update: commercial love, part trois

So, I'm some kind of freak who is obsessed with American celebrities on Japanese tv. I accept this.

George Clooney Honda commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8yUbngqX98

The advertising's in Japanese, but the language at the gas station is something else. Whatever. It's shown on Japanese TV, and that's what interests me. The music makes it for me. Without the Bee Gees, that commercial wouldn't be much at all.

I was talking to Naofumi-san about my obsession with Tommy Lee Jones commercials, and he asked me about the Brad Pitt commericals, if I liked them. I hadn't seen any of them, so he told me they're for SoftBank and it's kind of a phone thing. He also mentioned that they're a little weird (which is not saying much, most of what's on Japanese tv is a little weird). I finally saw one the other day, and yes, Brad Pitt in a bright yellow pantsuit, photographing a topless woman is a little strange. That's one of the newer ones; the older SoftBank commercials are just shots of him wandering around various places while talking on the phone. Definitely not as cool as Tommy Lee Jones. There are also some older ones (from circa 1996 - the "12 Monkeys" phase) that are for a brand of jeans. They're also slightly insane. Or incredibly boring. I found them unworthy of being posted here.

SoftBank commercials:
http://www.dalealplay.com/informaciondecontenido.php?con=142697
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O13WPQMVPcY (I really liked the soundtrack in this one, even if the rest of it isn't all that inspiring)

What I like so much about the TLJ commericals is that they've got that little bit of social commentary - there's something of the satirical about them, if only in the slightest and most innocent of ways. It's like fluffy satire (fluffire? saffy? er, pass) Filming 30 seconds of attractive people ostensibly doing nothing but look attractive is going to get people's attention, but it's probably not going to generate any kind of deep thought. Whereas, with the TLJ commericals, I've actually had discussions about them with some of my students, even beyond "wow, you really like them?"

What would a post about Japanese commercials be without a TLJ commercial? Here's the latest (#17 in the series):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNP90Lunvyg

and #16, which is my favorite after #9:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZdMksVjzI8

Speaking of getting people's attention, here's my favorite non-foreigner celebrity commercial:

Gatsby Moving Rubber: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk2FBNlOmR8

This mesmerizes me every time. Every time.

UPDATE: commercial love, part deux

http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=4207

As it turns out, there are 16 Tommy Lee Jones commercials made by Boss so far. The above link has a playlist of 13 of them with English subtitles.

Enjoy!

commercial love

Um, so remember that pic of Tommy Lee Jones on a vending machine that I posted? Apparently, that was just scratching the surface - he really IS a spokesperson for that Boss coffee brand.

Okay, so Japanese commercials are way more interesting and amusing than American commercials. Why? Not sure, maybe it has to do with the fact that I have no idea what they're saying or that I have no idea what most of these products are so it's all new to me and I think it's great. Whatever it is, I like Japanese commercials, so I watch them when they come on.

So, Monday, SMAP just went off, and I'm trying to decide what to do next (lesson plans or ironing? there's a conundrum for you), and this commercial comes on. It's a bunch of maintenance guys doing something in a tunnel - they're all dirty and worn-out and looking like they're not enjoying this. And the foreman stands up and says something and points to what looks like a demolitions detonator - you know, the kind you see the Coyote always trying to blow up the Roadrunner with. And then he looks out at the men and says, quite clearly, "Jones."

The next thing you know, Tommy Lee Jones is walking out of the crowd - dressed just like all the other Japanese guys - and looking all noble, and he says something in Japanese that I don't know what it is yet. And he pushes the detonator and blows a whole in the top of the tunnel and everyone is happy and tears are streaming down TLJ's face in such a stereotypical melodramatic Japanese-emotional reaction that I just busted out laughing. It's a commercial for Boss coffee drinks, and the last shot is TLJ chugging one of their little super-espresso products.

This, I have decided, is awesome incarnate.

I also enjoy the car commercial with George Clooney. It's about 45 seconds of Clooney parking his car (Japanese, because the steering wheel is on the right!), putting money in a parking meter, putting the ticket on his dashboard, and walking down the street. I like its simplicity.


EDIT:
Okay, so I'm taking a break from writing and thinking, "gee, I wonder if I can find those commercials online." And I went searching. What did I find? TREASURE.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=4082864
Nicholas Cage as an overly-stereotyped (and insanely hilarious) cowboy.

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=3866533
Governor Arnold also endorses power (?) drinks.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=4073112
For any "24" fans out there. Not the best quality, but it's mildly amusing.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=8696368
Hulk Hogan sings "The Days of the Week" song (which my kids hate) in a Japanese AC commercial.

And because I love Tommy Lee Jones in Japanese commercials, here's a WHOLE PAGE DEDICATED TO THEM. In commercial #9, he becomes my new personal hero.
http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=2770

[p.s. The Pee Wee Herman commercials were too horrible to link here. Find them if you dare.]

Japanese Food Journal: vending machines

Before coming to Japan, I was told that there were vending machines everywhere and that they sold a variety of items (including the fabled "used panties" machine, which I really don't think exists, but there are stranger things out there, I suppose). This is probably true in larger cities. In Isesaki, all of the vending machines sell liquid refreshments. But, this goes way beyond just soda and water. There's also juice of all kinds, beer, various bottled coffees, and a lot of other things that I haven't figured out what they are yet.


I use vending machines about once a day, especially the one in GEOS. It has two kinds of lemonade drinks, plus Pepsi Twist, which is one of the few soda drinks that I will allow myself to drink because I like it. I haven't seen much of Pepsi Twist in America in several years, and I thought it was no longer so there and therefore no longer produced. Shows how wrong I can be. I could drink a can of it every day, but I try to limit myself to one a week, opting for water or lemonade instead. I still haven't purchased a Brita container, so I've been getting a lot of bottled water too. It's about ￥100 for most drinks, and I think it's worth it. The one at the train station also sells cherry juice, which is a little weird but pretty good.


My favorite vending machine is the one next to a takoyaki stand near the school. I pass it nearly every day, on my way to the 7-11 or to the grocery store. I have never bought anything out of it because it's mostly canned coffee (which says it's hot, and this intrigues me, so maybe I'll try it someday). No, it's my favorite because of what it looks like:

Yes, my friends, that's Tommy Lee Jones on a Japanese vending machine. I had no idea he was so fond of canned Japanese coffee. Talk about your awesomeness.