Synopsis

When she was just four years old, Marylka “Yoe” Uusisaari became fascinated with the fact that she could move her toes. There was something magical in that simple act, and she needed to understand how it was possible. That first flicker of curiosity eventually led her to become a neuroscientist, and to settle on a small Japanese island named Miyagi, just off the island of Okinawa.

In a land of spirits, ghosts, and ancient traditions, the now 50-year-old Finn has made a home in a village between jungle and sea, becoming part of a close-knit community. Her curiosity has only deepened.

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As one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, Yoe heads a laboratory at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), where she teaches and leads a team investigating the brain and movement—research that could advance understanding of neurodegenerative diseases.

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In contrast with the high-tech facilities of OIST, Yoe lives simply in a traditional Okinawan house on Miyagi, with no furniture and no hot water. She spends her days with neighbors, joins local rituals, and explores the island’s ocean and jungle. The slower rhythm gives her space to reflect on the unexpected path that brought her from Finland to Japan.

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Growing up in Finland, Yoe always tried to fit in. But her mixed Finnish and Polish roots, as well as her insatiable curiosity, made her feel an outsider. When she moved to Japan, she knew she would always be a foreigner there, and for the first could embrace her difference and just be herself. After several years in Tokyo, a lost career-defining opportunity left her in despair. Feeling adrift, she accepted a position in Okinawa and relocated to Miyagi, where the community immediately welcomed her with open arms.

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Yoe has faced burnout more than once under the pressure of research, yet she always found her way back: to her work, to Miyagi, to herself. Now she reaches a new turning point. In September 2025, she learns she will not receive the permanent position at OIST she has been working toward.

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With her contract ending, she must dismantle the lab she built over ten years and prepare to leave Okinawa—closing one chapter of her life and beginning again, somewhere unknown.

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