As this month marks the first anniversary of torrential rain in western Japan, the Chugoku Shimbun has talked to several current and former residents of Ohara Heights, a residential area built in the 1970s that housed 315 residents in 113 households before the disaster. Here are some of their stories.
Yukie Kirioka, 71
At one area of an empty lot, where the house of Yukie Kirioka, 71, used to live with her late husband, there is a small flower bed. Kirioka built it in May and planted dogwood flower seeds and trees — her favorite.