The central character is a 7 year old girl called Sachiko. She has just lost her immediate family in the firebombing of Tokyo and takes the train to her uncle’s family in Kumagaya in Saitama Prefecture. She is not out of danger yet, for the train gets shot at by a plane along the journey. Her uncle meets her at the station and he and his whole family welcome her with open arms. With her cousins, Sachiko explores the beauty of the natural landscape around Kumagaya.  Sadly, these beautiful days of late summer are not to last. The final movement of the film depicts the final air raid of the war. The city descends into fear and chaos and Sachiko gets separated from her family with tragic results.

The Last Air Raid Kumagaya

A Ryūkyū man dressed in a traditional bashōfu (芭蕉布 / banana plant cloth) kimono lies on the beach looking out to the sea.  As he lies there, we witness the passage of time on the islands.  At first there is peace and time seems to move slowly.  Only the music and the occasional movements of the man indicate the passage of time.  Finally a man carrying water passes by, followed by other people representative of times past: market vendors, peasants, the red-cheeked god dancing at a matsuri (festival).  But as the film progresses, the islands prove to be the meeting place of many cultures.