One of my favorite parts about watching Japanese television programs is getting to see what their commercials look like. For whatever reason, I’m always fascinated by how other countrys’ commercials differ from those seen in the United States. Japan’s are of particular interest because, well, it’s Japan. Luckily for me and everyone else, I stumbled [...]
It’s hard to overstate instant ramen’s importance in Japan. There are multiple instant ramen museums in the country, and at the beginning of the millenium, the Japanese voted instant ramen Japan’s most important invention of the 20th century. Of course, no product in Japan is without goofy advertising campaigns. Some of my favorite commercials (CMs) [...]
People around the world are mystified by Japanese advertising. We’ve written quite a few posts about Japanese commercials in the past, but it doesn’t stop with TV ads; the commercials, the packaging, the branding are all just so out there. (Although I’m sure people outside of the US who have seen the berries and cream [...]
It’s no secret that western celebrities do commercials in Japan for some extra cash. Everybody’s gotta make a buck, right? But some of those commercials are more strange than others. Case in point, Jean Reno’s recent commercials for Toyota in Japan. Jean Reno, if you don’t know him, is a French actor who’s had crossover [...]
Coffee, coffee, coffee! The kick-starter fuel that many of us consume every waking moment. For some, like us Pacific Northwest dwellers, coffee is pretty much a religion. We aren’t alone, of course. Many parts of the world enjoy and make a living off of this pleasing beverage. But how many coffee beans need to sacrifice their lives [...]
Every now and again some famous celebrity sells their soul to Japan for a few million handfuls of yen. In the past, they did not need to worry much about their soul selling escapades being viewed by a western audience. However, thanks to the internet and all of its unholy magicks, now we can all [...]
