<2023/10/19 postscript> Ichiro Zaitsu, well-known for his Takemoto Piano and Nippon Full Hap commercials, passed away on October 14. We pray for his soul rest in peace.
1.JT
I love JT’s “A Moment in Japan” series of commercials because of the threefold combination of music, images (including the performers), and message.
I love this series of commercials because they are comfortable and soothing.
In “Origami Crane,” “Mizuhiki,” “Waka,” “Ikebana,” “Fireworks,” and “Sento,” the beautiful Japanese traditions and the young, beautiful foreign women gazing at them are all very impressive.
The music in the background is also very peaceful and beautiful. I think it is a wonderful video that also serves as an introduction to Japanese culture. The narration by a foreign woman in Japanese is also very tasteful and understated, and the message at the end of the film, “JT, thinking of you and me,” （Thinking of “irreplaceable moments” and “precious time”）is wonderful.
The foreign woman performing is Liv O’Driscoll, a model from New Zealand who is currently working in New York City.
The song playing is “Longing/Love” composed by George Winston.
2. Takemoto Piano
Sell me a piano, please! The “Takemoto Piano” commercial featuring Ichiro Zaitsu (1934 – 2023), which says “Minna maaruku Takemoto Piano…,” is said to be very popular among kindergarten children, and even children who were fidgety are said to instantly be in a better mood. It is said to be included in baby toys as a “nikkori melody.
It is said that the same video has been broadcast for 20 years, and it is certainly a “comforting melody” even for adults.
3. Sumitomo Forestry
The Sumitomo Forestry commercial song, sung by a female singer beginning with the words “Let the power of the forest be the power of the future…,” has a soothing voice and is a perfect image song for a house builder.
There was once a commercial for a “three-story wooden house” featuring Hakuho, a sumo wrestler, which I think emphasized the earthquake resistance and other features of the house. However, as a commercial for Sumitomo Forestry, which mostly features “two-story custom-built wooden houses,” the first version with a gentle song, the “I want to talk to you” version, is more favorable.
This is a song called “Forest Of My Heart” by an acoustic duo called Beautiful Hummingbird. Beautiful Hummingbirds is a unit of two Japanese men and women.
<Addition on 8/27/2021> A reader has informed me of this. Thank you very much.
This song was first sung by Emiko Shiratori of Twaemoa in 1997, and has been sung by various people, lyrics by Nobuko Hokari, music by Tatsushi Umegaki.
4. Sekisui House
The catchphrase of this commercial is “Sekisui House when you come home,” and the music has a pleasant resonance. This “Sekisui House Song” was created in 1970 with lyrics by Hidehiko Hashiba and music by Asei Kobayashi(「小林亜星」).
I am not much familiar with music, but I wonder if the pleasant sounding music (is it called healing music?) contains “alpha waves” or “1/f fluctuation” like “negative ions” that relaxes people.
As a side note, it is said that staring at a fire somehow calms the mind because it contains “1/f fluctuation”. It seems that the secret of its healing power lies in the way it flickers and sways erratically.
5. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance
I love the Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance commercials, which feature images of cheerful, smiling children along with the heartwarming songs of Kazumasa Oda. They are very pleasant.