Japanese JR Ad: Your opinion please.

[Emoni]

This is an actual advertisement by JR in Japan. This is not modified or changed in anyway, and I found around the Hanamaki and Tono area in Tohoku Japan.

I am curious what your reaction is to an add like this. Please post your poll opinion BEFORE reading any replies.

 

[Davey]

lol, do you mean with this that the train is going into the building, like 9/11? or that the Design is wrong and that the train should be above the building? just a bad design, that's all if you ask me!

 

[Emoni]

You got it.

I was curious how many people would notice the similarity after talking with a few friends from Japan and America.

One thing to not; JR is currently running ads to try to bring Americans who are coming to Japan to visit the Tohoku region.

 

[nice gaijin]

I saw this and was just shocked that such a thing would get by JR's design office

 

[Davey]

I saw this and was just shocked that such a thing would get by JR's design office

shocked because of they have the train in the building? or the bad design that the train is in the building, because there was no space above it. where else should they have put the train? in the woman? I understand the add, but they should have chosen a different design *company lol*

 

[Emoni]

shocked because of they have the train in the building? or the bad design that the train is in the building, because there was no space above it. where else should they have put the train? in the woman? I understand the add, but they should have chosen a different design *company lol*

Where should they have put the train you ask? Well... they could have put it on a train track. Why would NiceGaijin be "shocked" by the bad design, and not that it is about to ram into the Shinjuku Government building?

JR Guy #1: "Dude! Where should we put the train?"
JR Guy #2: "Um... dunno."
JR Guy #1: "I KNOW!!! Lets put it in the sky! That would cool!"
JR Guy #2: "Wow! Ya! And we could have it screaming towards a government building!"
JR Guy #1: "Wow... that is even better! We are SOOO getting to go home before 11:30pm tonight!"

Anyway, putting the train on the ground might have been a slightly better idea...

 

[nice gaijin]

not taking into consideration any design concerns, I found it shocking.

Where should they have put the train you ask? Well... they could have put it on a train track. Why would NiceGaijin be "shocked" by the bad design, and not that it is about to ram into the Shinjuku Government building?
JR Guy #1: "Dude! Where should we put the train?"
JR Guy #2: "Um... dunno."
JR Guy #1: "I KNOW!!! Lets put it in the sky! That would cool!"
JR Guy #2: "Wow! Ya! And we could have it screaming towards a government building!"
JR Guy #1: "Wow... that is even better! We are SOOO getting to go home before 11:30pm tonight!"
Anyway, putting the train on the ground might have been a slightly better idea...

a building with two towers, to say the least.

 

[Davey]

The JR train shows that you can go to this place! the building resembles this place * Tokyo? you can go to Tokyo with the train... IT DOES NOT RAM IN THE BUILDING, it is INFRONT OF the building. imagine a train track... with the train .. where do you put the building that resembles Tokyo? I don't think that the makers made it with the thinking of 9/11...

 

[Emoni]

Of course they didn't make it thinking of 9/11. I never said anything of the sort, so please do not imply that I did. No it doesn't ram the building, but it is flying directly towards the building.

You haven't been to Japan in that region probably, but the building is the Shinjuku government building in Shinjuku Tokyo. It is one of the most famous buildings in Tokyo. As Nice Gaijin pointed out there are two towers. There are few buildings in Tokyo that have exactly two distinct towers that are that size. A couple exist but none as distinct as this building.

The similarity speaks for itself, for anyone who is aware of this event in America and has seen the 9/11 pictures. This thread was posted because I was curious if Japanese posters would see the similarity themselves, as friends of mine either saw it immediately or did not without being given hints. With one the most major rail transportation company in Japan making an ad like this while at the same time JR's most recent promotion for Americans to visit areas of... do I really need to continue further?

 

[nice gaijin]

of course they didn't make it with 9/11 in mind, but it DOES evoke such an image. Unintended messages are still messages, and it's up to marketing editors to catch stuff like this.

 

[Davey]

I don't understand the fuz about it, but yeah.

 

[Elizabeth]

I don't understand the fuz about it, but yeah.

I don't think it's particularly insensitive either. The whole point is to make taking the Tohoku shinkansen into a spectacular experience, similar to what you would get with a plane with a distinctive design backdrop over Tokyo for a lasting impression. The buildings look half-animated, anyway, and it is clearly headed in front not into the side.

 

[Mike Cash]

Of course they didn't make it thinking of 9/11. I never said anything of the sort, so please do not imply that I did. No it doesn't ram the building, but it is flying directly towards the building.

No, it isn't.

You haven't been to Japan in that region probably, but the building is the Shinjuku government building in Shinjuku Tokyo. It is one of the most famous buildings in Tokyo.

I drive by the thing about 12 times a week. The train is "flying" parallel to the building and couldn't possibly hit it. It would have to be coming in at an angle in order to hit the building.

 

[JimmySeal]

I agree with Nice Gaijin's last comment. It's obviously not headed for the buildings but it does evoke such an image. They could have picked a distincive Tokyo backdrop with shorter buildings or the same buildings with the train over them. Or they could have had the same picture and put the train on a track.

JR Guy #1: "Wow... that is even better! We are SOOO getting to go home before 11:30pm tonight!"

I burst out laughing when I read this.

 

[Blututh]

I'm a native american and I didn't even notice the reference to 9/11 until I read some posts.

 

[Emoni]

I agree with Nice Gaijin's last comment. It's obviously not headed for the buildings but it does evoke such an image.

Yes, it does evoke a scene of 9/11. It has some strong similiarities, very strong. Keep in mind this is right next to an ad campaign to bring more Americans to Japan. Just horrible ad planning if you ask me.
Curious as to the responses of the poll so far. What I am most curious is the opinion of the (remaining) Japanese posters on this board and what they think of the poster. So far, some Japanese friends of mine see the 9/11'ishness, and for some it doesn't cross their mind. Which is most like the case of the JR advertisement team.

 

[Emoni]

I drive by the thing about 12 times a week. The train is "flying" parallel to the building and couldn't possibly hit it. It would have to be coming in at an angle in order to hit the building.

You are misunderstanding this poll and post.

The exact angle of impact is not the point of this post. It is the image and the advertisement itself.

If you want to get SUPER technical, you can say that it is possible to hit the second tower of the building considering that the picture as taken at an extremely slight angle, thus it is possible for the oversized train to hit the second tower. Of course, then you can argue that the shear size of the train shows that it is far enough away from the building. Oh, but wait! You can then point out that TRAINS DON'T FLY. Thus destroying the argument. Finally you can end it with the classes Internet rebuttal and just say "JR so Photoshopped it dude!"

Come on guys...

I think Nice Gaijin explained it best when he mentioned the statement of evoking the image of 9/11. This is what the poll is about, if this sort of image is seen or not, and by who.

 

[pipokun]

How many American women eat humbergers while they wash their cars...

 

[JimmySeal]

How many American women eat humbergers while they wash their cars...

As far as I know, just one. But Paris Hilton does a lot of weird things. What's your point?

 

[yukio_michael]

The first thing I thought when I saw that ad, was that plane has no wings...

 

[Carlson]

Its the Tokyo Goverment Building its soposed to transform into a robot and protect Tokyo. or so some Japanese think.

the train really doesnt bother me at all.

 

[ginyu]

The first thing I thought when I saw that ad, was that plane has no wings...

same here! i'm no american, but the first thing i thought of when seeing this ad was 9/11

 

[Mike Cash]

You are misunderstanding this poll and post.
The exact angle of impact is not the point of this post. It is the image and the advertisement itself.
If you want to get SUPER technical, you can say that it is possible to hit the second tower of the building considering that the picture as taken at an extremely slight angle, thus it is possible for the oversized train to hit the second tower. Of course, then you can argue that the shear size of the train shows that it is far enough away from the building. Oh, but wait! You can then point out that TRAINS DON'T FLY. Thus destroying the argument. Finally you can end it with the classes Internet rebuttal and just say "JR so Photoshopped it dude!"
Come on guys...
I think Nice Gaijin explained it best when he mentioned the statement of evoking the image of 9/11. This is what the poll is about, if this sort of image is seen or not, and by who.

Did you want people's honest impressions of the poster? Or did you want everyone to just see it the way you do and express agreement?

I wasn't trying to be super technical. Based on familiarity with that building and the way the train is positioned, it didn't (still doesn't) look to me like it is going to hit the building. I never got that impression at all, and as per your request in the initial post, I spent quite a while looking at it trying to figure out what was objectionable about it. I didn't see anything wrong with it.

I wish I had known there was some sort of party line I was expected to toe in this thread.

 

[DoctorP]

I don't see the big deal. First off, the buildings look nothing like the towers in New York. Second the train doesn't hit the buildings. It is just alluding to the fact that their train "flies" and will get you there quickly. No need to drive. What's the big deal? Is it a pleasant design? No...I find it quite cluttered, but what the hell do I know?

 

[Emoni]

Did you want people's honest impressions of the poster? Or did you want everyone to just see it the way you do and express agreement?

I never said that anywhere. The purpose of this thread (again) is to see how (if possible on a forum board) the thoughts of this ad are seperated.

I never got that impression at all, and as per your request in the initial post, I spent quite a while looking at it trying to figure out what was objectionable about it. I didn't see anything wrong with it.

And this is exactly what this poll was here to test. Nothing more than that.