Would five effeminate, overly-styled men fill your head with a desire to visit Japan and eliminate all memories of nuclear disaster and fall-out? That’s apparently the Japanese tourist authority dreams. One foreign resident designer laughed that few outside Japan would know the commercial charms of Arashi, and that the contexts are hard to understand for those with limited knowledge of Japan.
Who would be better? The womyn’s soccer team, Nadeshiko? The almost invisible Royal Family? The CEO of TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company, owner & operator of the Fukushima nuke plant)? Pokemon?
Tokyo Moe 
No way š
Kathryn, of the “few outside Japan” you are most certainly Arashi Fan #1. Do you like the campaign?
I don’t like the stupid cat thing. Appparently there are a lot of comments around the internet (from Japanese and foreign ppl) that the cm is just embarassing. I does seem to be trying too hard, and cramming too much in.
Arashi are pretty well know in most Asian countries. It might be more correct to say ‘outside Asia’.
Oh my word. That made me laugh. I loved see different places of Japan and see how it has recovered. BUT going around and saying ” NYAH” just makes this laughable.
Any way I still plan on going to Japan with in the next year.
I live in US and I only know of Arashi because of this blog.
Wow, there is such a cultural disconnect going on with this! I mean Arashi is cool and all, but when you take them out of the Japan mindset, they just become weird somehow….. I wonder if they even realize…?? Maybe it’s a brilliant marketing ploy to confuse foreigners into wanting to go to find out what the hell is going on?
but aghhh either way the target audience is all WRONG!!!