Fukuji

Fukuji is a village comprised of a series of hamlets bordering a patch of rice patties, with hills on several different sides. Parry introduces Fukuji early on in the book as it is where Sayomi Shito and her family live. Also, many Okawa Primary School students come from Fukuji and the tiny villages neighboring it. The Kitakami river runs along the northern side of Fukuji and flooded during the tsunami of 2011, blocking the road that led to the school and to other villages. Parry also mentions the 'Fukuji group,' an informal name given to a very well-organized group of Okawa parents led by Sayomi Shito in their quest for the truth about the deaths of their children. Fukuji's location at the heart of the valley in which the Kitakami river flows led to its being a meeting point for many people after the earthquake and tsunami...