When Isao Akutagawa moved to the sleepy riverside community of Mabicho in Okayama Prefecture 45 years ago, it seemed like the perfect suburb to raise his children.
In the town, which was merged with the nearby city of Kurashiki in 2005 and is now called the Mabicho district, land was cheap and he could drive to his job in Kurashiki.
As he built his home next to rice paddies 2 km from the Oda River bank, he heard stories about a flood the year before, but didn't pay much notice until local politicians began warning residents it could happen again.