This article examines the actual conditions and problems with regard to the rehabilitation process of dwellings in a rural area damaged by the Northern Miyagi Earthquake on July 26, 2003. The authors conducted 31 interviews and administered 3 questionnaires to the affected households, and based on the results, they examined the changes of housing from the evacuation period right after the earthquake through reconstruction or the repair process of dwellings, the way the households secured funds for reconstruction or repairs, and how the character of rural communities affected the rehabilitation process and securing the financial resources.
The findings are as follows: (1) The affected people were able to remain on their lands even after their houses had been damaged, because they had storehouses, garages, etc. However, they had to shoulder repair expanses not only for damaged dwellings but also for agricultural implements and auxiliary structures. (2) The main financial resource for reconstruction was home loans, and the second was earthquake insurance. Only the households living with members of the younger generation working in the non-agricultural sector could take out mortgages. On the other hand, some people hat to abandon their homes since they did not qualify for mortgages. (3) Public subsidy systems for housing reconstruction are ineffective for reconstruction of houses in rural areas, because of limits as to household income and the age of the family head. In general, family size in rural areas is bigger and the family head is older than is the case in urbanized areas. (4) Many households could pay all the expenditures for repairing their houses using earthquake insurance and the subsidy from Miyagi Prefecture. (5) Among households which reconstructed their houses, there was a time lag due to the requirement of applying for permission to use farmland for housing. A time lag was also observed among households repairing their houses whether unaided or not. These findings suggest that the character of the rural community affects the process of rehabilitation of dwellings and that appropriate support systems should be developed.

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Changes in topography and vegetation over the past 23 years were surveyed on the upstream side of a check dam. The target dam was constructed in 1981 on the Yunosawa River, a branch of the Matsukawa River that flows in Hachimantai City, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. The dam is located at an eastern longitude of 140°54′37″and a northern latitude of 39°52′21″. It's altitude is about 900m. The examination method involved aerophotograph decipherment, a topographic survey, and a vegetation survey.
The results showed that the maximum width of the floodplain in the study area expanded from 10m prior to the dam's construction to 60m after the dam's construction. In the survey area before the dam's construction, the relative height between the passage and floodplain was large. In addition, the survey area was stable, allowing a growth area for many trees 60 years or older. However, the survey area has been transformed into an unstable environment covered with flood sedimentation caused by rainfall that had been generated by an occurrence probability once in two years. Currently, in the survey area, several grown trees (Betula ermaii Cham, Fagus Crenata Blume, and Abies mariesii Masters, and other species) that had been healthy prior to the check dam construction have weakened or withered. However, Betula ermaii Cham, and Salix which have a comparatively short longevity, have invaded and are growing on the new topographic surface formed after dam construction. In the future, Betula ermaii Cham and other trees with comparatively short longevity will occupy the greater part of this area, if these trees can adjust to the present environment.

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Two types of structures for protection against winds have been found on Southwest Islands, in Japan. One is the stone walls surrounding the houses, which are very popular, particularly in areas with strong winds. The other is stone walls combined with windbreak trees, Garcinia subelliptica, surrounding the houses. Typical traditional examples of the second type are observed on Tonaki Island, because Tonaki Island escaped damage during World War II, thus preserving the original traditional type of stone walls and windbreaks. In this study, the original landscape was analyzed in the villages with regard to protection from strong winds. On Tonaki Island, poisonous snakes, Trimeresurus, live in the forest, and only a nallow strip of lowlands located around Tombolo on this island can be utilized for settlements. The elevation of the village is mostly lower than 7m a. s. l. A special method is employed, digging into the sands on the premises and the accumulated sands surrounding the houses. A double row of stone walls stops sand from accumulating on the inside (the sides facing the houses) and also on the outside (the side facing the road). Between these two stone wallls, trees of Garcinia subelliptica are planted as windbreaks. The depth of digging increases with decreasing land elevation. In the western and southwestern parts of the village, it is difficult to guard against strong winds. Therefore the depth of digging is increased in these parts. However, the outer stone walls have been being changed to block walls since 1973 according to an unemployment policy. After the 1950's, the houses built using reinforced concrete have increased, becoming 34% of all houses in recent years. These days, many examples of backfilling of premises have been found in the case of reinforced concrete houses, but the stone walls surrounding the houses remain as before.

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