Thursday marks the start of the Bon holidays in Japan, when Buddhists honor the spirits of their ancestors.

People in northeastern Japan are paying respects to the dead on the 10th Bon festival since the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident in March 2011.

In Watari Town, Miyagi Prefecture, families were seen visiting a temple along the coast to pray at the graves of their loved ones. The town lost more than 280 people in the 2011 disaster.

The families arrived earlier than usual to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and to avoid overcrowding as a precaution against the coronavirus.

A taxi company is offering a service in which drivers visit family graves for people who have opted to stay at home this year.

On Thursday, a taxi driver visited a grave in Nagoya City, central Japan, at the request of a woman in Niigata City, about 350 kilometers away.

The woman had visited the home of her husband's parents in Nagoya and the family grave every year during the Bon holidays. But this year she decided not to travel.

The driver wiped down the gravestone, placed incense and offered a silent prayer.

Photos of the process are sent to the people who requested them.