Marcel Winatschek

Japanese Commercials

I’ve made it a routine to watch compilations of strange Japanese commercials first thing in the morning. It’s become a better way to wake up than coffee—just pure unfiltered chaos that hits you before you’re even thinking straight.

These ads operate on a logic that doesn’t translate. Sumo wrestlers screaming. Monsters spraying liquid. Things bouncing that shouldn’t bounce. There’s no product placement that makes sense, no narrative, no moment where you suddenly understand what they’re selling. Just loud and wrong and committed to that wrongness.

What I like about them is that they don’t care if you get it. American commercials are always performing—selling you a lifestyle or a feeling along with whatever product. These just exist. They’re absurd for the sake of being absurd, and there’s something genuine about that.

By the time a compilation finishes, I feel a little stupider and ready to move forward with the day.