With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics/Paralympics approaching, inbound tourists are drastically increasing. So WOW! JAPAN, an inbound tourist information site provided by NTT docomo (Japan’s largest telecommunications carrier), decided to conduct a campaign to raise awareness toward their website.

The website offers not just sightseeing and gourmet information, but also various programs for visitors to experience Japanese culture. The theme of “experiencing Japan” was chosen for the campaign to convey the brand.

Shibuya is a very popular area for inbound tourists and the guerilla entertainment was conducted at a major intersection in Shibuya, providing a fun surprise to on-lookers.

The targets for WOW! JAPAN are inbound tourists to Japan, which have increased in number to top 30 million in 2018.

Research* shows that 98.7% of non-Japanese are aware of Ninjas and 63.1% believe they still exist. To provide surprise for the target who seek cultural and traditional experiences, an optical illusion movie with a Ninja, was created.

A traditional Ninja appeared in Shibuya, which is a symbol of cosmopolitan Tokyo. The execution utilized Japanese digital technology for the optical movie, providing an unexpected experience.The movie started when the traffic signals turned red and all pedestrians had to wait. By making a scramble intersection in Shibuya the touchpoint, the long waiting time for a traffic signal was changed into an enjoyable moment to experience Japanese culture.

The targets for the WOW! JAPAN website are inbound tourists to Japan, which have increased in number to top 30 million in 2018. To provide a surprise experience to these visitors to Japan and raise awareness toward the website, an optical illusion movie was created and shown on a huge digital screen in Shibuya, Tokyo.

The movie started when the traffic signals turned red and all pedestrians had to wait. By making a scramble intersection in Shibuya the touchpoint, the long waiting time for a traffic signal was changed into an enjoyable moment to experience Japanese culture.

An optical illusion movie was shown at a scramble intersection for a month in Shibuya from Nov. 10 to Dec. 14, 2018.

Various tests were conducted, to make backgrounds that matched the daytime and nighttime colors of the building wall, and Ninja tricks were shown. The camera above the large outdoor screen detected the traffic signal, and started the movie as the lights turned red. People waiting at the signal were surprised to find the Ninja, and the optical illusions.

The traditional tricks of the Ninja were shown using contemporary technology and ideas, and provided inbound tourists with fun entertainment.

On Nov. 14, people looking up at the optical illusion movie and enjoying it, were shot and made into a movie. A special website was opened featuring the Ninja in Shibuya on Nov. 22, and this movie was uploaded.

This campaign was conducted for one month and was picked up by popular TV news programs as well as various internet news in Japan and overseas. It was particularly popular on overseas TV programs, drastically raising views of the uploaded movie. Site access increased 10 times and spread on SNS through inbound tourists. The biggest success was that this movie provided entertainment, bringing WOW! surprise and laughter among the tourists waiting at this Shibuya intersection.