Sunday 17 May 2009

Yebisu beer chess ad (Japan 2007)



Another of my travel pics, taken on a Tokio train in March 2007. Yebisu (ヱビス) is a beer brand that belongs to Sapporo Breweries. One must take into account that whereas in the Western world the use of chess in advertising is quite common, in Japan the game is quite exotic so I think I came accross a gem. Probably the Western culture is better known in Japan than the other way round, but I think that trying to visualize the effect that go or shogi would have in a Western audience helps to understand the idea.

Also beer is or used to be an alien element in the Japanese culture. When I go to a Japanese restaurant I never see Yebisu in the menu. Asahi seems to be the standard Japanese beer abroad. Looking for a better quality pic, I discovered a game called Beer Chess, which I would not recommend.
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