As the sun rose Friday on areas of northeastern Japan still struggling from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit on March 11, 2011, people gathered to remember their lost loved ones and reflect on their grief five years after the disaster.
The magnitude-9 quake, ensuing tsunami and aftermath left 19,304 people dead and 2,561 missing and presumed dead, according to the National Police Agency's latest figures as of Thursday.
In the Arahama area of Sendai, concrete slabs are all that remain of the homes that once stood along the seaside.