Category: Commercials

Namco Karnov Family Tennis Star Wars

Namco was founded in Tokyo in 1955, by Masaya Nakamura under the name Nakamura Manufacturing Ltd. It began by producing mechanical rocking-horses and similar children’s rides, which were installed in a number of department stores in Yokohama and Nihonbashi. It continued this line of production through the 1960s, and expanded with the addition of rides modeled after Walt Disney characters in 1966.

Karnov is a video game by Data East from 1987. It was originally released as an arcade game; an NES version followed, along with various other versions. The game puts the bulging muscled, fire-breathing, ex-circus strongman east-Russian (Asian) hero on a quest to search for treasures. However, between him and the treasures were several horrendous monsters, including sword wielding monks, jinns, foot hopping giant fishes and ostrich-riding skeleton warriors.

Kiefer Sutherland delivers Calorie Mate to Shinjuku

The description seen on all CalorieMate products reads:

CALORIE MATE (product name) is a nutritionally balanced source of the energy needed for daily activities. CALORIE MATE (product name) is naturally suited for people on-the-go who need an easy source of energy and nutrition-at breakfast, work, sports, study, or any busy time.

[Kiefer Sutherland] has starred in Japanese commercials for Calorie Mate, performing a parody of his Jack Bauer character.

Shinjuku (新宿区, Shinjuku-ku) is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the busiest train station in the world (Shinjuku Station), and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the Tokyo Metropolis. The area around Shinjuku Station is home to a large concentration of department stores, specialist electronic and camera shops, cinemas, restaurants and bars. Many international hotels have a large presence here.

Kuro Kuro Neko

Yamato Transport Co., Ltd. (ヤマト運輸株式会社, Yamato Un’yu Kabushiki-gaisha) is Japan’s largest door-to-door delivery service company and a 100% owned subsidiary of Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd ( ヤマトホールディングス株式会社, Yamato Hōrudingusu Kabushiki-gaisha). Their head office is located in Ginza, Tokyo.

The company’s logo is a yellow oval with a black mother cat carrying her kitten in her mouth, symbolizing the company’s promise that they take care of items entrusted to them as though the items were their own family. The logo is as familiar in Japan as the Coca-Cola logo is in the United States.