Sunday, December 28, 2003

Western Stars in Japanese Commercials

During my numerous trips to Japan, one of the things that always amused me (among many others) were seeing major American stars shilling for products, something they would never do in the U.S. (this is the topic of the movie Lost in Translation, which unfortunately I haven't seen yet). I remember seeing Jody Foster's mug all over subway stations, Harrison Ford in beer commercials, and other major stars. In fact, I think I saw more American actors in commercials than Japanese actors (interestingly enough, I HAVE watched Monday Night Football in Japan, and no, they don't translate it into Japanese).

These commercials are produced with the stipulation that they cannot be shown outside Japan, but thanks to the power of the internet, you get see them here.

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