Japanese JR Ad: Your opinion please.

[nice gaijin]

This poster has nothing to do with that campaign, nor is it in English, nor will any tourist likely understand the meaning of it.

except, perhaps, for the imagery in question?

 

[mad pierrot]

Calm down everyone.....

This is subjective; think of the poster as a big ink blot test.


Even if you disagree with someone, do so respectfully.

 

[The7thSamurai]

except, perhaps, for the imagery in question?

Maybe it's just me, but I can't seem to see any link between a train, a building, a woman and appealing to American tourists.

 

[Emoni]

Maybe it's just me, but I can't seem to see any link between a train, a building, a woman and appealing to American tourists.

You do realize that this poster isn't part of the American Tourist campaign right? That and the fact it is in Japanese? This poster was next to the ones to bring tourists to America, along with the others that are put up to bring them to visit the Tohoku region. If you truly are in Japan like your flag icon indicates, then you would most likely have seen some of the campaign ads that were all over during Golden Week in many areas around Japanese train stations.

Pretty much, you have an American coming to visit Japan, and then a poster in English to come visit Tohoku, with a picture (with text they most likely can't read) that resembles an image of 9/11. This is just not a good idea, even if you don't find it offensive.

 

[Mike Cash]

Pretty much, you have an American coming to visit Japan, and then a poster in English to come visit Tohoku, with a picture (with text they most likely can't read) that resembles an image of 9/11. This is just not a good idea, even if you don't find it offensive.

Just for the sake of accuracy....

The poster is to promote tourism to Tokyo, not the Tohoku region.

 

[Emoni]

Just for the sake of accuracy....
The poster is to promote tourism to Tokyo, not the Tohoku region.

Speaking of accuracy... Which poster are you talking about? This poster here is for Tokyo clearly. The other advertisements is for Tohoku as well as other areas as well. Not just Tokyo.

 

[Mike Cash]

Speaking of accuracy... Which poster are you talking about? This poster here is for Tokyo clearly. The other advertisements is for Tohoku as well as other areas as well. Not just Tokyo.

I'm just going by what you said in the portion that I quoted.

You mentioned a poster for Tohoku, containing the imagery we've been discussing.

Also, regarding your reply to Bucko, one can truly be in Japan and not have occasion to enter a train station. The last time I took a train was last October and I took the train then more for the change-of-pace novelty value than for economy or practicality, for either of which a car would have won out.

 

[Ewok85]

Doesnt look the least bit like 9/11, sounds like someone making a mountain out of an imaginary molehill...

If you dont like it, write a nice letter to JR and point it out, but I've seen far worse.

 

[RockLee]

The first thing I noticed, was that the plane was flying, and there were no railtracks !!!

It seems some of the Americans think everything should be related directly to them. IMHO I think it's better for a train to be up in the air as there is limited space on the ground.

 

[Elizabeth]

Speaking of accuracy... Which poster are you talking about? This poster here is for Tokyo clearly. The other advertisements is for Tohoku as well as other areas as well. Not just Tokyo.

And how does where these posters are for, whether the Tohoku ones (assuming different imagary) are next to Tokyo, even what language they are in bear on the point of resemblance to 9/11 to Americans ? :?

 

[ginyu]

It seems some of the Americans think everything should be related directly to them. IMHO I think it's better for a train to be up in the air as there is limited space on the ground.

IMHO seeing the similarity isn't a question of nationality.
some posters here tend to generalize a lil bit IMO

This is subjective; think of the poster as a big ink blot test.
Even if you disagree with someone, do so respectfully.

word! nuff said

 

[Emoni]

Because there is quite an ironic flaw in having these two advertisement campaigns next to each other; one to bring in Americans to Japan, and another which can be seen as a similar to almost a "Japanese" version of the New York attack.

There is a great deal of irony for those who see the similarity, and this almost amplifies the effect in some ways.

 

[RockLee]

I don't know, but I didn't even saw similarities, guess it's because I ain't American :?

 

[Emoni]

No, it isn't because of that. It seems to be more similar to the "ink blot" comment that Mad Pierrot mentioned.

What the poll has showed (and me and Nice Gaijin talking with Japanese friends we know) is that it does NOT depend on the country for seeing the similarity. We expected it would, but it doesn't seem to at all. Some of the people (Americans) on this board don't see the similarity AT ALL (which I actually find almost hard to believe). Yet, many Japanese that I have talked to and shown the ad reacted quite quickly that it looked like 9/11. Only a couple didn't see it.

 

[pipokun]

Do your friends know where you are from, Emoni and Nice Gaijin?
I think your friends showed their consideration.

For Japanese living in rural parts of Japan, Tokyo has much bigger image, of course there are super anti-Tokyo people, though.
Shinkansen is a kind of their dearest dream for some people, actually my mother is from Niigata and said to me how appreciated she was when shinkansen's operation started.
And the Galaxy Express 999.

 

[Emoni]

I considered the fact of consideration, but their reactions were fairly direct. One person I simply showed the picture and he reacted that it looked EXACTLY like 9/11. This was the strongest reaction I got, the rest were kind of "Wow, I can't believe they would make that ad..." sorts of reactions.

Considering the number of people I have asked, and the sorts of reactions. The "just being nice" factor I don't believe is a part of this as all. However, I do think that it is going to depend on factors such as if they have studied abroad in America maybe, or where they live in Japan. Of course, that is a bit more beyond an Internet poll and I don't really have time to check on all that info.

 

[Elizabeth]

Because there is quite an ironic flaw in having these two advertisement campaigns next to each other; one to bring in Americans to Japan, and another which can be seen as a similar to almost a "Japanese" version of the New York attack.
There is a great deal of irony for those who see the similarity, and this almost amplifies the effect in some ways.

OK, I assumed the bring Americans to Japan campaign was targeted here in the states and that once there, you were talking about English-language signs for various locales within the country next to this potentially offensive one.

I'll try to take closer notice in two weeks on the next visit to both Tokyo and Tohoku....

 

[Davey]

Guess it was not my last post
So how about you send an email to JR Japan, with the qeustion about this advertisement? Maybe they can give you an explenation for the train in the air.

http://www.japanrail.com/JR_contactinfo.html
or contact the Japan National Tourist Organization?

let us know if you hear anything from them...


* is this off topic or what

 

[Emoni]

No that actually is on topic, but I already did that yesterday.

Actually a few people seem to have already beaten me to that; Japanese that saw the ad. Which was a bit of surprise to me.

 

[Davey]

and they, and you are still waiting for the reply?

 

[Emoni]

Considering I didn't mention a reply... yes waiting. We just sent it last night (Japan time last night) However, since "some posters" believe this topic is pointless, I'm surprised to now hear an interest in a response from JR.

With some of the out and out rude responses, and "less than kind" reception that I have gotten from some people on this thread just over this poll, I am tempted to not even bother posting it and to just say to email them yourselves if you are interested. However, if I get a response I'll consider posting it.

 

[Davey]

Trying to be nice, to get back to the topic with serious questions...

You better be posting it hahaha, that's what this thread is about right?

 

[Emoni]

Trying and being are two very different concepts.

College classes start up again tomorrow, my week will be extremely busy. This post was a poll to see how opinions were divided and why. If I DO get a response I may post it here, although I have no idea what that response might be. Considering the mentality of some of the posters on this topic so far, I am finding it hard to really care about posting any company emails or not when they would most likely just be used to bicker more about who knows what considering the behavior shown so far on this thread.

We'll see. No response yet anyway.

 

[DoctorP]

Look, you asked for opinions and that is what you got. Everyone is not going to agree on everything. I personally didn't see it as such a big deal. You and some of the others obviously do. You are entitled to that opinion.

 

[Kinsao]

I'm not American but as soon as I saw the ad I thought of 9/11 simply because it had 2 tall buildings on it. I thought 'hmmm is that not a little tasteless?' Of course, I can see clearly that the train isn't actually crashing into the buildings and is unlikely to do so (without getting into geometry calculations! -_-). But if these buildings are well known landmark for the area, I can fully understand the poster, I think it was an unintentional thing and there's no point to becoming 'offended' by the image.