09.06.07
Branding and Advertising in Japan
During my 3 day stint in Japan I brought my little Canon IXUS850 pocket sized camera everywhere I went, taking pictures of anything which caught my eye. Not surprisingly (for anybody who has been to Japan) I found myself taking a lot of pictures of Japanese advertising, be it posters, storefronts, or simply the products themselves. Here’s a sampling.
 |
| I did not know the US was thought of as convenient, especially when paired up against Japan. Nonetheless, we have the Hyper Convenience US Mart where everything is 100 yen (a little less than a dollar). |
 |
| Here’s another product which comes out of Tokyo’s ubiquitous vending machines. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but if the claims on the label are accurate, then this is some pretty powerful stuff. |
 |
| Nobody does advertising like McDonald’s, especially when it’s for a new product such as the McPita. |
 |
| Apparently Michael Moore isn’t only making his presence felt in the US. This poster was in Shibuya Station, one of the busiest subway stations in Japan. |
 |
| It just wouldn’t be Japan without Hello Kitty, now would it? These posters were tacked up all over town. Unfortunately my Japanese reading only goes so far as the Kanji I know from Chinese, so I am not sure what this poster is for. Anybody care to translate? |
 |
| This was the bar I went to on my first night in Tokyo. It’s called UCLA. |
 |
| hmm…not really sure what the owner of this bar was trying to imply when he named it…maybe it’s better off that way. |
 |
|
This one seems to be a little more obvious.
|
 |
| For those looking for a more wholesome establishment, may I recommend Jesus Diamante? |
 |
| What? Too Christian?….Ok, then how about the Shalom Relaxation Salon? |
 |
| I know one this isn’t really advertising, but it was just too good not to post. |
intotherain
said,
September 6, 2007 at 8:28 pm
I have never thought that I could be the first one to remark on your articles!
ha, I feel good for that. these pictures you took is very fuuny, to be in japan for tourism is always one of my dreams, now I can learn more through what you have done. thank you.
intotherain
said,
September 6, 2007 at 8:38 pm
it makes me feel really good that I could be the first one to remark on your this blog, ha.
to visit japan is always one of my dreams, I can not tell why, I am just intrigued by some unknown reasons
these pictures are very good, some, I think, are so funny! especially that cartoon poster. but I don’t know japanese either, it is a pity I do not read the meanings but I do not care I am looking forward to more of your works ^^
The Wizard
said,
September 6, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Those are the best pictures I’ve never seen.
What’s up with the pics? They’re not viewable as of Thursday morning, 10:58 Am (EST).
Justin
said,
September 6, 2007 at 11:36 pm
I can’t see any of the pics either
Ben
said,
September 7, 2007 at 12:36 am
This is really weird. I just checked with 2 different browsers and after clearing out the cache, and I can still see all of them. Can anybody else see them?
Justin
said,
September 7, 2007 at 7:15 am
I tried it on both my work and home PC, but no pix…usually I can see everything on this site just fine…?
Sam Meers
said,
September 7, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Ben,
I loved all of these. But the last one had me rolling on the floor. It took me a minute, then I got it. Somebody had to do that on purpose. And every day, the walk past it and chuckle.
intotherain
said,
September 7, 2007 at 2:42 pm
you can not see them? but they are very available for me, why?
chriswaugh_bj
said,
September 7, 2007 at 4:31 pm
I can see the pictures just fine.
Matt Schiavenza
said,
September 7, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Can’t see ‘em
The Wizard
said,
September 7, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Friday, 9:16 am and I still can’t see ‘em. Cache cleared and I can’t see ‘em.
Silkdoll
said,
September 8, 2007 at 11:38 am
Hi, randomly found your blog
I must admit, that is some impressive advertising. When I was in Japan, I found a language centre ad with a group of international students conversing in a lounge on it. It seemed so normal until you realised that one of them was Spiderman!
As for the Hello Kitty ad…I can’t make out the first group of letters, but the second says, “Save the world” and the third, “A strong city”. Not sure of what it’s about…sorry. Good luck finding out!
Silkdoll
The Wizard
said,
September 9, 2007 at 12:40 am
Every photo on your blog shows up but those within this post. What’s up with that????
The Wizard
said,
September 10, 2007 at 3:43 am
Well, what the fuck is up with that?