Category: Japan

Mr. Big Hit, Happy Body

Mr. Baseball is a 1992 American sports comedy film directed by Fred Schepisi, starring Tom Selleck, Ken Takakura, Dennis Haysbert, and Aya Takanashi. It depicts a tumultuous season in the career of veteran New York Yankees first baseman Jack Elliot, who is traded to the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League during Spring Training, and forced to contend with overwhelming expectations and cultural differences during the Dragons’ run at the pennant. Jack’s “Big Hit, Happy Body” commercial, [was] filmed [outside of Nagoya] in a tea field overlooking Mikawa Bay.

An energy drink is a type of drink containing stimulant compounds, usually caffeine, which is marketed as providing mental and physical stimulation (marketed as “energy”, but distinct from food energy).

Thomas William Selleck (born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, winning in 1985.

The Chunichi Dragons (中日ドラゴンズ, Chūnichi Doragonzu) are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan.

For more Japan-related commercials, please check Video Ichiban.

McDonalds SpongeBob Happy Set

SpongeBob SquarePants (often referred to simply as SpongeBob) is an American animated television series, created by animator Stephen Hillenburg. SpongeBob has gained popularity in Japan, specifically with Japanese women. Nickelodeon’s parent company Viacom purposefully targeted marketing at women in the country as a method of the SpongeBob SquarePants brand. Skeptics initially doubted that SpongeBob could be popular in Japan as the character’s design is very different to already popular designs for Hello Kitty and Pikachu.

A “Happy Meal” is a form of kids’ meal specifically marketed at children sold at the fast-food chain McDonald’s since June 1979. A toy is typically included with the food, both of which are usually contained in a box or paper bag with the McDonald’s logo. The packaging and toy are frequently part of a marketing tie-in to a popular film, TV show, or toy-line. In Japan, it was called Okosama Lunch from 1987 to 1988, then Okosama Set from 1988 to 1995 (Okosama is a polite word for “child”), before being renamed to Happy Set.

Hyperactivity is a physical state in which a person is abnormally active. The majority of studies show no connection between sugar and hyperactivity. This belief is especially prevalent among parents and teachers who claim that children’s behavior often gets more rowdy, excited and energetic after they eat too many sugary foods and drink too many sugary drinks (such as chocolates/sweets or soft drinks).

For more crazy Japanese commercials, check out Video Ichiban.

Schick Protector Blue Metal Pride

Schick is a brand of safety razors by Wilkinson Sword, a subsidiary of Energizer Holdings. While second in sales to Gillette globally, Schick is the top selling brand of safety razors and blades in Japan.

Mark Coleman (born December 20, 1964) is an American mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, former NCAA collegiate wrestler and former Olympic amateur wrestler.

Wanderlei César da Silva, nicknamed “The Axe Murderer”, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who has competed in Japan’s Pride Fighting Championships and the American based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Pride Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC for short) was the biggest mixed martial arts organization in the world, based in Japan.

For more Japanese Commercials, check out Video Ichiban.

Tim Loves Doritos

A shuriken (Japanese 手裏剣; literally: “sword hidden in the hand”) is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing. They are sharpened hand-held blades made from a variety of everyday items such as needles, nails, and knives, [Doritos brand flavored tortilla chips] as well as coins, washers, and other flat plates of metal.

Samurai (侍) is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. By the end of the 12th century, samurai became almost entirely synonymous with bushi (武士), and the word was closely associated with the middle and upper echelons of the warrior class.

Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Indianapolis Colts against the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2009 season.

For many years, Doritos advertised heavily during the Super Bowl.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Goes West For Suntory Coffee

Nicknamed “The Austrian Oak” in his body building days, “Arnie” or “Ahnold” (playing off his accent) during his acting career, and more recently “The Governator” (a portmanteau of Governor and Terminator, referring to his internationally popular film role), [Arnold] Schwarzenegger as a young man gained widespread attention as a highly successful bodybuilder, and later gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film star.

You can find more Japanese commercials at Video Ichiban.

Coffee is a widely consumed beverage prepared from the roasted seeds “commonly referred to as beans” of the coffee plant. It is usually served hot but can also be served cold. A typical 7 fluid ounce (ca. 207 mL) cup of coffee contains 80 – 140 milligrams of caffeine, depending on the bean and method of roasting and preparation.

Takeru Kobayashi inhales a Coors Light

Takeru Kobayashi (小林 尊, Kobayashi Takeru) (b. March 15, 1978) is a Japanese competitive eater and a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, and is the second ranked eater in the world according to the International Federation of Competitive Eating.

For more Takeru Kobayashi and competitive eating chow down at Video Ichiban.

Coors Light, the “Silver Bullet”, a 4.2% abv beer first brewed in 1978 as a low calorie beer. It is Coors top selling brand, and the third-best selling beer in the United States. It has won several medals for “American-Style Light Beer” at the Great American Beer Festival, and is the official beer sponsor of the NFL and the NFL Network.