We Left Chiba Just a Little Earlier

On August 13, heavy rain fell across Chiba.

It caused serious damage in the area where we live.

We had left Chiba shortly before the rain became severe.

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It was mukae-bon, the first day of Obon, when families welcome the spirits of their ancestors home.

That morning, we visited the family grave.

When we returned, a Buddhist priest from the temple next door came to our house and chanted sutras.

My wife’s older sister and her husband then arrived.

I drove everyone back to the family grave for another visit.

Afterward, we had lunch together and returned home.

Until then, it had been an ordinary day during Obon.

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Shortly after two in the afternoon, my wife and I left for Tokyo by car.

Looking back, that may have been the latest possible moment to get out of Chiba before the roads became impassable.

My wife’s sister and her husband live in Saitama.

They left our house shortly after four, hoping to get home before the rain became worse.

By then, however, the expressway had already been closed.

They had no choice but to take local roads, and the journey home took them about four and a half hours.

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My wife’s younger sister and her family, who also live in Chiba, were caught in the heavy rain.

After driving to the school to pick up their child, the road conditions deteriorated.

They eventually became stranded in a nearby parking lot and could not move for about five hours.

A difference of only a few hours separated those who were able to travel from those who could not.

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By that time, we had already passed through Tokyo and were heading toward Kanagawa.

My wife, a friend, and I had dinner at a horse-meat restaurant in Machida that I had wanted to try.

I hoped to take other family members there eventually, but none of us had been there before.

We therefore decided to try it ourselves first.

The conversation continued until after nine that evening.

I had to pick up my mother at around eight the following morning, so we went to bed early.

We still did not fully understand what was happening back in Chiba.

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The next morning, I collected my mother and spent the morning at the hospital with her.

That afternoon, we returned home together and watched the news.

Only then did I begin to understand the scale of the damage left by the previous night’s rain.

Roads were flooded.

Cars were submerged.

Water had entered buildings.

Serious damage had also occurred around Shisui, where we live, and in nearby Sakura.

Casualties were being reported as well.

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On a personal level, I was shocked to learn that the local day spa I visit three or four times a week would be closed indefinitely because of equipment damage.

Of course, being unable to visit a hot spring cannot be compared with losing a home or a car.

Still, when a place that had become part of my daily life was affected, the disaster suddenly felt much closer.

This was not something happening only on the news.

It had happened within the area where I live my everyday life.

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Fortunately, our house did not suffer any serious damage.

Before it was renovated, the roof used to leak.

Since the work was completed, however, we have had no such problems.

Even during this rain, no water entered the house.

My father-in-law, who had been home alone, told us that the power had gone out briefly.

We were also hearing that continued caution was necessary around Lake Inba and the surrounding rivers.

The full extent of the damage was still unknown.

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Life in this area is difficult without a car.

We drive to go shopping.

We drive to pick up family members.

We drive to the hospital.

Almost everywhere we go, we travel by car.

Which roads should we avoid?

Where should we leave the car?

How would we escape if we became trapped inside?

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This morning, a relative who lives next door came to our house.

He asked my father-in-law whether he had seen his cat.

I was busy getting ready and only partly listened to their conversation.

A little later, I asked my father-in-law:

“Has the cat gone missing?”

He replied:

“No, I found it. It was in my garage.”

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For a moment, I had worried that the cat had disappeared in the storm.

But it had been found safely.

Of course, finding one missing cat does not undo the damage caused by the rain.

People lost their lives.

Others are still cleaning up and trying to rebuild.

Even so, I felt a little relieved that this small life close to us had survived.

We had left Chiba just a little earlier.

And the home we returned to, our family, and the cat were all safe.

Disaster information continues to be updated. For the latest evacuation notices and information about roads and rivers, please consult the Chiba Prefecture Disaster Prevention Portal.