Among the countless stories of devastation in Japan, there are also some amazing stories of survival. Here are a few of them:

'Looks like a bomb has gone off' – Brian Barnes was in Japan with an environmental group that protects dolphins. He was there to monitor dolphin hunts when the massive quake hit. He began rolling as the destruction began.

'How I survived the quake'- Zach Branhamm, an American teaching in Japan, recorded part of his journey to escape the tsunami. In this interview, he describes a 20-hour walk to find his girlfriend.

'We could not stay standing' - An NHK journalist is finishing an interview with a local fisherman as the quake hits. The video she shot starts with a low rattle and she says within 30 minutes, the whole town was engulfed.

Worried parents reconnect with son - Parents of students, teachers and tourists traveling were almost certainly consumed with anxiety after the massive quake struck. This is Paul Fales, a teacher, who is reconnected with his parents via phone for the first time since the earthquake hit.