A teenage survivor of Japan's earthquake and tsunami has described his nine-day ordeal. Speaking from hospital on Monday, Jin Abe also recalled his joy at being found.

This is one of the few happy stories to come out of the massive quake and tsunami.

Jin Abe, a sixteen-year-old, was saved together with his grandmother. They were trapped for nine days in their own kitchen.

"There was water, we drank that. And there were also some sweets, we ate those."

Abe eventually made it to the roof and waved down a rescue helicopter.

Minutes later, the grandmother was found wrapped in several blankets, on top of a collapsed closet.

Their entire neighborhood in Ishinomaki, Iwate Prefecture was in ruins.

Despite that, Abe's father said he never gave up hope.

"We knew he was alive, we believed they were alive, so we encouraged each other in that belief."

Jin Abe was suffering from hypothermia and had no feeling in his left ankle, when he was rescued. Speaking later through a surgical mask at the hospital, he said he was happy to be alive.