Collecting disaster debris is still a challenge for Akita a month after torrential rains flooded a total of more than 5,000 houses and other buildings in the city.
The Akita Municipal Government is responding partly by suspending collection of recyclable waste, but it remains to be seen when the problem will be resolved.
In the city's Narayama district, many houses were inundated as the Taihei River overflowed. Although work to collect flood debris, such as tatami mats and furniture, is making gradually headway, disaster refuse is still piling up in vacant lots.