KYIV, Ukraine—In the capital of war-torn Ukraine, the keeper of a Japanese cultural exchange center keeps its doors open, hoping to offer the students a haven of normalcy, despite the personal danger to himself.

Stepping through the glass doors of the Ukraine-Japan Center, visitors may feel as if they have teleported directly from Kyiv into the heart of Japan.

Japanese words pop out from event posters, magazines, books and comics from every corner of the center, which is located in the library of the National Technical University of Ukraine.

“We store some 15,000 Japanese books here,” said Hitoshi Nakamura, 56, who has been working at the Ukraine-Japan Center for 13 years.

“It’s probably the largest collection among former Soviet Union republics,” he said.

Operated by funds from the Japan Foundation and other sources, the center also offers classes on the Japanese language, tea ceremonies, ikebana, “sashiko” stitching methods and playing the shakuhachi—all organized by Nakamura.

“Despite the circumstances facing this country, students continue to come here regularly,” Nakamura said gratefully.

ACT OF RESISTANCE

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukraine-Japan Center closed temporarily.

A TV tower nearby was bombed as Russian troops approached the city. Traffic signs were painted over in preparation for potential street fighting.

Amid the growing tension, Nakamura remained determined to stay in the Ukrainian capital.

After the Russian military withdrew from the Kyiv suburb, the Ukraine-Japan Center reopened in April 2022. Similar cultural exchange facilities for the United States, Britain and other nations remained closed.

Students returned to the Ukraine-Japan Center one by one.

Nakamura was relieved to see them smile, while avoiding talk of the war.

“Carrying on with daily life as usual is an act of resistance for these citizens,” said Nakamura. “My resistance lies in keeping the center open.”

BONDS FORMED VIA POWERLIFTING

Nakamura was born in 1968 in Kanagawa Prefecture, outside Tokyo.

His love of powerlifting led him to Ukraine.

As a rugby enthusiast in his third year of high school, he started visiting a powerlifting gym near his school with a classmate in 1986.

“I loved the scrum and other skills that required physical power,” he recalled. “So I became hooked (on powerlifting) right away.”

Nakamura devoted himself to hard training and competed in international powerlifting events.

In 1995, Nakamura traveled to Russia for the first time to participate in a Japanese-Russian friendship tournament held in Irkutsk in eastern Siberia.

He spent a week at a Russian athlete’s villa by Lake Baikal, despite not being able to speak a word of Russian.

Although initially intimidated by the Russian athletes, he said, “Everyone was so cheerful, like in Latin cultures. They treated me really well.”

He soon wanted to talk with them in their own language.

Nakamura, who finished second in the 100-kilogram division of an Asian powerlifting contest in 2000, began to look for opportunities to study outside Japan.

He took an interest in Ukraine because both Russian and Ukrainian are spoken there--allowing him to study two languages at the same time. Ukraine had also produced a succession of global event winners and other exceptional powerlifters.

In 2002, Nakamura began taking classes at Kyiv National Linguistic University at the age of 34.

Growing fond of the “placid nature” of Ukrainians, Nakamura changed his original plan of studying there for just one year. He joined the school’s Slavic faculty the next year while specializing in the Russian teaching methodology for non-native speakers.

After graduating, Nakamura was offered a job at the Ukraine-Japan Center in 2010.

NO RETURNING TO JAPAN

Since the Russian invasion, which Nakamura calls a betrayal of their “brother country,” Nakamura’s friends in Japan have flooded him with messages urging him to flee.

Despite their concerns, Nakamura has no intention of going back to his homeland.

One reason is that as Ukraine prepared for military conscription, men between the ages of 18 and 60 were prohibited from leaving the country.

Nakamura found it difficult to leave others behind in the war-torn nation.

Another reason he felt compelled to stay is that a Ukrainian doctor had saved his life during his second year in Ukraine--Nakamura had injured his trachea during powerlifting practice and nearly died.

“I do not have a family,” explained Nakamura. “Ukraine has done a lot for me over the past 20 years.”

While Nakamura yearns to relax in safety in Japan, he is determined to do so only after peace is restored in Ukraine.