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Snow, isolation and the old
Kōchi is better known for heat and typhoons than for snow, but its mountain districts can be cut off by heavy snowfall, and mountain passes are closed when roads become dangerous. In depopulated areas where most residents are elderly, a few days of isolation can be serious: deliveries of kerosene for heating, food and medicine, and checks on people living alone, often fall to volunteer fire brigades, town staff and neighbors. Clearing snow from roofs (雪下ろし) is a heavy and dangerous job, and falls from roofs are a leading cause of snow-related deaths in Japan's snowy regions. Many towns organize volunteers to help elderly households. The grammar of this lesson is the grammar of hardship and small mercies: ばかりだ, ようでは, ところを, に至って and だけましだ.