Image-makers in Iwate Prefecture have decidedly gone against the grain in a nation where one of the most frequently heard mottoes is "ganbare" (go for it) or some similar evocative slogan.
Instead of "ganbare," the Iwate Prefectural Government has since 2001 been running full-page newspaper ads that declare, in a seemingly self-deprecatory tone, that Iwate will not go for it and urges its citizens to take things easy and, yes, go slow.
Surprisingly, the "ganbaranai" (don't go for it) ad campaign has been gaining quiet popularity across Japan.