Seven years have passed since the July 2018 torrential rains, and residents have returned to Mabi, Kurashiki City, where new shops are also opening.
Since the disaster, “Kawabe Reconstruction Project Aruku” has played a part in Mabi’s recovery.
We spoke with Kawabe Reconstruction Project Aruku, which quickly began working to create places where local residents can gather and continues its activities so people can live with peace of mind.
The information presented here was current when this article was published in July 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Kawabe Reconstruction Project Aruku
Kawabe Reconstruction Project Aruku (hereafter, “Aruku”) was formed in October 2018.
Makihara Satomi, who launched the project, serves as its representative.
As of July 2025, it has 23 members.
The group holds salons where local residents can connect and gives disaster-preparedness talks at schools. A total of 1,380 people attended its salons and events in fiscal 2024.
Aruku’s activities
Aruku’s work is based mainly on three pillars:
- Programs to foster interaction, connections, and a sense of purpose among residents
- Programs for building a safe community (local disaster preparedness)
- Programs to prevent the West Japan torrential rains disaster from fading from memory
Programs to foster interaction, connections, and a sense of purpose among residents
Aruku holds salon activities around 7–10 times a month to provide a place for local residents to connect. It shares information with residents and supporters through its monthly newsletter, “Aruku News.”
The group holds events such as craft-making sessions and aromatherapy experiences. Its “Relaxation Yoga Group” is also a popular salon that has been running for many years.
Each event has a clear purpose. The Relaxation Yoga Group began with the aim of providing a place to exercise for people who had taken lessons before the disaster, as well as those who struggled with insomnia afterward.
To make it easy to join, salon activities are generally held on a drop-in basis, with participants paying the fee on the day. This makes it easy to take a break when feeling unwell and provides a sustainable way to participate without overexertion.
The activities are supported by volunteers, and the flexible system, in which roles are not fixed, is one reason they have continued for so long.
Programs for building a safe community (local disaster preparedness)
During the July 2018 torrential rains, almost every home in Kawabe, Mabi, Kurashiki City, was completely or partially destroyed.
The Kawabe district has no high ground, so there were no evacuation shelters during flooding, and support and information were insufficient. For this reason, Aruku is also working hard on local disaster-preparedness activities in cooperation with the Community Development Promotion Council.
“Yellow Tashiki of Happiness”: Neighbors alerting one another
During the torrential rains disaster, people said they did not know whether their neighbors had evacuated and had been unable to call out to them.
In response to the suggestion that tying a yellow sash to the front door during a disaster could let neighbors know that one another had evacuated, the “Yellow Sash Campaign” was launched as a joint project with the Bitchu Prefectural Citizens Bureau.
With the cooperation of neighborhood associations and local groups, the sashes have been distributed to every household in the Kawabe district. People who have moved to the district sometimes contact Aruku to ask, “Could I have a yellow sash?”
Annual safety-check drills have been held since 2021, and this year marks the fifth drill. As a result, more than 60% of households have taken part in the drills.
Programs to prevent the West Japan torrential rains disaster from fading from memory
With the aim of preventing the July 2018 torrential rains (the West Japan torrential rains), the starting point of Aruku’s activities, from fading from memory, the group works to share experiences of flooding widely and improve disaster preparedness throughout Japan.
Sharing the importance of disaster preparedness for the future
As part of disaster preparedness, Aruku gives disaster-preparedness talks at local elementary, junior high, and high schools upon request.
It also gives talks elsewhere in and outside the prefecture, delivering 45 talks in fiscal 2024.
Requests for disaster-preparedness lessons and visits to the area from junior high schools are also increasing, and Aruku has hosted groups of up to 130 people. During visits, members ride along on the bus and serve as guides.
The group also runs the “Junior Disaster Preparedness Leader Training Course,” which will enter its fourth term in 2025.
The course is for fifth-grade elementary school students living in Kurashiki City. Over three days, they learn about disaster preparedness through lessons and games.
It attracts so much interest that enrollment reaches capacity soon after registration opens.
Creating and using the Disaster Preparedness Parent-Child Handbook
The Disaster Preparedness Parent-Child Handbook was created to share lessons learned from disasters widely.
Taking into account how difficult it can be to devote time and money to disaster preparedness in everyday life, it brings together practical information designed to serve as a “disaster-preparedness switch.”
The handbook is sent to anyone who requests it, with recipients paying only the postage. Around 45,000 copies have been distributed across Japan, not just in Okayama.
The first edition focused on “getting away” and conveyed the importance of evacuation, while the second focused on “being prepared” and also addressed life after a disaster. It is about the same size as a Maternal and Child Health Handbook (Parent and Child Health Handbook), making it easy to use for families with young children.
Written in simple language with few words, it is easy for older people and people with disabilities to read. It has also received positive feedback in corporate training, where people say it is “easy to understand even for those who are not interested in disaster preparedness.”
It also includes advice based on real experiences, such as “using earphones at an evacuation shelter can help you feel calm.” These firsthand accounts are the strength of the Disaster Preparedness Parent-Child Handbook.
Creating the picture book and its reach
The picture book “When It Rains and Rains” was created through discussions among mothers who were raising children at the time of the 2018 disaster.
The illustrations were drawn by a sixth-grade elementary school student who experienced the torrential rains disaster. By reflecting both the mother’s and child’s perspectives, the book became a work that could reach more people.
The group initially planned to make it a how-to book on disaster preparedness.
However, as discussions continued, they came to aim for a picture book that would prompt readers to consider what they wanted to tell children and think about together with them, through events that had actually happened.
“We hope this picture book will give families a chance to talk about where they would evacuate and what they should prepare,” says Aruku representative Makihara Satomi.
The picture book “When It Rains and Rains” is donated to educational institutions, childcare facilities, and disaster-preparedness organizations in Okayama Prefecture that request it. It has also been selected as a crowdfunding reward for a campaign running through July 13, 2025.
We interviewed representative Makihara Satomi, who began these activities soon after the disaster and continues to work actively today.
Kawabe Recovery Project Aruku Information
| Organization Name | Kawabe Recovery Project Aruku |
|---|---|
| Representative | Makihara Satomi |
| Established | October 2018 |
| Address | 123-1 Kawabe, Mabi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, Room 103, Merveille |
| Contact | 080-5752-0111 |
| Website | Kawabe Recovery Project Aruku |
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