In 2011, Japan's Tohoku region was devastated by one of the most destructive earthquakes in recorded history. The "Get Back, Tohoku." campaign was launched that year, and has continued for nine years since. Our goal in creating the campaign was to revitalize the local tourism industry, and help residents "get back" the life they once knew. We focused on the region's railways, artistically depicting trains and local scenery in a single moment of time to evoke the joy and wonder of travel.

Get Back, Tohoku.

Stay in touch by rail. It's better than mail.

We began by scouting locations throughout the region to study how the scenery changed with the seasons. Natural lighting was a key factor in determining our shooting schedule, which also had to be synchronized with local train schedules to get the shots we wanted. We deliberately eschewed compositing, and relied solely on our eyes and creative vision to compose each image. With this analog approach, we captured the emotional experience of travel with natural realism and a documentary touch.