The Brief

In recent years, the Tama River has been facing a challenge –The ecosystem has been disturbed by tons of foreign fish species, dumped by their ex-owners who could no longer keep them as pets. The fish may not only harm the ecosystem but also bring unknown viruses and disease-causing germs into the environment.

Creative Execution

The fish is....... Japan’s traditional “Flying Carp.”apan has a National Holiday on May 5th called Children’s Day, a day we celebrate children's growth by flying carp and Ayu (sweetfish) high up in the sky.Osakana Post held an event on May 5th where tons of flying carps filled thesky in Japan. However, these fish weren’t like regular Flying Carp. They all had bites taken out of them, representing the impact the foreign fish are having.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

Ironically, some people now call the river “TAMAZON RIVER”; a mix of the words Tama and Amazon. Here we have an idea: Why not support Osakana Post by raising funds for its activities? We decided to protect the Tama River for future generations. Our first action was to inform people of the current state of the river, utilizing a very popular “fish” icon in Japan.

Results

Under the flying carp, tanks were set up to show the native fish that are being threatened by the foreign species in the Tama River, bringing the issue to the attention of people. By flying carp with bites out of them, we wished safety for Japanese fish in the Tama River. Furthermore, we promised to continue our efforts in the years to come while aspiring for Japan to be a country where no foreign fish are released into the river.