While the internet has become a common and effective way for most people to reconnect with long-lost acquaintances, friends, or family members, not everyone can be found through online means.

That was the case for a Canadian musician who always wondered what happened to her childhood best friend from grade school in Japan.

As a nine-year-old in 1988, Jessica Stuart moved with her family from Vancouver to the town of Saku in rural Japan, where her parents had jobs as English teachers for a year.

As most people there had never seen a blond-haired person before, she was treated with fascination but not many people actually wanted to get to know her.

The exception was one girl named Fukue who became her best pal.

Although they enjoyed their time together, Stuart was aware that Fukue was the subject of intense bullying from her peers.

After Stuart and her family moved back to Vancouver, she kept in touch with Fukue as penpals.

But at one point, Stuart stopped hearing back from Fukue.

Although Stuart searched for her online, she could not find any record of her and began to worry about what happened to her.

After 30 years, Stuart, who became a professional musician, decided to return to Japan to find Fukue and CBC Docs accompanied her to record Stuart's search that, at times, becomes quite emotional.

Before watching the 20-minute documentary Finding Fukue, make sure you have a box of tissues by your side if you're prone to waterworks.

Stuart, who is now based in Toronto, also addressed several questions from viewers in a series of videos she posted on YouTube. She explains that she had made previous efforts to search for Fukue in Japan but was unable to locate her.