TONO (Japan) - MORE than a week after an earthquake and tsunami smashed much of Japan's north-east coast to pulp, a small tourist town tucked safely between mountains has ground nearly to a halt.

Tono, a city of 30,000 about 30km from the Pacific, usually enjoys a steady flow of visitors attracted to the birthplace of much Japanese folklore, including ghoulish tales of mountain spirits and mythical creatures.

'Since the earthquake on March 11, we haven't had a single visitor,' laments local tourism board official Shinichi Tachibana at the city's main rail station. It closed for service after the tremor damaged train tracks.

Instead of renting its 120 bicycles to visitors, the city-run tourist office now lends them for free to locals forced to keep cars parked due to the sudden shortage of fuel.

Petrol stations on the main street are roped off.

Not even emergency vehicles can obtain fuel without a special permit by the regional government, and even then sometimes only five litres at a time, says an attendant. -- REUTERS