Long before I first visited Japan for the first time I was intrigued by the bizarre antics of Japanese television through shows like Takeshi’s Castle and Gaki no Tsukai. Watch enough clips of these shows on Youtube and it won’t be long before you are exposed to the wonderful world of Japanese commercials too.
Completely zoning out to Australian TV ads is easy, but Japanese ads are impossible to ignore. Here is a collection of the best Japanese Ads from the past 5 years:
Nissin Cup Noodle / Instant Ramen Commercials
Nissin is famous in Japan for their funny and interesting ads. They are releasing new ones all the time but here are a couple of my favourites.
What if learning English (or Japanese) was a battlefield?
That ad turns language learning into an epic war movie. As a teacher, I love this idea!
Final Fantasy 15 and Nissin Commercial Collaboration
Nissin collaborated with Square Enix and altered the Final Fantasy 15 ad to include over the top obvious Nissin Cup noodle product placements.
Samurai Noodles Commercial
Have you ever wondered what is the origin of cup noodles? Probably not. Either way it is a great reason to create this samurai inspired anime commercial.
How Far Would You Go If Someone Stole Your Noodles?
This great commercial ask the important question – what would you do if someone stole your noodles? For most of us the answer is either nothing or buy more noodles. However for this one Japanese schoolgirl it is enough to go on an adventure across Japan taking on explosions, sumo wrestlers, zombies and samurai just for a taste of her prized noodles.
Anime Commercial
I am not entirely sure what this ad has to do with noodles, but does it matter? It is awesome!
It has everything you could ask for from an epic anime movie – romance, action, giant monsters – all in 30 seconds. It also features animation quality to rival Makoto Shinkai to boot.
Norton Antivirus Commercial
This Norton antivirus commercial is very stylish and captures Japanese art, music, fashion and culture in equal parts.
Mercedes-Benz
This ad is a collaboration between Nintendo and Mercedes featuring both old-school Mario and a live action version. There are a few Mario Kart variations with Mario facing off with Peach and Luigi which are worth checking out too.
Sky Arena Commercial
I think we have all had that experience at the airport going through customs and hoping we don’t have to have our bags checked. I won’t ruin the surprise for you but I would be really worried if I was carrying what this guy is.
Pocari Sweat Commercial
It is rare that a song created for an Ad can stand up when compared to other popular songs. The energetic film clip adds to the terrific song which I can’t get out of my head!
Gongon Siritonakatta (By KINCHO) Commercial
How do you make washing powder interesting? Create a cute and catchy song sung by peculiar looking Japanese twins with a man shouting in the background. Foolproof.
Japanese PS4 Commercial
An ad for all the naysayers who look down on gamers. The reality is that gamers are cool because they really can do anything and be whatever they want to be. An uplifting ad for all gamers to rally behind.
Amino Supil Commercials
What if the power rangers were super super ordinary. Like even more ordinary than the average human.
Japanese Panasonic Commercial
An ants eye perspective of the destructive power of vaccum cleaners. I will never look at an iRobot Roomba the same way again.
Wondercore Commercial
Core strength is just about the most unsexy reason to get active and hit the gym. At least building muscle or tone you can see tangible results…until now. This Wondercore commercial shows just how great it is to have core strength.
Dual Saw Commercial
Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets the The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. No furniture or household decor is safe from this psychopath.
Gin no Sara Commercials
Gin no Sara have many funny ads but these next three are a few of my favourites. It is all about the transformative power of sushi, I guess…
This next ad ask the question – What would happen if Gin no Sara they put their sushi to the test against the competition Japanese game show style.
Carre de chocolat
A Japanese woman is going for the world record for the longest amount of time without blinking. What could possibly stop her? Not much it seems…
World Of Tanks & Battleships Commercials
Let’s finish up on a high note with the world of tanks & battleships commercials. Both are a testament to the power of the mind over whatever else we happen to be doing at the time.
