All language subtitles for Dream Of Russia (1992) en

This story began in 1782...

... at the time when the USA had
just obtained independence,
and Europe was on the
verge of the French Revolution.

At this time, Japan stayed
aside from world events,
still reveling in its self-imposed
150-year isolation.

DREAMS OF RUSSIA

December 13, 1782.

A ship loaded witha cargo of rice
left the Shiroko harbor and headed to Edo.

On the night of the same day,

the crew (16 sailors and captain
Koudayu Daikokuya) ran into a storm.

Koichi, we're in trouble!

Throw the cargo overboard!

Cargo overboard!

Cargo overboard! Quick!

Port!

Yes, Captain!

The rudder is broken!

The rudder is broken!

Captain, we have to hinge the mast.

We have to hinge the mast!

Cut the mast!

Hey! Get out of there!

Take cover!

Cut the ropes! Cut the ropes!

Based on the Novel by
Yasushi Inoue

Written by
Tatsuo Nogami
Fumio Konami
Jun'ya Sato

Cast:
Ken Ogata, Takuzo Kawatani
Hiroyuki Okita, Oleg Yankovskiy
Marina Vladi, Yuriy Solomin

Gods of the Ise Shrine, show us the way.

Gods of the Ise Shrine, show us the way.

The gods have heard us!

One thousand ri to the north.

Set sail!

Directed by
Jun'ya Sato

Marc h, 26t h.

Ikuhachi has died.

The first death after 103 days.

July, 3rd.
Over 200 days at sea.

So far, we have lost five fellows.

We keep floating endlessly,
unable to do anything about it.

Land! I see land!

Captain! It's not a cloud, it's the land!

You're right. It's not a cloud.
It's the land!

Set sail! Change the course!

We've hit the rocks! We have a leak!

Get a lifeboat down!
Load the supplies!

Where are we, Captain?

Is it Japan?

It's impossible.
We've been at sea for nine months.

It's August now, but it's freezing here.

We must be north of Edo.

Look!

We come from the country called Japan.

We've been shipwrecked.

They seem to be alright.
Let's take them with us.

Come with us.

Over there.

I think they want us to follow them.

Koudayu Daikokuya.

Koudayu.

I see.

Your name's Koudayu.

Koudayu.

Nevidimov.

I am...

... Yakov Ivanovich Nevidimov.

Nebidimofu?

Boris, accommodate them.

Let's go. Come on.

What's this smell? It's awful.

This is the smell of furs.

Vasiliy, light a lamp for them.

You will stay here.

Well, make yourselves at home.

What's going to happen to us?

August, 16th.

After 248 days we
have finally reached the land.

We lost six people.
There are eleven of us left.

Where are we?

And what's going to happen to us?

Nobody knows.

Nothing is for sure.

- Vanya, look, it's about 1.25 in width, right?
- Good. You'll get a bottle of vodka for this.

And it's 2 in length.

You get three bottles of vodka.

What's this?

What's this?

Captain,

I think you ask "what's this?" when you
don't know what something is called.

What's this?

He took my amulet and asked, "What's this?"

When he saw a medical kit,
he also asked, "What's this?"

I pointed to their clothes and asked,
"What's this?" and they answered me.

All of you have to use this phrase
to learn the foreigners' language.

Memorize even small things.

What's this?

- What is it?
- A fire.

- A fire?
- Yes, a fire.

- What's this?
- It's a fish.

What's this?

It's a ship. A ship.

A ship.

The foreigners say they come
from the country called Russia.

What are they doing here
away from their native land?

When the sea freezes over,
it'll be impossible to fish and hunt fowl.

We can't survive without food.

Collect everything.

Fish, fowl, roots, herbs...

We're starting to prepare for winter.

The sea's going to freeze over.

And we will freeze as well.

What happened?

I want... fish... fowl.

Some of us are sick.

I don't have any extra fish or fowl.

I can give you some meat.

Japanese not eat meat!

But it's better to feed
the sick with meat.

They need good sustenance.

God not allow meat.

Please... fish, fowl.

No. All I can give you is meat.

I want rice!

I want rice!

Shin!

Damn!

Shin!

I've brought you some food
from Nevidimov.

Captain, but this is animal meat.

I know.
But if we don't eat, we'll die.

If I eat meat, I'll go to hell.

We're already in hell.

I'll steal some fish.

Let's steal some fish.
Everybody wants fish.

Eat.

No! I don't want
to turn into an animal!

- I said eat.
- I don't want to be an animal!

Alright.

I'll eat it.

Sada!

I'd rather die than eat this.

The fish is back.
It means a ship will arrive soon.

I'll get my furs and come
back to Okhotsk a rich man.

Put us on the boat. Alright?

Why not?

When we're in Okhotsk,
we'll ask the governor.

Maybe, he'll find a way
for you to get back home.

Before Okhotsk...

... can go Japan?

No.

There will be no time.

The ship will come for the furs.
The will be no time to go to Japan.

Japan is far away.

This is Okhotsk, and this is Japan.

And this is where we are now.
See? It's too far.

Yes, this is where Japan is.
Well, to Japan!

To Japan! Hurrah!

- What happened?
- The ship has wrecked!

Their ship has wrecked.

Rest in peace.

- Will be... another ship?
- How should I know?

If we're lucky, another ship
will come in four years.

And if we're not,
we'll rot here forever.

Captain, everyone's here.

We will build a ship.

It's impossible.

Captain, are you serious?

I am.

But we can't cross this sea in a boat.

We're going to build a ship,
not a boat.

But it's impossible.

Would you rather wait for a ship
that might or might not come?

Or would you rather build your own?

The choice is yours.

We need a ship that can also carry
Nevidimov and other Russians.

One that we can load the furs on.

It's impossible. We'll need a
long board to use as a keel.

How about this?

Where did you find it?

It's incredible.

I saw logs three times as large here.

But, Captain, in order to
build a ship we need tools.

The Russians have tools.
They built houses, after all.

We'll need nails too.

We can melt the anchor.

What about coating?
The ship will have leaks without it.

If you crush shells and add boiled
seaweed, that will do the job.

Well, shall we try?

If we build a ship,
will we be able to go home?

Unfortunately,

I don't know how to get to Japan.

That's why we have to
go to Okhotsk first.

Alright, Captain.
Let's get to work then.

How's the fire?

Great.

Heave-ho!

Heave-ho!

Heave-ho!

Once again! Heave-ho!

Titov! Come on!

It's unbelievable.

We've built this ship out of
nothing in only two years.

Yes. Indeed.

Loosen up a bit.

Got it.

We'll take them with us.
There can be no discussion about it.

Starboard!

We're going to be home soon!

I can't believe this.

You really crossed the Okhotsk Sea
on a ship you built yourselves?

We really did.

The ship is in the harbor now,
half-destroyed.

As for the Japanese,
it's up to the governor of Irkutsk.

We have no authority
to solve this problem.

So what should they do now?

They should file an application with the
governor to have them sent home.

- Suppose we did that.
- But the response will come in a year.

It's too long.

It takes three times as long
to get to Irkutsk now.

The rivers are in flood.

We have to wait till winter
for them to freeze over.

Besides, it's 3,500 versts
from here to Irkutsk.

Are you kidding?

We risked our lives believing
we could come back home!

Captain, that wasn't the deal!

You said the opposite...

You said that from Okhotsk,
we'd be able to get home.

Captain, please, talk to him again.

We want to go home!

Ask him one more time.

- Just ask him.
- Get a grip on yourself!

There's nothing else I can do for you.

I'm sorry.

Even if we go there together,
it won't change anything.

Actually, he'll probably order to
take back the money given to you.

You have to wait.

Thanks to Nevidimov, we are
allowed to stay in the post office.

Get your things.

This is the place.

Well, time to say goodbye.

Yakov...

Thank you.

You helped us a lot.

No, I should thank you.

We wouldn't have been able
to come home without you.

We have to wait a whole year.

Captain...

Let's go to Irkutsk.

I agree.

It's better to go to Irkutsk than
to wait here for a whole year.

Irkutsk is 900 ri from here.

It's nine times as much
as from Edo to Kyoto.

So what?

There's nothing for us
to do here anyway.

Captain...

We didn't build a ship and
come here to sit and wait.

Let's go.

I was told that this is the
coldest place in the world.

If you get frost-bitten, your hands
and feet will rot the same day.

The next day, your nose will fall off.

On the third day...

... you'll be dead.

Captain...

It's about time we got
used to the cold and hunger.

We have nothing else
to be afraid of here.

No.

I can't put you under such risk.

Captain...

We've made a long way.

We have to go to Irkutsk.

Listen carefully to what I'm about to say.

We have four months of travel in
this freezing weather ahead of us.

So far, we've been helping one another.

But from now on,
you can't rely on others.

If you help another,
you may die yourself.

Think only about your own survival.

We won't bury anyone.
Anyone who dies will stay in the snow.

That is my last word.

Come on! Get up!

Captain!

Captain!

This is hell.

We're in hell.

It hurts.

It hurts.

Well, we've made it.
We're in Irkutsk.

March, 8th.

Our five-month journey
through hell is over.

Irkutsk is situated on the
shore of Lake Baikal.

The town has more than 3,000
houses and 10,000 inhabitants.

IRKUTSK

The governor ended his service and
went back to Petersburg last month.

Went back?

- When will the new one be here?
- No one knows.

What about the application?

It was sent to the capital.
We're waiting for the response.

- When will it come?
- I don't know.

What are we supposed to do?

Wait here.

Each of you will get
enough money to live on.

Pyotr Zakharovich,
give them an allowance.

They give money to foreigners
who suffered a shipwreck.

What a generous country.

What happened?

Captain!

We've found Japanese writing!

Tsugaru Kyutaro.

See?

And here...

... it says "Tsugaru Sannosuke."

Japanese people lived here.

Do you think they returned home?

Captain, what did the governor say?

- The thing is...
- Good afternoon!

Hello.

I came here as soon as I learned
there were Japanese people here.

Sannosuke is my father.

What happened to them?
Where are they now?

Where is your father now?

In heaven.

Sannosuke died 18 years ago.

Kyutaro died 20 years ago.

They're both dead.

I heard that my father's ship hit a
storm on the way from Tsugaru

and ended up in Russia.

They lived in Russia for twenty years?

Twenty years...

No! I don't want to stay here!

It hurts!

I don't want to stay here!

He's frostbitten!
We need a doctor!

I see...

The doctor says...

... if we don't amputate,
it will spread and you will die.

Is there really no other way?

Captain, it doesn't hurt anymore.
I feel better.

Really.

Don't cut my leg off.

Don't do it.

It doesn't hurt anymore.

I feel better.

- Why?
- It means that the leg is completely dead.

If we amputate, you will live.

We have to believe the doctor.

Please, go ahead.

Let's begin.

Shin, what's going to happen to us?

I'll return to Japan whatever it takes.

Look, it's Captain!

Captain!

It's beetroot soup today.

Captain, what did the governor say?

- Are you hurt?
- I'm fine.

Thank you.

Captain!

- Do you transport these sacks alone?
- Yes.

Are you those Japanese people
who were shipwrecked?

How do you know?

Everybody is talking about you in town.

Thanks.

Thanks a lot.

Thank you for your help.

You're welcome.

Thank you again and good luck.

Whoa!

How are you feeling?

It doesn't hurt anymore.

It's good.

I've been invited to someone
named Shelekhov.

He's the new governor's friend.

He might be able to help us.

Leave me alone!

It's unbelievable.

You crossed the Okhotsk Sea
on a ship you made yourselves.

It sounds like a fantasy.

You're very brave people.

I was also not far from Kamchatka
at the time. I was buying furs there.

I had three ships there.

If you keep killing animals for profit,
there will be none left in all of Russia.

Another sermon from you?

This pessimist here is
Kirill Gustavovich Laxman,

member of
St. Petersburg Academy of Science.

He's an eminent scientist
and speaks 17 languages.

I don't speak Japanese, though.

But I've heard a lot about
Japanese scientists...

... Nakagawa Junan
and Katsuragawa Hoshu.

Do you know Katsuragawa Hoshu?

Thunberg...

... who published the book
The Plants of Japan...

... mentions them in his travel notes.

We live on this sphere?

You look surprised.

You probably don't know that...

... the globe rotates every day.

So why don't people on the bottom fall?

Can you actually answer this question?

From Siberia to St. Petersburg
stretches the Russian Empire.

Japan is here.

This is Japan?

It's so small.

- A Japanese school?
- Yes.

In 1705, Pyotr the Great opened a
Japanese school in Petersburg.

The teachers were
Dembei and Sanima.

Later, Sozo and Gonzo.

All of them got to Russia
because of shipwrecks.

In 1754 the school relocated to Irkutsk.

The new teachers were
Kyutaro and Sannosuke.

Did any of them return?

Unfortunately, not.

Not a single one of them?

Koudayu, sit down, please.

I have a lot of things I
want to ask you about.

I'd also like you to help me
with my work.

And starting from tomorrow,
you'll eat with us.

Leave me alone!

Don't say that.
She's worried about you.

Sorry.

Shinzo, that concerns you too.

Shut up!

Don't be like that.

The weather is nice here.

- Let's go outside?
- Outside?

Outside?

Shinzo, touch it.

Touch my leg.
It's not there anymore!

Oh, you're that Japanese man.

My name's Shinzo.

I'm Nina.

Thank you for you help.

Do you want me to show you the town?

I do.

Whoa!

What are you doing?

- Are you hungry?
- Yes, of course.

This was drawn by a Russian
based on a Dutchman's words.

But this map is not accurate enough.

Do you think you'd be able to make
corrections or draw a new one?

- Can I take it home?
- Of course.

- Koudayu.
- Yes?

Yesterday,
I wrote to a friend of mine.

He's a very influential person
in Petersburg.

In the letter, I ask him to inquire
about your application and assist you.

Thank you.

But it would be better
if you signed it with your name.

In hieroglyphs.

You're right.

This brush works much better.

Yes.

Well?

You put the plants on the cardboard,
then put a sheet of paper on top.

And then you put it under a press.

And then you dry it.

- How long?
- Four months.

It's enough now.

How many children do you have?

We promised each other
not to discuss family.

It was so cruel of me to ask that.

Please, forgive me.

Some peoples who underwent
China's influence use chopsticks.

Is anything wrong?

They're just curious
about your chopsticks.

My husband died two years ago.

He had too much to drink
and froze to death.

Thanks a lot for your help.

I like working too.

I'm tired of waiting.

Do you have family back in Japan?

My father died when I was seven.

Then I became a sailor.

When I was thirteen,
my mother died of hunger.

Looks like Shinzo has a
crush on the widow.

She's got him wrapped
around her little finger.

And Captain does nothing
except go to Laxman all the time.

And listens to things
he doesn't understand.

Doesn't anyone want
to return home anymore?

It would be better if no one returned.

No country in the world can
exist in isolation nowadays.

For example, in order to fully
exploit all the resources in Siberia...

... or sea resources in Eastern Russia,
we need trade relations with Japan.

- Is that what the Japanese school is for?
- Of course.

England and France are also
sending ships to the Sea of Japan...

... in order to establish
trade relations with Japan.

- England and France?
- Koudayu!

The world is developing rapidly.

Japan is small.

If it falls behind,
it can cease to exist.

Do you understand?

What Laxman told us seemed incredible.

The more I listened to him,
the more enriched I felt.

No!

Coward!
Pull yourself together!

However much you torture yourself,
you can't get your leg back.

Leave.

Go away!

Forgive me.

Please, understand...

You have to live.

You have to live the life you have.

He's here, Captain.

Shozo!

I wanted you to see this.

Thank God.

Shinzo, get me a stick.

Put me down.

Nina!

Nina!

What's wrong?

- They're taking away my mill.
- They're what?

Because of my husband's debt.

I tried to paid it back,
but it's over now.

They don't want to wait any longer.

We'll work together
and pay off your debt.

You'll go back to Japan.

We can't go back.

We can't.

Shozo, the governor wants to see us.

I received a document from the capital saying
that you and five other Japanese citizens

have to abandon your
attempts to return to Japan.

Why?

Why is that?

You have to serve the country
as Japanese teachers.

We want to re-open the
school with your help.

Of course, you'll get accommodation
and a good salary.

No.

Let us return to Japan.

If you refuse the service, we'll be forced
to stop supporting you financially.

Please, help us return.

We have nothing to discuss here.

It's over.

We're going to die away from home.

No.

I'm not going to stay here forever.

It's naive to expect
they will send us home.

What did you say?
You don't want to go home?

- You don't?
- Stop it.

It's not his fault.

Captain!

I want to go home.

I want to go back home.

Captain!

I know it's not the best time...

But...

I've decided to stay.

I'll live with Nina.

Ever since I fell in love with her...

... I've been thinking a lot...

... about the day we return home.

But then I realized that we're
just wasting time hoping in vain.

Maybe, I will regret my decision.

But it's...

... my own decision.

I'm sorry, Captain.

Shinzo!

Take care.

What happened?

I received a note
from my friend in the capital.

You application hasn't been
presented to Katerina the Great.

It was simply shelved.

Russia lacks Pyotr.

Koudayu...

Koudayu, would you mind
going to Petersburg with me?

If your application has been shelved...

... it's better for you to talk
to the Empress herself.

After the New Year, I'm going to
Petersburg, to the Academy of Science.

But to see Katerina the Great...

... is the same as to see
the shogun in Japan.

Yes, it's not easy to get an audience with
the Empress, but we will do our best.

I come from a village called Bratsk.
It's in the middle of nowhere.

It doesn't matter.

January 15th, 1791.

On this sunny day we left Irkutsk.

Petersburg is 6, 500 versts away.

It's very far.

You don't resist the
invisible force of destiny.

Instead, you rely on it
in order to achieve your goal.

This must be what the wisdom
of Japanese people consists in.

If the invisible force of destiny is
responsible for us meeting each other...

... it's my duty to help you return home.

It will be my pleasure to do it.

Koudayu!

Koudayu!

Captain!

I have...

... converted to Christianity.

I've been christened Sitnikov.

In Japan, death awaits a Christian.

I can't go back now.

Thank you.

Captain, I will stay in Irkutsk.

I'll become a Japanese teacher.

May God help me.

Thank you for everything.

Thank you a lot.

Your return to your motherland
has to happen.

All your sailors, as well as
Japan and Russia need it.

The one who leads is always lonely.

But no goal can be achieved
without such people.

Did you meet a French traveler
in Okhotsk?

You made quite an impression on him.

He devoted eight pages
of his travel notes to you.

If the Empress read it,
she would become interested in you.

Early April.
We have arrived in Petersburg.

This palace is the residence
of Katerina the Great.

It's called the Winter Palace.

Where is the Empress's room?

Koudayu, there are
five hundred rooms.

- Count Bezborodko?
- That's right.

He's general-in-chief.

He acts as the Empress's advisor.

- Is there any chance?
- Good morning, Your Excellency!

I kindly ask you to consider...

This is Koudayu.
And this is Count Bezborodko.

My name is Koudayu Daikokuya.

I have heard a lot about you.

But matters relating to shipwrecked Japanese
are Count Vorontsov's responsibility.

I will tell him about your problem.

We'll go to the chairman of the
Academy of Science now.

He can talk to Count Vorontsov
about you.

Alright.

Are you alright?

Are you alright?

I feel dizzy. I have a fever too.
Looks like I caught a cold.

You need to rest.

He has a high fever.
His condition is extremely worrisome.

Help him.

I'll do what I can.

The highest point will be
today or tomorrow.

If he gets through it,
he might be able to recover.

I was ready to sacrifice my return to
Japan for the sake of his recovery.

I couldn't abandon him.

Yes?

May I come in?

You have mail.

Thank you.

Kyuemon died last night.

Before he died, he cried and said
he wanted to die in his motherland.

Does the same fate await all of us?

Isn't there any chance to return home?

Forgive me, my friend,
but I need to go.

(Inaudible)

I'm sorry, gentlemen, but not today.
I have to say goodbye to you.

I asked Count Vorontsov, but there's
no answer yet. You will have to wait.

Will I get an audience?

It's unclear yet.

A war with Turkey might break out
soon, so we're very occupied.

But maybe later...

Koudayu...

Do you know what it is?

It's a map.

Yes, it's the map of Turkey.

This sign denotes a castle.

And this is where troops are.

Would you be able to make
a similar map of Japan?

And mark ports and castles on it.

Of course, you don't have to.

I just thought...

If you made a map of Japan...

... we would have a pretext to
introduce you to Her Majesty.

Thank you.

I'm very grateful to you.

Not at all.

It's hot.

Why have you marked
ports and castles here?

I was asked to by Count Bezborodko.

He probably said
that if you made a map,

it would be easier for you
to meet the Empress.

Yes.

How typical of politicians.

- Should I refuse?
- No.

In order to meet the Empress...

... all means are good.

Long live Katerina!

They say Katerina is
in Tsarskoye Selo.

Oh yes, it's May already.

The whole court will stay in the
summer palace until August.

Even better.

We'll go to Tsarskoye Selo.

Don't worry.

It's even better.

The atmosphere is more relaxed there, so
it'll be easier for you to get an audience.

I'll talk to my friend Busch.
He's a court gardener.

Also, his younger sister is
Her Majesty's maid of honor.

Let's go.

I'll go alone.

- Are you sure?
- Yes.

Tsarskoye Selo is located
not far from the capital.

I traveled alone for the first time.

My name is Koudayu Daikokuya.

Kirill's friend is my friend.
Make yourself at home.

Thank you very much.

Here is my sister Sofia.
She serves the Empress.

- Katerina the Great is German?
- Yes.

She came from Poland
to marry Pyotr Ill.

But Pyotr Ill wasn't capable
of ruling the country.

So he was removed
from the throne by the Empress.

Her Majesty decided
to rule by herself.

The Empress fought
against Turkey in the south,

Poland in the west,
and Sweden in the north.

And she was always victorious.

Her Majesty managed to significantly
expand the territory of Russia.

Her Majesty is very occupied indeed.

Because all decisions: new laws,
political events, and wars...

... are her responsibility.

Sofia!

In his letter, Kirill mentions
some travel notes.

Do you happen to know
if Her Majesty has read them?

Koudayu, are you that Japanese
man who is mentioned there?

I don't know.

If Her Majesty reads the book...

... she might become
interested in Koudayu.

Yes. I'll ask Her Majesty.

If she does, it will be much
easier for me to talk to her.

I implore you.

I promise to do everything I can.

If she agrees, it will be done.

There you are!

At last!

I found you!

Kirill...

Kirill Gustavovich!

Koudayu, stop it. Come on.

Interesting.

Even castles and ports are marked.

How many military ships
are there in Japan?

He said they didn't have a navy.

What a peaceful country.

Well, it will be easier to win.

To what extent are England and
France interested in Japan?

I don't know what you have in mind.

But don't you think that our country
has a great opportunity...

... to establish trade
relationships with Japan?

It has been Russia's dream...

... ever since the times of Pyotr.

Nehmen Sie bitte Platz, mein Herz.

Danke sch�n.

I've been studying Japan
for a long time now.

It's a country of peculiar culture.

There, a gifted man like Koudayu
is an ordinary sailor.

It's an incredible country.

You're being sentimental,
like all scientists.

I'm not being sentimental.

We're waging a war against Turkey.
But Japan is not our enemy.

If we send these Japanese people
home, it will be a great pretext

to establish friendly relations.

But sending a ship to Japan
will entail considerable expenses.

I'm sure they will pay off.

In any case, the final decision
regarding this is up to Her Majesty.

The day after tomorrow,
Her Majesty will go to the theater.

We wouldn't want to waste
this opportunity.

I am going to sing a song

written by a lady from Her Majesty's
inner circle, Sofia Ivanovna Busch.

This song expresses homesickness
felt by Koudayu...

... who ended up in Russia eight years
ago because of a shipwreck.

Somewhere beyond the fields,
the uncropped fields

Lies the sorrowless native land

How are you holding on,
my dear friend?

On Her Majesty's permission...

... I would like to present good news.

In Babadag, seven thousand
Russian soldiers

under the command of
General Kutuzov...

... have defeated a forty-thousand
strong Turkish army.

In comparison with the state...

... or the war...

... I'm so little and insignificant.

Koudayu!

Koudayu!

It's been arranged!

It's been arranged!

You have the audience.

Koudayu!

The day after tomorrow.

Count Vorontsov. Koudayu.
Count Bezborodko.

I will wait for an appropriate
moment to ask for an audience.

Meanwhile,
you stay behind and wait.

Stay vigilant.

Please.

W a it here.

Don't worry.

Don't worry.
The audience will begin soon.

Her Majesty has agreed to see you.
Let's go.

Let's go.

Come forward.

Your Majesty, here is that man.

- Come closer.
- Come closer.

It says here that since you landed,
many of your people have died.

How many of your fellow citizens died?

Twelve out of seventeen people.

What a shame.

So you want to return
to your motherland.

You don't like Russia?

It is not that.

Russia saved my life.
I was born again here.

Born again?

Here, for the first time,
I recognized myself as Japanese.

And before you did not realize that?

Here, for the first time,
I saw people

who looked differently
and spoke a different language.

I see. What's next?

When I learned a lot of new things
about the world, about politics,

I felt like I was born again.

You are speaking almost like
one French philosopher.

Is this a Japanese book?

It contains song lyrics
for the puppet theater.

Puppet theater?

Can you sing something?
Right now.

- Now?
- This is Her Majesty's wish.

I will try.

Enough.

Enough!

I want to hear you talk
about Japan again sometime.

Please!

Please!

Let us return to Japan!

For eight years, I have lived
with the hope of returning home!

Please!

Stop it! It's inappropriate.

Koudayu!

Forgive me.

You want to go home so much?

Yes.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Then you may return to Japan.

I grant your request.

Thank you.

Thank you.

- The Ise harbor is beautiful.
- Well done.

What is it?

That is all for today. Goodbye.

Your efforts were not in vain, Captain.

It became possible because of
help from many people.

How have you been?

I get 300 rubles in silver a year.

You may not get even three back home.

Take care of Shozo.

Don't worry.

Farewell and good luck.

Thank you.

Goodbye.

Thank you.

September 13th, 1792.

Nine years and nine months
after leaving the Ise harbor,

we are returning to Japan
on a Russian ship.

I am overcome with
indescribable feelings.

We're home.

We're in Japan!

What's this place?

It's home.

Home.

We've returned.

A boat is coming.

Strike sail and anchor!

A platoon of sailors
to the starboard side.

Come in.

Here he is.

- Koudayu, help us with translation.
- Alright.

I'm Koudayu Daikokuya from Ise.

Let me assist you in translating.

My daughter must have already
married and had a child.

But...

It will be difficult to meet the families of
those who haven't returned, though.

Koudayu, what's wrong?

Why aren't you translating?

He says that those who
have returned from abroad...

... will be executed.

How ignorant.

On behalf of the Russian Empire,

we have sailed here to return three
Japanese citizens and hand over a letter.

If Matsumae County refuses
to welcome us...

... we will go to Edo and talk
to your government directly.

Translate it.

Attention!

Hold on.

These are dairies
that I've kept for ten years.

If you read them, you will be able to
learn more about Russia and Russians.

Please, hand them over
to the government.

EDO CASTLE

If they have sailed here under the
pretext of returning the sailors,

we cannot refuse them entry
based on our closed borders policy.

If we do, they will sail to Edo.

But we don't have
military ships or cannons.

Edo doesn't have a military either.

But they are not going to land.

Therefore, their aim is to
establish trade relationships.

Governor Sadanobu,

you want to open the borders and break
the rule we have followed for 150 years?

It has to happen someday.

But we have a lot of problems now.

We have just quenched
the peasant revolt.

Now we have to do everything to support
peasants, craftsmen, and traders.

It's not the right time
to expose the country.

But Russians say they're not going
to return the sailors otherwise.

What should we do?

We have no choice.
They'll have to go back to Russia.

Don't worry, Captain.

Given the distance between
Matsumae and Edo,

a response will come
in no less than three months.

Koudayu!

We've been told that the
Japanese side won't accept you

unless we reach an
agreement with them.

But we have permission to enter the
port of Nagasaki. It's enough for me.

So I intend to go back to Russia.

We can return! Do you hear?

We'll be back home tomorrow.

We're going home.

We're going home.

Salute!

Disembark!

Koichi!

We're back on Japanese soil.

Can one only return
to the motherland dead?

We should have stayed in Russia.

We didn't do anything wrong.

We didn't.

We didn't do anything wrong.

Do you hear?

We didn't do anything wrong.

Captain, is it a crime to see
and get to know another country?

As soon as you learn
something new, you change.

And when people change,
the world changes too.

- Like in America and France?
- Yes.

Yes. This is what
powers that be are afraid of.

Stop it!
No talking in a foreign language!

But there are people who understand the
importance of what we have brought back.

People like us.

Halt!

Captain!

Was everything we experienced
in Russia only a dream?

It can't have been.

When Koudayu was brought to Edo,
he was pardoned on the shogun's order
and received ahouse on Bancho Street.

He re-married and had two children.

He died at the age of 78.

As a result of steps taken
by Koudayu and Laxman,
Japan and Russia established
diplomatic relations.