Lanterns light up disaster area

Paper lanterns painted by children are being used to light up a cemetery in a northeastern Japanese city hit by the 2011 quake and tsunami, during the annual Buddhist Bon festival. Natori City in Miyagi Prefecture is holding the illumination event for the first time.

The cemetery is located near Yuriage district, which was hard-hit by the tsunami. The cemetery houses the graves of many victims of the disaster. One hundred lanterns with various seasonal images made by local elementary school children were lit at sunset on Monday. Ancestral spirits are believed to return home during the Bon festival. The event will be held every night until Sunday.