Taking a hint from a group in Colorado, we called for a “Why Buy Week" in the week leading up to BND. Events included an Eco-fashion show by French Designer Katelle Gelebart, Video screenings, and a bicycle demonstration by the Critical Mass Kyoto group.

Our third year, thanks to upgraded info materials and networking, the response was great. Though there were not as many people on the street, more reports of quiet observance came in than ever, and many more attended Why Buy Week Events. Cute Zenta Stickers were a hit with kids and teenagers ? (who may or may not have gotten the message, in any case, the seed is planted.)

Connecting BND to other consumer-conscious raisers like recycled fashion and critical mass in Why Buy Week made it a much easier sell. Shops had no problem with Why Buy Week stickers and pamphlets. On the street- lots of friendly faces, no negative reactions, many stopped to talk with us.

<Critical Mass> http://www.geocities.co.jp/Milano/1941/index2.html

Event: 3 Zenta Clice (meditating Santas) were a peaceful counterpoint to the hurried Sunday shoppers and fall color tourists 2 consumer pigs trotted in from Osaka, 5-6 non-shop Santas/Elves (including a santa family) handed out flyers and stickers.

Place: Kyoto Sanjo shopping street- in front of Hankyu department store
Time: 1 pm- 7 pm
Weather: Sunny, 15-20 degrees C

Info passed out:
600 pamphlets in Japanese, 200 in English
3 backpack style billboards
4 hand-held (and tree-tacked) billboards
3 m cloth banner
1500+ stickers in subways, on vending machines, in public toilets, handed out before, during and after BND

Sunday's participants (12): teachers, parents, writers, students, office workers, children, aged 6-65, from Japan, Austria, Australia, England, US, Canada and Italy.

No Shopper estimate: quiet observances by 800 people in Kyoto area, several hundred in other parts of Kansai, esp. Kobe (thanks to word of mouth and mail, begood cafe, stickers, website, Earthian Fair Trade Shop Kobe)

Special thanks to: Makiko and Deidre (pamphlet, sticker design and printing), Kazuko Sensei (banner calligraphy), Amanda (drawings for flyer), Midori (Web Ms), Ritsumeikan U Media Literacy Group (spreading the BND word), Yumi (Japanese press release), Yu and Yo (Zenta Beards), Julie (pig costumes, anti-shopping bags, hand-held placards), Rob (massive pamphlet folding and elf/zenta 6 hr marathon), BND Colorado for Why Buy Week Inspiration Commercial confusion: Adbusters were trying to support BND in Japan with an un-commercial shown in a public space in Tokyo and media-outreach (the daily Asahi reported), but a different name, nani-mo-kawa-nai-hi, and different day (November 23) caused some confusion. Unified media strategy is on the agenda for 2002. Well- placed, this commercial will take us places!
--Gabi

“I am back from Italy, and I realized how commercial Japanese culture is. The magazines are nothing but ads! In Italy, even fashion mags have some non-commercial information."

“Are you Christians???"

“Why is it good to meditate?"- Zenta, without opening her eyes: “Try it!"

(curiously looking at Zenta) “He's real!"

“What's bad about shopping?"- Elf: “It depends on what you buy and why-have a pamphlet and a sticker!"

Shopper: “What's the point?"- “If you don't shop, you don't make garbage!"- “Oh, that makes sense!"

Shopper: "Oh- but I bought something"- Elf: “So make tomorrow your
BND!"

Zenta: “Maybe we just look weird now, but in 10 years or so people will understand. Perhaps it's still too early" Passer-by: “No, it's much
too late already! Thanks for doing this!"

Journalist: “I could see you guys from way off!"

(Not one person said- “But its bad for the economy! We would have answered- “The economy is bad for us!"

Adbusters Japan editors, people at Earth Day Money, and British star designer Jonathan Barnbrook (e.g. creator of Roppongi Hills brand identity) conspire to create and broadcast a Japanese version of Adbuster's “Burping Pig"uncommercial. It is broadcast on the cable Discovery channel and on a Shibuya Jumbotrone .

Zenta Claus gets chosen by Adbusters' as one of the Culture Jams of the Year and goes on the cover of their 2002 calendar.

Japan's leading ad industry magazine gets hijacked by culture jammers. Adbusters fan Masaaki Ikeda and his editorial team turn the glitzy “how-to-sell-more-stuff" publication into a “future social design" magazine. It kicks off with a Japanese version of “First things First Design Manifesto." Owner Hakuhodo ad agency pulls the plug after a few issues and goes back to business as usual, except with more efforts to integrate greenwash, but the legacy remains.