Return to the ground. Find the next step.
Ruy Ueda is one of Japan's foremost professional mountain runners, with a record of competing at the highest level on the world stage. Since making his trail running debut at 19, he has set records and pushed into territory no Japanese runner had reached before. Now in his thirties, navigating recurring injuries, he is asking himself the questions again — what is speed, really? Where does strength actually come from?
Vivobarefoot Japan entered a multi-year partnership with Ueda. The brand's philosophy is clear: feet are designed to move freely. Strip away the over-engineered structures of modern shoes, reconnect with the ground, and the body returns to how it was meant to function.
Studio AKARI was entrusted with the creative direction of this partnership and launched the documentary series BACK TO BASICS with Ruy Ueda, leading cinematography, editing, and copywriting across the series. The hypothesis was simple — could potential unlocked from the ground up carry Ueda to new heights?
The films resist spectacle. The camera stays on Ueda's face, his feet, his breath, the sound of the mountain. The Vivobarefoot philosophy — connection with the ground, the removal of what isn't needed — isn't narrated. It's embodied in the frame itself.
Each episode is paired with a "Behind the Scenes" conversation between Ueda and Kotaro Watanabe (Vivobarefoot Japan), adding another layer to the series' thinking.
The series is ongoing.
