What should I do?
What's wrong?
When I went over to Shokichi's grandpa's house,
I told them about Dad's windmill electricity project.
Then he said...
Don't tell Dad this.
What did he say?
He said he knows an electrician and he'll ask him for help.
For what?
He says he knows somebody at the electric company and he'll ask him to put lines through.
He says a windmill won't generate even enough electricity to run a TV.
Did you talk to Dad about it?
You know I can't do that!
He'll scold me for talking too much!
He says I can't go near that man because he's a big old cheater.
I'm Sentakubasami*.
Clothespin
Sentakubasami?
What does that mean?
Eh, you don't know?
I don't.
Are you sure you went to college?
Sentakubasami means...
Itabasami*.
Being stuck in the middle
It was itabasami.
Kita no kuni kara (From northern region)
Episode 10
We expect all of Hokkaido to be hit by heavy snow.
-Jun!
Especially the mountain area should expect a snow blizzard.
-Jun!
A winter storm watch is issued...
Didn't Dad tell you to make a roof for the water spout?
I'll do it!
Has it started to snow?
The skies are blue.
The weather report is totally wrong.
♪If it snows...
we don't need to work.
But it won't snow...
You guys are hard workers.
Hello!
Is your dad home?
He went to Mr. Nakahata's.
Oh, hello.
Nishioka Electric in Furano called for Goro and said the parts are in...
so he can come get them.
Thank you for always doing this.
The temperature's gone up, so it'll snow soon.
Looks like it. Oh, Mrs. Yoshimoto!
Is your car free today?
Sure. Want to borrow it?
Thank you. I'll be by later.
Are you going to town?
That phone call said the thing your dad's been dying to get has come in.
Ah, I got it!
-For the windmill! -That battery machine thingy!
That's right.
Listen, I'm going to get it so we can surprise him when he gets home.
Sounds good!
If he comes home before I do, don't tell him where I went.
Okay.
I'll go with you, Aunty.
You too?
You can't carry it all by yourself.
Dad said there was a lot of stuff.
You should hurry.
A blizzard will supposedly hit this afternoon.
Can't trust weather reports.
Thanks for the car!
Crap, that was Dad!
Are we busted?
He didn't see us.
Are you going back?
Can't keep the place closed too long.
Come to Asahikawa some time.
Here's the name of my bar.
You'll miss her, won't you?
Come over to my house sometimes.
I had it out with my dad again.
We always end up fighting when I come home.
What's the reason?
A horse.
A horse?
I told him to sell it.
Because it's useless and it's not cheap to feed it either.
All he's doing is waiting for it to die.
How long has he had it?
About 18 years, I think. The horse is really old.
I can understand how he feels.
That horse was like part of the family.
Besides it'll only be slaughtered if he sold it.
But,
when I think about the money I earn...
letting the customers touch my butt being spent on horse feed....
I know I shouldn't bug him but we end up fighting anyway.
I know...
...how dad feels.
Shokichi! The bus is here!
I'm going.
(I'll be back. Okay?)
There aren't many horses around any more.
How many in this town right now?
Only about a few, I think.
-Every house used to have one. -You had to have a horse back then.
When you think about it, they've worked hard for us.
But they're not needed anymore.
Truth is, the old man does want to sell it.
He does?
Yeah.
I heard he told Sasazuka 300,000 yen for it.
That much?
Sasazuka was laughing.
He said he wouldn't give that greedy old man even 100,000 yen for that decrepit old thing.
No. 15 has started her labor.
Okay.
I think she'll give birth by this evening at the latest.
Oh, here comes the snow.
The weatherman was right today.
It must be snowing pretty hard.
It's really bad around Yahataoka.
-Can't see a thing. -This is wet snow.
The temperature's gone up a lot, too.
You're all set.
Thank you.
All right. Shall we get going?
Say...
Mm?
Can we go by the Yahataoka road?
Why?
Let's stop by Sota's dairy.
Our skiing pictures should be developed by now.
Let's do that.
Aren't I thoughtful?
What does that mean?
You silly.
I thought it'd be fun.
It was already snowing in Furano,
but it wasn't particularly bad.
I was used to seeing it snow like this all the time.
But by the time we started up Yahataoka hill....
and taking all those curving turns..
it suddenly started to snow incredibly hard.
It was unbelievable.
Like we'd entered a different world.
Jun?
Can you see the side of the road?
Can you?
Watch out for the pole.
Can you tell which way it's curving?
I can't tell.
Jun,
look to the right.
The gate to the dairy should be there.
Tell me right away when you see it.
Dear...
Keiko.
It's a blizzard.
The first Hokkaido blizzard I've ever seen in my life.
This is what a real blizzard is like.
I tried so hard to look to the right of the road...
...through the snow.
It's been at least...
...30 minutes since we left Furano...
...and started on this mountain road.
But we were creeping along so slowly,
we didn't know if we'd passed the white gate to Sota's dairy farm or...
...if it was still up ahead.
What's wrong?
I think we drove into a snow drift.
Can you get us out?
Where's your dad?
He's out.
But,
I think everyone will be back soon.
Please come in.
Can I?
Do you know who I am?
You're Shokichi's grandpa.
Beanbags?
Yeah.
Who made them?
I did. Mrs. Yoshimoto showed me how.
I see.
You're a smart girl.
Give them to me.
♪Mt. Saijo is in deep fog.
'Kawanakajima' was a song taught in elementary schools pre-war.
Chikuma River is choppy.
That sound coming from far way,
is it the sound of waves or the enemy?
The flag is whirling in the morning sunshine.
You're good!
We all used to play like this a long time ago.
We couldn't afford to buy any toys.
You've been using the lamp for light all this time?
Yes.
Who polished the glass?
Jun and me.
That was always the children's job.
A long time ago...
Hello.
I came to visit.
You came by horse?
The best way on a day like this.
There's a horse?
It's tied outside.
I want to see it!
Be careful. Don't go behind it or it might kick you!
Horses don't kick children.
So that's the horse?
What?
Um...
That you want to sell?
Who told you?
That's stupid.
I'm not selling it.
It's a lot more useful than a car.
A man named Ueda will come here in a few days.
Ueda?
He's with the electric company.
I asked him to come for you.
You can't live without electricity these days.
I told him to get power out here right away.
He started grumbling, so I yelled at him.
You'll get electricity here soon.
It shouldn't cost much.
-I told him that, too. -Just a minute.
Actually, we don't need electricity.
We're going to finish the windmill--
What can that generate?
That's just a child's toy.
Anyway, we don't need electricity.
But I do appreciate the thought.
I asked him for you and you're going to refuse?
Um, well, I mean...
I can go talk to him...
Um, since--
Goro!
Yes.
You always refuse everything I try to do for you.
Well, that's...
Even with the water.
No...
Please, don't take it wrong.
I was just...
I don't get it.
Mm?
Why do you deliberately refuse all the conveniences?
Nah... It's not deliberate...
Yes, it is.
A long time ago,
our village didn't have any electricity.
We suffered so much because of that.
But we lobbied desperately to get electricity...
so our children and grandchildren wouldn't have to suffer, too.
Old man Nakahata, your dad,
Maekawa who's dead now,
and Shige from the Iida family...
We all went to Furano countless times
and bowed our heads to those cocky bureaucrats.
Until...
we finally got them to bring electricity to our village.
Now you're saying you don't want it?
I didn't--
That's what you're saying!
What would your dad say if he heard this!
The old times aren't just for being nostalgic about.
There are some things you should never want to go through again!
You're wrong!
And you'll regret it.
I got scolded.
Where's Yukiko and Jun?
It's no good. I'll go look for a road nearby.
I think we should wait in the car.
-What happened to the lights? -Power's out. Just now.
Really?
-The snow must've knocked a power line out. -How about the phone line?
-That's still working. -Can I use it?
What's wrong?
Yukiko and Jun haven't come home yet.
What time was it?
1 pm?
They left at 1 pm?
And?
They said they were going straight home?
No.
Sorry to bother you.
-Thank you. -They were there?
-He said they left at 1 pm. -1 pm?
They might've stopped by Sota's dairy.
Eh? What?
Yuki? No, they're not here.
They couldn't come anyway. The blizzard hit us before noon!
Yeah. And the power's out, too!
Sota! Hurry and come!
I'm coming!
Sorry, Goro,
but the power's out in the barn now!
-I have to go! -What are you doing! Hurry!
I know!
They're not there?
It's snowing so hard there, so...
Yes, this is.
Good evening.
He's right here.
It's Mr. Nakahata.
Hello.
Goro! Good thing you're there!
The power's out here and the heater is off.
No water either. A cow is having a baby.
We need help. Please come right now!
Um, hello? Naka...
Where's Naka?
He just went to the house.
Do you have anything?
A small oil heater or something?
No?
Well, the power is out so all our heaters aren't working.
Thanks!
Anything will do. Just hurry up!
I'm cold!
You can bear it!
Oh, man.
If I'd known this would happen,
I wouldn't have replaced all our old heaters with new electric ones.
The water pump is electric too!
Modernization can be inconvenient.
What's wrong?
Yukiko and Jun haven't come home.
Yeah.
Not just here, but Tomioka and Yahataoka, too.
This whole area's out.
The weight of the snow took the power line down somewhere.
No, we don't know where yet.
They haven't come back?
Where did they go?
Not sure.
Will you let me use your jeep?
They couldn't have gotten lost on that road.
They borrowed the Tatsumi's old car,
so it might've broken down somewhere.
I heard a car can get through on the Rokugo highway.
That's a valley so only the entrance and exit have snow drifts.
The cow's about to give birth.
Did you see a stalled car?
No.
How's the road? Snow drifts?
No. Something wrong?
No. Thanks.
There were no drifts on the Rokugo highway.
So, Goro thinks...
they might've taken the Yahataoka road.
But Yukiko wouldn't know that.
Sota's dairy farm is up there, too.
Excuse me. May I?
-Hello? -Yeah.
Yeah.
Did you call Sota?
I tried, but no one answered.
I think they're all with the cows.
If they were on the Yahataoka road,
they're stuck in a snow drift for sure.
I heard the snow up there is incredible.
Even the buses stopped running in the afternoon.
Even the jeep won't make it?
Not even the jeep could get through.
I heard even the snowmobiles couldn't see and had to turn back.
How about a horse and sled?
Hold on.
I think a horse would be able to find them.
Hello?
Hold it!
Will you let me borrow your horse and sled?
What happened?
My kid went out in a car and he's not home yet.
Jun! Wake up! Jun!
Are you all right? Jun!
Jun.
Get in.
Are you all right?
I know it's cold but let's keep the window open a bit.
Otherwise the exhaust will build up.
Come. Come close to me.
Think Dad will come look for us?
I'm sure he will.
He'll be here real soon.
Hotaru may be home all alone.
Don't worry.
I'm sure...
...somebody is with her.
This man on the radio....
...is from Tokyo, right?
I think so.
I bet he can't even imagine what this is like.
And that we're listening to him on the radio.
People in Tokyo are lucky.
They're lucky to be so carefree.
Jun?
Jun, don't fall asleep.
Wake up, Jun!
Jun.
Jun!
I have to shut the engine off.
Or the exhaust will build up in here.
I want to listen to the radio.
You can still listen to the radio. Don't worry.
Jun!
Jun! Hey!
Jun! Jun! Don't fall asleep!
Jun!
Wake up!
Listen! Listen, Jun!
Save us! We're over here!
-Save us! -We're over here!
We're over here! Save us!
Please!
Hurry up!
-Save-- -Hurry!
Jun!
-Jun! -Hurry!
Jun.
Jun! Are you all right?
Jun!
Yukiko!
And that's how we were saved.
Wake up!
Everyone said later on that it was a miracle.
Before we even heard the bells,
they said the horse suddenly stopped right where we were buried.
Without the horse,
we'd have been dead.
The blizzard lasted 2 more days.
Dad didn't say much the whole time.
He just sat there in a daze drinking sake.
Even Auty Yukiko was out of it.
The town of Rokugo didn't have electricity or even water.
It was a real disaster for everyone.
The newer the house, the worse off they were.
But we didn't hear all that until...
...after the blizzard was over.
We were just fine at our house.
We didn't have electricity to begin with,
and we got our water from the stream.
So it was the same as it always was.
In that sense,
we weren't affected by the blizzard at all.
Subtitled by Chuks Edited by Phoenix