Boil Japan: The 15 Best Nissin Commercials [Saturday Timewaster]

by 7 Comments

Established on September 4th, 1948 as Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd. of Japan, Nissin now encourages its country to boil itself. But why? They already have two museums solely dedicated to noodle worship – what more could they want? Do they think their long history of entertaining commercials has earned them such blind devotion and obedience? We’ll see about that!

BOIL JAPAN.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJlj-pdhg8k']

According to Nissin’s website, their Cup Noodle campaigns as of late have centered around the concept of “this country (Japan) has a hidden strength” (and that’s what it says at the end of the CMs by the way). Their aim is to rebuild the spirits of the Japanese people through these epic commercials. Nissin wanted to take striking images and “use them in such a way that boosts the energy and imagination of the Japanese people by heating up their courage and passion.” Makes sense for an instant noodle commercial if you think about it.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvweDgcWISI']

But why Boil Japan? That sounds pretty silly on its own doesn’t it? Well, Boil Japan is actually a pun. A very convoluted pun, but a pun nonetheless. On Nissin’s website they use the word wakasu (わかす), written as 沸かす which means to boil, but apparently it can also be written with the character 湧 instead of 沸 which changes the meaning to boost up or raise up. How people will ever catch this from the CMs alone I have no idea.

Other Goofy Nissin CMs

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlWotouHTf8&feature=related']

Dancing Skeleton noodle.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2LWwT7MBdI&feature=related']

Mr. Mercury noodle.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh6rNrxEDCM&feature=related']

Pew pew pew cheese cheese pew pew pep pep pep pew pew noodle.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDFa9CtaAlM']

Gomen kudasai noodle.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAxQCC8bVxI']

Karate Beyonce noodle.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU7IdCTZxsg&feature=related']

Love Revolution noodle.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U60YJK3_-gI']

The Noodlenator noodle.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K-MpnhwJjw']

James Brown super fly noodle.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7p9ZQQGvcM&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL79235B97F3444526']

Jackie Chan kung-fu noodle.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfCELYY_zX0&feature=related']

Robot woman eats the noodle.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95Uy1jF97Ps&feature=related']

So good to inhale the noodle.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjYrTsk2lfc']

Anime invasion noodle.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5_a9taDf00']

Billboard smashing noodle.

Want more wonky Japanese commercials? Check out my top 25 featuring Western celebs here.

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  • Kyo

    I love Japanese commercials.

  • Shiiyo

    Ooohh, Shocker again – the “dancing skeletons” are the villains from the original Kamen Rider series, and they’ve been haunting me since they re-appeared in Kamen Rider Decade (since they seem to be a very popular pun/theme in Japanese pop culture) x’D

  • Kai_sin

    -I as a noodle fanatic WORSHIP these beautiful things given to us by Amaterasu(*COUGH*) -
    Or im quite sure thats ow i would feel if i was 5% more japanese anyway. Im your casual Chopstick toting Blasian and a approve of this because noodles have gotten me through about 117 of my 18 years on this planet :3 I love noodles because they are easy to cook, fast, and go great with sauce/seasoning. My life would be incomplete without them. FACT.

  • Jgh

    Yoda for noodles a suitable spokesperson is. :)
     

  • Brandon Inoue

    Ahh nostalgia. 

    I never knew Andy Hug did a commercial in Japan but it makes sense since they called him the Blue Eyed Samurai. 

    I don’t know what to think about the Freddie Mercury one though.

  • John

    Yeah the ones with Andy are hilarious.

    And the one for Freddie Mercury, the singing is actually done by a guy named Gary Mullen.

  • Scott

    Where are all the other ones? With cavemen and stuff! At the Nissin ramen museum in Osaka when you make your own ramen, they have TV’s where you can’t watch old ramen commercials. One of my favorite parts of the museum actually. :P