Kirin Brewery Blends Technology and Tradition to Protect Japan’s Cherry Blossoms

Taking inspiration from ‘hanami’ (cherry blossom viewing season), when Japanese people gather to celebrate with family, friends, food and drink, Kirin Brewery was moved to preserve tradition.

Noting that many cherry blossom trees in Japan are at risk of collapse as they surpass their 70-year lifespan (having been planted during post-war reconstruction), the beer brand decided to give back to nature.

With the help of Hakuhodo, Kirin Brewery designed ‘Sakura AI Camera’ – a groundbreaking app that allows citizens to contribute to preservation efforts just by photographing trees. The innovative technology enables AI to assess the health of the cherry trees, and the collected data supports local authorities in proactive tree care.

Following the launch of the app during ‘hanami’ this year, Kirin Brewery was able to collect over 25,000 cherry blossom data points within just a month, with numbers continuing to grow.

To find out more about the campaign and conservation movement, LBB’s Sunna Coleman interviews the creative team, who shares the extensive planning and testing that went into bringing the app to life.

LBB> Can you walk us through the vision behind the ‘Harekaze ACTION’ campaign? What first sparked the idea?

Hakuhodo> In Japan, there is a deep-rooted tradition of experiencing and enjoying the changing seasons. In spring, people gather under the cherry blossoms to enjoy beer during ‘hanami’ (cherry blossom viewing). This is an important moment to nurture bonds with loved ones and create lasting memories. In summer, there are fireworks festivals where people enjoy beer while watching the night sky light up. Both of these are precious cultural traditions in Japan that we want to preserve for the future.

As such, for the Japanese people, seasonal culture and beer are closely intertwined. However, these cultural practices are currently at risk. Across the country, cherry trees are aging and conservation efforts are insufficient. Moreover, the rising cost of living is affecting fireworks festivals, with an increasing number of them being canceled.

The ‘Harekaze ACTION’ campaign was born out of the idea that beer, which brings joy to people throughout the seasons, should now give back by helping preserve these seasonal traditions.

Through discussions with experts on cherry trees (arborists), we identified a new challenge: a lack of necessary data for cherry tree conservation. The health of cherry trees across Japan is not being adequately tracked, and appropriate care is not being provided. Obtaining detailed health data for each tree would be prohibitively expensive, making it unrealistic to monitor every cherry tree.

As a solution, we came up with the idea of utilising smartphones and AI to enable the public to collectively gather health data on cherry trees. By simply taking photos of cherry trees, people can assess their health status, just like an arborist, using the AI system we developed.

Our aim was to create a large-scale movement across Japan to protect cherry blossoms and fireworks festivals.

LBB> What business or brand challenges were you trying to address?

Hakuhodo> In the Japanese beer market, brands that debuted over 30 years ago still enjoy significant popularity. In such a market, new brands need to create a unique ‘reason to be chosen’ in order to attract customers.

We focused on a social initiative to protect seasonal cultural traditions. While other brands have used cherry blossoms and fireworks festivals in their promotions, no brand has yet engaged in conservation efforts through beer. This new approach has garnered support not only from beer enthusiasts but also from those who had not previously been beer drinkers, leading to the success of the product.

LBB> Tell us a bit more about the AI Camera and what its capabilities are.

Hakuhodo> Using proprietary AI technology, our smartphone camera can assess the health of cherry trees based on the photos taken, determining metrics such as their health level and age. The health level is assessed in five stages, from ‘very healthy’ to ‘concerning’, based on the tree’s condition and form. The tree’s age is determined by the diameter of the trunk and the state of the bark.

Additionally, users can register location information when taking photos. The collected data is then integrated into a cherry tree conservation database (map) and delivered to local municipalities. There is also a dedicated web platform for municipalities, where staff can access the cherry tree data, view reports, and download them.

LBB> What technical obstacles did you face during development, and how did you overcome them?

Hakuhodo> We faced significant challenges in fine-tuning the AI model used to assess cherry tree health. Initially, we segmented the tree's condition and form according to the blooming state and used this data for training, which helped improve accuracy.

Furthermore, we utilised a large amount of diagnostic data from arborists to train the AI. Since the development started before the cherry trees were in bloom, there was a shortage of cherry tree photos. To solve this, we collaborated with companies that had extensive photo libraries, allowing us to gather a large quantity of cherry tree images and improve the accuracy of our model.

LBB> You collaborated with local governments nationwide. This must have required a great deal of planning and coordination. How did you make it happen?

Hakuhodo> We leveraged the connections established through the ‘Harekaze ACTION’ campaign that began in 2024. We conducted individual hearings with the municipalities that participated in the first round of the campaign, visiting them on-site to hear their real, on-the-ground concerns. Additionally, we worked with local governments and national clients who were running the ACTION office to set up individual feedback sessions with municipalities that were not yet participating, which greatly contributed to shaping the project.

In order to launch the site, we conducted numerous hearings with municipalities to ensure that the wording and specifications were clear and did not cause misunderstandings. There were many back-and-forth discussions, including both remote and face-to-face meetings, and frequent updates to the project’s specifications required additional consultations. In the end, there were many exchanges.

LBB> What are the biggest lessons you learned from this campaign that could apply to future AI-driven creative projects?

Hakuhodo> Cherry tree conservation requires substantial funding, including labour costs. Until now, donations were the only solution, but with the ‘Sakura AI Camera’, we realised that local residents could play a key role in solving this problem. We were initially concerned that there might not be enough people interested in collecting cherry tree data for conservation, but the response and the data we collected reassured us.

We’ve learned that societal issues, such as labour costs, can be addressed from a civic-tech perspective. By launching AI-driven applications that allow residents to participate, we can solve more problems in various fields. We believe that by spreading this knowledge to different industries, we can contribute to building a better society.

LBB> What are you most proud of on this project?

Hakuhodo> We are most proud of the growing sense of community around the shared desire to protect the cherry blossoms. There were no incentives or rewards for submitting photos via the AI camera. If we had offered products or points, we would have received even more submissions. However, we wanted people to participate with a genuine desire to protect the cherry blossoms, not for profit.

Even without rewards, we collected over 25,000 cherry blossom data points within just a month. We are also thrilled to see other companies supporting the cause, expanding the movement to protect cherry blossoms across Japan.

Although the cherry blossom season has ended, the data continues to grow. This database has been delivered to 1,741 municipalities, where it will be used for conservation efforts.

LBB> Do you have any plans to further develop this initiative in the future?

Hakuhodo> We are working to create a system that allows other companies to join us in supporting cherry blossoms and fireworks festivals. We want to expand the circle of support, not just from one company, but from all across Japan.