People affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami have held a summer festival and prayed for their community to be fully reconstructed.

The town of Yamamoto in northeastern Japan's Miyagi Prefecture was hit by a massive tsunami 13 years ago.

Local people, including those residing in public housing units built for survivors of the disaster, launched the annual festival in 2016.

On Sunday evening, many festival-goers gathered at a park near the public housing units.

Some children performed a dance on stage, and many other participants danced in a traditional Japanese style around an elevated platform.

Organizers of the event said that some former residents who moved away from the town after the disaster came back to take part in the festival.

They say the number of participants has increased each year. They added that the festival has become an opportunity for people to pray for the town's reconstruction.

A local man in his 50s and his family were among the participants.

He said his children had a good time at the festival and met their former kindergarten teacher. He said that he wants the festival to continue to be held for many years to come.

A member of the organizing committee, Teshima Kazuko, said the organizers knew their efforts had paid off when they saw that family members, who have been living apart since the disaster, were able to be reunited at the festival.