The Japanese pop culture might have been associated with “kawaii,” which means cute. Most of the time, with all its technological advancements, the word “cool” has also been an adjective to describe them. However, in terms of advertising, there might be another word that can sum up the whole commercial-watching in Japan.
Weird. If you don’t find an ad featuring a figure skater dancing with a sunny-side up hat weird, you’d probably want to look into some of the weirdest ads in Japan.
No more Eiga dorobou
This Anti-Piracy Ad is Japan’s way of encouraging the people to stop piracy. Its catchy music and exaggerated dance moves did its job as ‘Camera Man’ and ‘Patrol Lamp Man’ educate people of the punishment given to movie thieves. The ‘No More Movie Thief’ commercial series gained so much support— to the point that it got its own merchandise, even having doujinshis dedicated to the beloved characters.
Sticking together, no matter what
Watch the 90-second ad to see the ad that won a silver Lion in the Cannes. The seemingly gibberish scenes will stun you as it reaches the end, showing how Tsuruya Co.’s roof tiles ‘Stick together, no matter what’. Rain or shine, through fires and quakes, this brand promises you the relationship goals you want to have.
Firefly Man
Ocedel Lighting’s ‘Firefly Man’ became the highlight of several film festivals the year it was released, and it’s not surprising to see why. This weird ad is both funny and a tearjerker as a man goes away for 5 years to provide lighting for his family, coming back with quite a few... ‘changes’.
Cow Milk
This ad is just one of Rakunoh Mothers’ commercial series. As the children run with glasses on hand, the cow-patterned UFO showers them with milk. This horrifying (but still amusing) ad shows that aliens are not udderly despicable as they share the milk they got from stealing cows to a bunch of children.
Girl vs Dog
‘The ability to identify material quality is the only option’. Watch this ad take a shocking turn as flirting at night goes wrong. Gin no Sara’s commercial will make you question all that you know as it brings back your trust issues and childhood traumas.
The bizarre but brilliant culture of Japan is known, and it is especially rampant in the advertising industry. The ads may be a little too out there but it does the job as interests gets pulled by the unusual but compelling stories told in a mere half a minute. This list contains the latest in the world of weird ads in Japan. For more info about other Japanese commercials, don’t forget to check out the Best Commercials in Japan.
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