It’s a known fact that Japan has some of the weirdest television commercials in the world. From fast food to automobiles, Japanese ads often contain subliminal messages and odd concepts.
Recently, a tourism ad for Miyagi Prefecture has garnered much attention for its “overtly sexual” content. The clip, which stars model and actress Mitsu Dan and Miyagi’s official rice ball mascot Musubimaru, has even received complaints from members of Miyagi’s Prefectural Assembly and several women’s advocacy groups.
The ad starts with Musubimaru lying on the floor, looking rather bored. Dan soon appears in the room and gently strokes his head. Then, she whispers sexily in his ears, saying, “Miyagi, I-cha-u?” (which means “Let’s go to Miyagi.”)
After hearing Dan’s suggestion, the mascot gets a nosebleed. In Japanese pop culture, the nosebleed reaction often refers to a person having sexual thoughts. And according to Rocket News 24, the term “i-cha-u” can mean either “go” or “ejaculate” depending on context.
In another scene, Dan is seen stroking the head of a flying turtle. The actress, who is known for having a sexy aura and sultry voice, can be heard asking, “Can I get on top of you?” Then, the turtle blushes and it’s head grows in size. On top of the sexual visuals, netizens also pointed out that “turtle head” in Japanese reads “kamegashira” (“kame” for turtle and “gashira” for head), which also translate to glans – the rounded part forming the end of the penis.
In response to the complaints, the Miyagi Regional Promotion Council announced that it will take down the video, which cost some 23 million yen (approximately RM897,000) to produce, after a promotional event on 26th August in Sendai.
As at time of writing, the ad has been viewed over 4.1 million times on the Cool Miyagi Summer YouTube channel.
What do y’all think of the ad? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Sources: Rocket News 24, The Straits Times / Featured image: Rocket News 24.
