Ichiro's Odyssey

Japan 1933 â€" The echoes of the distant war in Manchuria hardly disturb 13-year-old Ichiro’s easy life in Kyoto, but following an under-age love affair he is sent to a Zen Buddhist monastery. With the outbreak of war with China, he is seized from the monastery and conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army. The saga of his war experiences in the subjugated countries of Asia changes him completely and culminates in his repatriation to his devastated homeland. Set against the historical events of the Asia-Pacific war, the drama unfolds from the perspective of a young man caught up in the militarist ambitions of 20th century Japan.