Kamaishi , Japan ( CNN ) -- Six months ago , I stood on a corner in Kamaishi , in northeastern Japan and believed this small city would never recover from the devastation caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami . I was n't being a pessimist . It was simply that my eyes could barely comprehend the damage to this town . Cars sat atop four-story apartment buildings , as entire neighborhoods looked as if the homes had been placed in a blender . A fishing vessel was even swept from its mooring onto a street . But the physical damage paled in comparison to the human toll . Missing person notices wallpapered the makeshift city hall . The line of family members filing for death certificates went from one side of the building to the other . Living with aftermath of Japan 's tsunami . To an outsider it appeared Kamaishi had little to offer other than grief and despair moving forward . Daiji Murai , a city worker , feared the living would abandon the city , killing what the tsunami did not . In his unheated city office , Murai told me in March that Kamaishi was his city , the only place he ever wanted to and hoped to live . `` I fear the residents may be too afraid to come back and live here again , '' he said . But when I asked if Kamaishi as a city would cease to exist , Murai was emphatic . `` I am convinced it will come back . I will do all that I can for that . '' He paused , tears choking his next sentence . `` This is the city I was born in . I do n't want to lose my hometown . I want to see my city come back . '' I met up with Murai again recently , my first trip to Kamaishi since the immediate aftermath of the tsunami . He was keen to point out the progress made in the reconstruction effort . The change in Kamaishi 's downtown is remarkable . The massive job of clearing debris , while not complete , has been successful throughout much of the city . The hotel around the corner , he said , is back in business . Look down the street , he added , smiling , there 's no debris . But what makes Murai most proud is being able to report that only 2,000 people from this city of 39,000 have actually left . `` Kamaishi will come back and will become an even better city , '' he said . `` That sort of spirit did n't exist before the tsunami . But we all have a passion and we 're all determined . '' But he admits the city still faces massive challenges . The steel and fishing industries , Kamaishi 's economic base , have yet to resume their operations , while many businesses and jobs have not returned . Thousands of people , including Murai , his wife and two children , are in temporary housing , with no immediate prospect of an income . But one by one the city is tackling each obstacle , united in its goal . `` At the end of each day , I now think 'another day has ended and I 'm glad to have lived this day , ' '' reflected Murai . `` And I 'm glad when morning comes . ''
Much of Kamaishi looked as if it had been placed in a blender after the tsunami . Daiji Murai , a spokesman for the city , feared the living would abandon the city . Six months later , the city in northeastern Japan has made huge progress . But many businesses still remain closed , with thousands still in temporary housing .