The operative word is “humor.”
Ah, the quirks of modern Japan. In the movie Lost in Translation, Bill Murray commits to a dry, humorous take on Japanese commercials starring American actors. It’s a great case study in diffusion and acculturation; while the Japanese have been very successful in diffusing aspects of their culture to other parts of the world, they have been acculturated as well. Take these examples:
- Whack-a-mole alarm clocks: to deactivate the alarm, you have to play a little whack-a-mole game.
- California roll: the nori is traditionally used to wrap sushi ingredients, but California fusion cuisine includes fruit in the roll, and is madeinside-out.
- Japanese whisky commercials: “For relaxing times, make it Suntory time” doesn’t really make sense, but it sells the stuff.
- Casio synthesizers: if you owned one, “Together Forever” by Rick Astley was in the “Demo” loop, and there’s a whole line of Japanese instruments including matsuri and shasimen.
- Karaoke: this one begs and demands no explanation.
So let’s talk about juice boxes and… milk.
