We developed a mobile Street View hack that allowed users to virtually plant Sakura anywhere in the world. We did this using emerging WebGL technologies and the Google Street View API, entirely in the phone’s browser.

This virtual planting of trees inspired us to bring the idea to life in the real world. Spring 2016 marks the fifth anniversary of the devastating Tsunami in Tohoku. In partnership with local government and the non-profit Sakura Line 311, we took 10 yen from every bottle of Lux Sakura sold and bought hundreds of Sakura trees. We then started planting them along an invisible line 170 kilometres long: the line that marks the furthest point inland the tsunami traveled. Tree after tree, every ten metres. It’s a memorial to the past and a marker for the future.

Sakura Dream is mobile first, working entirely within the mobile browser using Street View API and 3D modeling in WebGL.

Users arrived at the site from geo-targeted mobile ads served in all of Japan’s 47 prefectures.. They also arrived via social media or from a QR code on the Lux Sakura bottle itself.

The user is dropped into one of 25 curated scenes, artfully ‘hacked’ to show Sakura trees lining the streets. From there users can choose their exact location using GPS or enter any address in the world.

We created a short film to show how the idea was brought to life in Tohoku. We also turned the mobile site into a donation platform where people could contribute money or volunteer their time.

The project was launched in April 2015. We started planning trees in November 2015. We’ll continue to plant hundreds of trees a year until the full 170 kilometres is

500 million Media Impressions generated. Over 1 million Sakura Dream Scenes created. Over 750.000 Visitors to the mobile site.

Average Time Spent more than 2 minutes, with the average user exploring 4-5 different locations.

Over 24% of people returned to the site later with a significantly higher average interaction time of 10.5 minutes.

83% of experiences came from mobile.

Over 500,000 people have viewed our film about the Sakura Dream Project and Tohoku.

Dynamic, bespoke mobile ads served in all 47 prefectures in Japan.

Nearly 1,000 trees have been planted. Contributions from the sales of Lux Sakura shampoo continue to grow. We’ll stop when we’ve helped plant the entire 170 kilometre line.

The product sold out within a week, exceeding sales targets by 960%.