The quake triggered tsunami, fires, and more tremors.

Many people lost their homes.

Some are still cut off from water and electricity, as relief efforts continue.

"It's a total disaster. I don't know what to do now."

One of the worst-hit areas is a hot-spring resort called Wakura.

The attractive tourist destination was turned into a scene of despair.

"Look at this hotel. There are cracks all over the wall."

Over 20 hotels and inns have suspended business.

Manufacturing has been thrown into turmoil.

The region houses some of Japan's key factories.

A Toshiba group company that makes semiconductors says it's still working to restore the production line

and it aims to resume operations to near pre-quake levels by early next month.

Electronics maker Murata Manufacturing is gradually resuming its output.

But it was still inspecting facilities more than a week after the initial quake.

Still, the impact to supply chains may not be all that bad.

The economy ministry says nearly 90 percent of firms that could affect manufacturing throughout the broader economy

had resumed operations, or were closed to doing so.

Economists estimate the quake could push down Japan's nominal GDP this year by hundreds of millions of dollars.

But the exact figure could fluctuate, as the overall picture is unclear.

Other experts say the shockwaves could be felt throughout the economy.

One says the central bank may now find it harder to step away from its decade-long easy monetary policy.

"The Bank of Japan will have to see the quake's impact on the region's economy, and on the monetary system.

It will need to wait for the region to recover somewhat.

The BOJ also needs to be sure wages and prices are rising in a stable way.

Until then, I think it will be difficult for the bank to change policy."

Kobayashi also says the impact on tourism may not be limited to the quake-hit area, but could hurt the entire country.

That would be a painful blow, as the influx of overseas tourists has been one of the few bright spots.

"People around the world have now been reminded that Japan is a country with powerful earthquakes.

People will see this as a risk unique to Japan.

That would lead some to take Japan off their list of destinations."

The government now plans to double the reserve fund in the budget for the coming fiscal year to about 7 billion dollars

to support relief measures for areas devastated by the quake.

The full extent of the damage is still far from clear.

Black shadows in the sky.

The crows are here.

They rip through garbage, and annoy people with their droppings.

In Tokyo's Taito Ward, the government office rents out its rooftop to businesses as part of its green building efforts.

But the crows have been causing trouble.

Crows did some damage, pecking at the moss and tossing it around, digging up the soil.

This paint is now being used to keep the crows away.

Since it was first applied to the edge of plant beds last spring, the crows have kept their distance.

The paint is actually made from starfish.

The process begins by extracting a liquid compound.

It glows under ultraviolet light in a way that crows can see, but humans cannot.

That keeps the crows away, without any impact on the landscape.

The paint was developed by a waste disposal company in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido.

The project began about 10 years ago.

The local government of a coastal area asked for advice after having trouble disposing of starfish.

The company did an experiment, mixing starfish with rice bran to turn it into fertilizer.

They noticed that crows wouldn't go anywhere near it.

So they began developing products, including crow-repellent paint.

It's now being used on the roof of the Sapporo Clock Tower, a famous site in Hokkaido's capital.

Officials say bird droppings now need to be cleaned up far less frequently.

If demand keeps rising, a cycle may develop where we buy starfish onsite,

and then process them to make the raw materials.

Compounds taken from starfish can do other amazing things, as well.

They inhibit the growth of mold, for one thing.

So the company came up with a commercial soap using ingredients from starfish.

It's sold as a product to help stop the spread of mold and other fungi.

Another potential benefit of starfish is that they contain a substance that repels insects.

Oshita Atsuko is the president of a nonprofit organization that supports children's health in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has two rainy seasons per year, and there are many pools left by the rain,

turning it into a breeding ground for mosquitos.

Dengue fever is endemic in the country.

More than 60,000 people were infected last year.

So the group is encouraging children to use the soap to see if it can prevent infection.

We are going to use starfish, which aren't used for much else.

Dengue fever is a serious problem for society over there.

But we have the ability to do something about it.

Sushi for pregnant women who can't eat raw seafood.

And, a specialty restaurant created specifically to let people with food allergies enjoy worry-free dining with friends and family.

Today's On-Site report features businesses that are providing safe solutions to satisfy their customers' culinary cravings.

Created to be a warm and welcoming place for families to dine,

this reservation-only restaurant was designed specifically for people with food allergies.

When reservations are made, the restaurant asks and confirms what allergens to avoid using

so customers can eat every dish with confidence.

This cake, for example, was made using rice flour.

And the frosting - from soy milk.

On the afternoon we visited, 8 families totaling 30 people were present.

Even the children with severe food allergies could eat everything available on the menu.

Tani Minako first opened the restaurant in fall of 2021.

She also has several food allergies.

When going out to eat, she must always carefully check on the ingredients used in each dish

and in some cases, has to give up on certain restaurants altogether.

I want to be able to tell kids that come here, "Eat whatever you want."

"Try anything and have as much of it as you like!"

Tani works for a multinational electronics manufacturer.

Three years ago, she created a "Food allergy Support service" as an in-house project.

The main purpose was to create a restaurant that provides safe and delicious custom-made meals for people with food allergies.

Today, repeat customer Chihiro, has called in to make a reservation for her family.

In addition to requesting dishes they would like to eat, she also informs the chef of her children's multiple allergies.

What would you like to eat this time?

Umm, Chinese Food!

Oh, that sounds good!

We've been wanting to try soup dumplings for a long time haven't we?

After consulting with the family, here's the full course meal the chef created.

It was the first time he'd been asked to make soup dumplings.

While they are usually made with flour-based dough, he chose to use rice flour.

However, due to the lack of gluten the rice flour was difficult to knead, shape, and cut.

By combining it with a different, more absorbent type of rice flour, he was able to achieve just the right consistency.

Instead of using standard soy sauce to flavor the pork, the chef chose to use this - a sauce made from fava beans.

My priority is getting my dishes to taste close to the real thing while still accommodating my customers' dietary restrictions.

And if possible, I strive to make them taste even better than the original!

It's juicy and delicious!

And the texture is soft and chewy!

When Chihiro and her family arrive for their meal, the chef is on hand to present his creations.

The egg and wheat free ramen noodles, he spent hours working on

achieve a nearly perfect texture through a combination of rice flour and starch.

But the dumplings were clearly the star of the show.

Mmm delicious!

This is what we came for!

These dumplings are beyond anything I could manage!

The restaurant charges about $60 per adult and $30 per child for a safe and satisfying full-course meal.

I think by not being able to eat out, people can feel really restricted.

We hope to expand our service to reach other restaurants, hotels

and even school cafeterias so we can help release people from the burden of their food allergies.

This may look like standard sushi, but none of it is made with raw seafood.

Each piece is made with seafood that is carefully cooked all the way through.

This type of cooked sushi was developed by Watanabe Ai.

She came up with the idea after finding out she was pregnant.

After congratulating me, the doctor said "And no more sushi from now on."

I thought, "I can't have any sushi at all for almost a year!?"

I did my best to forget about it, but then my hankering for sushi just grew stronger and stronger!

Soon after, Watanabe decided to post this to her social media account:

"Would you like to try a sushi set that's okay for pregnant women to eat?"

(Each piece is thoroughly cooked!)

Despite having only about 30 followers, in just a few hours, she had over 4,000 likes and lots of comments like these:

"Going through this long pregnancy would be much easier with something like this!"

"Please start selling this!"

After receiving such an overwhelming response, Watanabe decided to try and proceed with her business idea.

Her first step was to partner with a Tokyo-based sushi chef.

I had no idea that so many pregnant women wanted to eat sushi!

He tried different ways of cooking sushi toppings, but was met with mostly poor results.

But a few types did turn out nicely, so they were added together with shrimp, octopus and other types of sushi

traditionally made with cooked seafood to form a sushi set that's safe for pregnant women to eat.

Following that, Wantanabe continued to work on improving her sushi set

and tried over 100 different ways of making, preserving and packaging sushi.

She was also careful to select only high-quality seafood from the most famous regions across Japan.

In addition to flavor, she wanted to have sushi that was visually appealing even after being cooked.

For example, to keep squid both soft and easy to eat, she had it cut into extremely thin slices.

This also ensures that when cooked, it curls beautifully.

The more it curls, the more enjoyable it will be.

It gets this fantastic texture that just dances in your mouth.

Cutting a notch in the skin of this type of sea perch called "Nodoguro,"

prevents it from shrinking and helps it to maintain a soft texture.

And, by searing the surface, the fat is drawn out from the skin and brings out the umami.

Finally, it is topped with cooked sea urchin to give it a richer flavor.

The way each type of sushi is cooked and prepared is a secret,

but they incorporate various methods including baking, boiling and steaming, to achieve ideal results.

After being cooked, the sushi is flash frozen and then sold online via her website.

They also had a custom tray designed to prevent the sushi to protect the sushi during shipping.

The sushi set is delivered in a beautiful wooden box to complete the package.

The goal is to offer a special eating experience for expecting mothers.

One set containing 9 pieces of sushi sells for approximately $48.

It's completely different from raw sushi - the aroma, the texture...

and I think it brings another level of fun and flavor.

I'd be thrilled if this could be a unique treat for pregnant women to enjoy during this special time in their lives.