Problem

It has been five years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, but recovery is falling short of expectations. Nearly 200,000 people are still living as evacuees without permanent homes. The government’s five year concentrated recovery period is also coming to an end.Many people across Japan still have a negative image of the Tohoku Region. In fact, the number of travelers to Tohoku still has not recovered to previous levels.

Solution

Sanriku Railway, a symbol of the recovery to people in disaster-affected areas and across Japan, which runs along the coast of East Japan, is conducting a campaign to connect Tohoku and people across Japan with smiles.

Result

It was chosen as the core plan for a three day earthquake program to appear for the first time on Japan’s national broadcasting service, the NHK.

Smiles are pouring in from all over Japan!