Coffee Ad Pays Tribute To Haruo Nakajima

Above, Haruo Nakajima at G-FEST in 2008. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This is a Japanese advertisement for Boss Coffee, a major coffee brand (part of Suntory) in Japan. This ad is three years old, but it is only now that I've seen it (thanks to Stan Hyde).  

Although a coffee ad, it pays tribute to Haruo Nakajima and what he endured while playing the King of the Monsters.

Here's the ad:

For Relaxing Times, Make It Suntory Time

Above, a Suntory whiskey advertisement at Shinagawa Station in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While doing something else, it dawned on me that next year will mark 20 years since the release of the Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson movie, Lost In Translation. 

Filmed in Japan and directed by Sofia Coppola, here's a summary of the film from Rotten Tomatoes:

A lonely, aging movie star named Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and a conflicted newlywed, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), meet in Tokyo. Bob is there to film a Japanese whiskey commercial; Charlotte is accompanying her celebrity-photographer husband. Strangers in a foreign land, the two find escape, distraction and understanding amidst the bright Tokyo lights after a chance meeting in the quiet lull of the hotel bar. They form a bond that is as unlikely as it is heartfelt and meaningful.

Lost In Translation was released on September 9, 2003.

It is interesting that many people don't "get" the movie, yet it scored a 95% on the Tomatometer and 85% Audience Score at Rotten Tomatoes.

I enjoyed the movie after seeing it two years after my first visit to Japan in 2001 and before my second with G-TOUR in 2004. In fact, some of the locations used in the movie were visited by G-TOUR. I enjoyed seeing the sights and sounds of Japan as well as the soundtrack. 

Since next year marks 20 years since the movie's release, I guess I'll have more to say about it then.

Why the photo of a Suntory whiskey advertisement at top? The Bill Murray character was in Japan to make commercials for Suntory Whiskey with the catch line, "For relaxing times, make it Suntory time!"

A Certain Whiskey Ad

Above, the ad that caught my attention. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Almost from the time I arrived in Japan last weekend, I've been noticing an ad for Suntory Whiskey here and there, especially on subway and other trains as well as at train stations.

There's nothing too remarkable about the ad except the woman in the ad reminds me of Yuu Asakura (well, they are both gorgeous Japanese women), one of the models I used for promoting The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. I mentioned the ad to Tom Logan today and he says the ad lady is pretty famous in Japan.

Above, Yuu Asakura and Armand at the "Utsutsu" press and kick-off party in 2010.

Yuu and the woman in the ad aren't exactly lookalikes, but there's something striking about the ad lady that reminds me of Yuu. 

For Relaxing Times, Make It Jim Beam Time

Above, Sean Connery in a Jim Beam ad circa 1967.

It has been announced that Japan's Suntory Holdings, Ltd. is buying the makers of Jim Beam whiskey.

According to The Japan News:

DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Beam, the maker of Jim Beam and Marker’s Mark alcohol brands, has agreed to be acquired by Japan’s Suntory Holdings Ltd. for approximately $13.62 billion. 

Suntory will pay $83.50 per share, a 25 percent premium to Beam’s Friday closing price of $66.97. 

The companies put the deal’s value at about $16 billion, including debt. 

Suntory has a portfolio of spirits, with whiskies including Yamazaki and Hakushu as well as Midori liqueur and other beverages. 

Suntory already distributes Beam’s products in Japan. Beam distributes Suntory’s products in Singapore and other Asian markets.

In the movie Lost In Translation, Bill Murray's character is in Japan to make commercials for Suntory whiskey. The slogan used was, "For relaxing times, make it Suntory time." I guess we can now call it Jim Beam time.

To read more, go here.