These pictures of a massive ship resting on a roof speak a thousand words about the magnitude of the devastating earthquake that triggered a huge tsunami in Japan early this year.

Debris and wrecks cluttered across coastal regions of Japan following the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami of March 11.

The cleanup efforts are going on as Japan strives to recover from the aftermath of the disaster, including nuclear radiation releases around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Below are a few before and after photos of the cleanup progress in some tsunami-stuck areas of Japan.

Japans Earthquake, Tsunami Cleanup Update
A combination photo shows a ship in a devastated area of Kesennuma on March 17, 2011 and August 12 , 2011 following the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that stuck the area on March 11, 2011. REUTERS/Kim Kyung Hoon
Japans Earthquake, Tsunami Cleanup Update
A combination photo shows a street in Kesennuma on March 17, 2011 and August 12, 2011 following the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck the area on March 11, 2011. REUTERS/Kim Kyung Hoon
Japans Earthquake, Tsunami Cleanup Update
Combination photo shows rescue workers searching through rubble in front of a Shinto shrine in Otsuchi on March 14, 2011 and the same area cleared of debris on August 13, 2011 following the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck the area on March 11, 2011. REUTERS
Japans Earthquake, Tsunami Cleanup Update
Combination photo shows damage in Rikuzentakata on April 2, 2011 and the same scene cleared of debris on August 14, 2011 following the devastating magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck the area on March 11, 2011. REUTERS
Japans Earthquake, Tsunami Cleanup Update
Combination photo shows a destroyed shop in Otsuchi on March 15, 2011 and on August 13, 2011 following the earthquake and tsunami that struck the area on March 11, 2011. REUTERS
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