The Ad: It uses a clear (and quite literal) idea to convey Toyota’s ‘Human Touch’ strapline, featuring a number of salarymen performing the roles of car components.
The Stars: The salarymen, memorable in the same way that androids in films tend to be (Westworld, A.I. etc). They’re also a good example of kimo-kawaii.
Why It’s Top: As the best TV ads do, this one uses a unique idea to convey a message anyone can understand. It’s also quite subversive in the it represents a reversal of the Japanese obsession of replacing humans with automated robots.
There are two types of mumbler, the most common being the type whose chronic shyness and lack of confidence causes them to speak at a volume that’s inaudible over the sound of an air conditioner. The second, rarer type (I’ve only taught two like this) is the student likes to do a bizarre kind of shadowing activity, lip-reading as you speak and repeating the words you say half a second later. Read the rest of this entry »
You can find the BigOnJapan.com Japanese Movie Quiz here on Facebook or check it out below. It’s a quiz about Japanese movies, actors and directors, as well as films made on location in Japan. If you take the quiz on Facebook you can get the correct answers instantly, whereas if you take the quiz below you can find a link to the answers at the bottom of the post. Gambatte!
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Q01: In the film Lost In Translation, Bill Murray is in Japan to promote which product?
This selfish student loves to be the centre of attention and is the exact opposite of the Pot Plant: talking endlessly about themselves, regardless of whether their teacher or classmates are interested or not; over-participating in the lesson so that classmates are unable to answer questions or give their opinions; and competing with the teacher to ensure the lesson revolves around them. Read the rest of this entry »
An interesting clip that gives a good idea of the frenetic pace of both TV programmes and construction work in Japan. Featuring the Shinjuku skyscraper district of Tokyo, keep an eye out and you’ll see one of Japan’s most impressive buildings, Tochō.
As everyone knows, potted plants are used to decorate people’s homes and just sit in the corner doing nothing. Similarly the pot plant’s role in the class is purely decorative, their input in the proceedings non-existent.
The question ‘what’s new?’ always receives the same answer: ‘nothing special’. Similarly, enquiries about whether they have any hobbies gets responses like ‘sleeping’, ‘shopping’ or simply ‘I have no hobbies’. Read the rest of this entry »
While researching previous posts on kids’ beer, I came across several blogs featuring Petcomyu’s Happy Lager, a beer aimed at dogs. Like kids’ beer, dogs’ beer is a non-alcoholic beer that is marketed in the same way as regular alcoholic beer (ie shown in advertising to be consumed in the same way and in the same places). Read the rest of this entry »
<<01>> All aboard the hanami train! <<02>> View of Kyobashi’s Osaka Business Park behind Osakajō-park’s colourful flora. <<03>> A closer view of the striking 37-floor (157m) Crystal Tower, one of Osaka’s better skyscrapers. <<04>> Petals in the castle moat. <<05>> A view of Osaka from the other side of the park, as daylight starts to fade. <<06>> Reflection of bare cherry trees in a blossom-lined puddle. <<07 - Main Photo>> A beautiful sakura sunset to end a pleasant day of blossom viewing (and of course beer drinking) in Osakajō-park.
One of the questions I was often asked in Japan was whether we have cherry blossoms in England. To this, I would reply: ‘yes, but English people don’t really pay much attention to them.’
Since returning to the UK, I can confirm that this is definitely the case: whereas the fervour surrounding hanami in Japan can best be described as a national obsession(a perfect example of this being the sakura-zensen ‘cherry blossom front’ weather forecasts, pictured above), in England Read the rest of this entry »
