Then and Now: How the Japanese Cleared up Debris after Quake and Tsunami (Photos)

It has been hardly six months since the killer quake and tsunami devastated Japan on March 11, 2011. But the Japanese spirit made things different in this short span of time - the country has been praised for its efforts to clear up debris.

Wrecks cluttered across the coastal regions of the country following the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and the massive tsunami which the quake triggered.

Pictures of a huge ship resting on a roof flashed across the Web and other media, depicting enormity of nature's fury on March 11.

While there has been considerable discussion of what to do with all the debris that's being cleared, some people wanted the huge ship on the building to somehow remain as a reminder and memorial of what happened, says Kansas-based freelance journalist Beth Reiber, who visited Tokyo in May and June.

Japan is striving to recover from the aftermath of the disaster, including nuclear radiation releases around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, but the country has surely made a strong progress in cleaning up the debris.

It's a slow road to recovery, but they seem to be making some headway, Kim Scowcroft, a broadcast media professional from Melbourne, Australia, commented.

The latest photos show areas devastated by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, the cleanup status in June and in early September 2011.

Check out the pictures below depicting the cleanup progress in some tsunami-stuck areas of Japan.