© Agence France-PressePhoto taken on May 5 shows a vehicle sitting over tombstones at the graveyard of Kyudenji temple in the tsunami-devastated city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture.
One reconstruction project appears stalled because of fears the undead spirits of those who perished last March will bring bad luck.
"I heard people working to repair the store became sick because of ghosts," Satoshi Abe, 64, said, gesturing to a half-repaired supermarket.
"People died everywhere, here and there. The city is full of such stories," he said.
In some parts of this once vibrant fishing port, signs of life are returning -- houses are being rebuilt, businesses are re-opening and children are back at school.
But with around a fifth of the 19,000 who died across the northeast having lost their lives in this small city alone, few think it can ever be normal again.
