By turning around the tourism concerns over the castle repair work and making it into an event in the form of participation-style, hands-on entertainment.

We developed the name and logo for HIROSAKI MOVING PROJECT using the theme “the moving castle,” and unveiled it to the world at a press conference by Hirosaki’s mayor. All work involved in the project was turned into a form of entertainment using this logo. We also conducted virtual castle pulling events in major cities outside of Hirosaki, which served as nationwide PR for “the moving castle.”

The number of visitors nearly doubled the same period last year. The project was covered on news programs in the UK, the U.S., and worldwide, receiving over 150 media placements. Economic benefits exceeded $20 million on an advertising budget of just $400,000.