMA: Oh, I see.

It's all connected, using forest trees
to create surfboards to use in the ocean.

It's amazing.

-Grow well.
-So much energy.

RODRIGO: Everyone has an image
of wooden surfboards

being hard, and heavy.

I'd like to break that image.

I want to make really good
wooden surfboards.

We'll paint this one.

Yes.

Then I'll grab one of these.

TAKUYA: To harvest urushi, you need
fifteen years for the tree to grow.

And it's the same for growing
a paulownia tree for the surfboard,

so it's a long timespan.

So by planting a tree for a future shaper,
or for your children

who may become urushi artists,

you're really planting the seeds
for the next generation to grow.

YUMA: The truth is, I used to be against
having kids

because there's too much
population growth.

I believe the root cause
of the environment crisis comes

from population growth.

But, surfing introduced me
to amazing people,

and taught me how to connect with nature,

how to love and respect nature.

And it's opened so many wonderful worlds.

That's something I would love
to pass on to my kid.

FEMALE VOICE: [IN ELEVATOR]
Going down.

SARA: [IN ENGLISH] We're only
a couple days out from the competition

and I'm definitely starting
to get a little bit nervous.

So, I thought I'd stop
by a really special place

to help me get grounded again.

I always get the chills
when I see this 'cause...

I can't believe this is my grandfather.

I mean, he did such great things
in such a short time, but...

I didn't even get a chance
to meet him...

'cause he passed away so young.

His story is incredible.

He had the full-on American dream
of working in the major leagues,

and the way he did it was,
he went and knocked on the door

of this man named Suzuki Sotaro,

who's known as the father

of Japanese baseball, the pro league.

And the guy wouldn't answer,
and he came back again,

he wouldn't answer, came back again,
wouldn't answer,

and, you know, this went on
for three months.

Finally, Sotaro's wife let him in
and said, "Give this guy a chance."

So, he did.

He goes,
"Okay, I'm gonna write a letter,

you're gonna hand-deliver it
to the O'Malleys,"

which at the time were the owners
of the Dodgers,

and he sent him over to America.

He worked his way all the way up
to be a Dodger executive.

Like my mom always tells me,
like, how awesome

our relationship would be, like,
how close we would be and...

[SIGHS]

He's been my inspiration
since I was a little girl,

so...

I always wanna live up to his name.

[IN JAPANESE]
Hi, Mr. Sekiguchi!

TAKAHIRO: Hello.

-Nice to meet you. I am Sara Kohrogi.
-Nice to meet you.

-SARA: Thank you for having me.
-My pleasure.

So, this is the baseball history corner.


was inducted

into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.

That's amazing.

TAKAHIRO: It is.

Some of your grandfather's memorabilia
are on display here.

SARA: I see.

From the right is a small replica
of the 1988 World Series trophy,

and the championship ring.

And to commemorate his induction
to the Hall of Fame,

a custom baseball, probably made
by your grandmother.

[SARA CHUCKLES]

Is that a real championship ring?

Yes, same as the players.

And it's actually my grandfather's?

TAKAHIRO: Yes, it is.

SARA: I see.

[IN ENGLISH] This is so cool 'cause
I've never seen this stuff before.

And that's his real ring.
That was, like, on his finger,

like, right now, like,
I'm wearing his hat, like,

I feel like, you know,
surrounded by him and...

I feel like this is the closest...

I can be to him.

TAKAHIRO: [IN JAPANESE]
Would you like to try the ring on?

Could I, please?

-Sure.
-Great.

Yeah.

Wow, that's amazing.

[IN ENGLISH] Oh, my gosh.

[IN JAPANESE] I think your grandfather
will be happy too.

SARA: Please.

[IN ENGLISH] Wow.

I'm getting the chills right now.

[IN JAPANESE] Incredible.

-Can I touch it?
-TAKAHIRO: Please.

[IN ENGLISH] He wore this ring, like,
he actually, like...

It has his name on it.

Oh, my... Oh, it doesn't even fit any
of my fingers.

He worked so freaking hard
for this, like, that's insane, like...

Wow.

[SNIFFLES]

[SIGHS]

I hope I can live up to this.

YUMA: [IN JAPANESE]
Last night, the urushi artist, Taku,

kindly let us stay at his place.

It's still just seven a.m.,
but the weather is super great today.

The camper van's been doing well so far.

So I think we'll be okay
as long as we keep an eye on the oil.

Really, thank you so much
for everything, Taku.

Let's definitely
work together sometime.

-Yeah, for sure.
-Yes.

Thanks. Thanks, man.

YUMA: Alright, and we're off, Guy.

GUY: Ah, man, I don't wanna leave.

YUMA: Yeah.
It really was an awesome place.

Our next stop will be Karasuzaki,
in Fukushima prefecture.

We'll find out what it was
like in the 2011 earthquake,

tsunami and nuclear fallout.

It's been ten years now
since that all happened,

so I want to know what happened
to the surfing community there

and how they stayed connected
with the ocean through it all.

I also wonder if the radiation
is really safe.

Like, whether going in the ocean
and being exposed is still really harmful.

GUY: Deep stuff.

YUMA: Yeah, it'll be deep.

SARA: [IN ENGLISH] This is awesome.
The colors here are so beautiful.

Let's see if I can muscle up this wall.

SARA: Competing in Japan and getting on
the Olympic team,

its raw and pure connection
to the roots, like, I want to do it for,

like, my country now.

Not just my family,
not just my friends, but...

for a bigger, bigger purpose.

But...

the biggest challenge for me to get
to 2024 is an internal battle.

Surfing is weirdly my insecure point.
So, how do I change that narrative?

How do I change that headspace?

I'm going for 2024.

CONNOR: I think hard work and dedication
is something that is far greater

than just having talent.

And right now, it feels like there's
a fire in my belly.

I'd love to be in the Olympics.
I want to win.

YUMA: [IN JAPANESE] We'll be in Fukushima
in about an hour and a half now.

Oh, there's a sign telling us
the radiation level.

GUY: Wow.

It's scary.

I wonder what it'll be like there.

YUMA: Me too.

[GRUNTS]

[SOFT MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC ENDS]