Hometown Stories

Season 5, Episode 10

Episode Title: Hang in There!

Air Date: 2016-11-27

Overview:

A community deep in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture is home to Japan's only circus school. The school's director is Nadezhda Tyshenko, a former acrobatic gymnast from Ukraine. In the circus, as in life, her motto is: "Hang in there", born from a teaching philosophy is based on a saying from her homeland: "Work hard and hang in there, and things will work out". In the spring of 2016 she welcomes a new student. In an era when many young people eschew hard work in favor of escapism, this is the story of a young woman who comes to understand the value of perseverance.