[iichiko Commercials] Popular and All-Time Commercials Collection [2026]
Iichiko, an authentic shochu known for its catchphrase “The Napoleon of Downtown,” is a popular shochu you can find at convenience stores and supermarkets.
It’s a long-selling product that has been loved for many years, and in fact, TV commercials have been airing since 1986.
There are several series, including ones featuring landscapes from around the world and others with period-drama-style direction, and all of them evoke a sense of nostalgia when you watch them.
In this article, we’ll introduce those past commercials along with the music used in each.
Of course, we’ve also included the latest commercial, so be sure to check it out.
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[iichiko CM] Popular Commercials and Historical Ads Summary [2026] (41–50)
SANWA SHURUI iichiko “Northern Lights” Version
The TV commercials for Iichiko, a domestically produced barley shochu that continues to stand out with its unique visual beauty and worldbuilding, feature a 2011 version titled “Northern Lights,” focusing on the Arctic night sky.
The footage of the aurora, which slowly shifts in color and shape like a natural visualizer, is so organic yet psychedelic that no VJ could recreate it, evoking the mysteries of the cosmos.
Paired with the delicate, beautiful melody of Billy BanBan’s “Ai wa Inori no You da ne” (“Love Is Like a Prayer”), please enjoy the breathtakingly beautiful visuals that will leave you momentarily speechless.
iichiko by Sanwa Shurui “Croatia” Edition
This is the Croatia version of iichiko’s commercial released in 2007.
The song is “Mata Kimi ni Koishiteru” by Billy BanBan, a standard for iichiko ads.
It was filmed in the Kopački Rit Nature Park in the Slavonia region of Croatia, a lush park of forests and water.
The beautiful natural scenery paired with the mellow song creates a very atmospheric commercial.
Sanwa Shurui iichiko “The Vienna Woods” Episode
When people hear “the Vienna Woods,” many classical music lovers will probably think of Tales from the Vienna Woods by Johann Strauss II, the composer who was active in and around Vienna, Austria.
But the music playing here isn’t classical—it’s Billy BanBan’s Too Late a Season, the song synonymous with iichiko’s TV commercials.
The ad shows the boundless, majestic greenery of the Alps, and an iichiko bottle set on a table bathed in light filtering through the trees appears with such utter naturalness that it’s startling.
If you think about it objectively, it’s an extremely contrived situation, yet it never feels that way.
That deft touch is quintessential Shūya Kawakita—the renowned art director who conceived, directed, edited, and narrated the piece.
Sanwa Shurui iichiko “Talkeetna, Alaska” version
This is the “Talkeetna, Alaska” segment that aired in 2003.
The commercial song is Billy BanBan’s “Ima wa, Kono Mama.” It shows a man energetically pedaling a bicycle, with nature unfolding around him as he rides.
You can even see quintessentially Alaskan wildlife like moose and beavers.
As is customary for this series, iichiko makes a subtle appearance at the end—but this time it’s strapped to the bike’s cargo rack!
Sanwa Shurui iichiko “Hita no Mori” version
In the 2011 commercial for iichiko “Hita Zen Koji,” actor Koji Matoba appears.
There’s no explanatory narration at all, yet simply seeing Matoba in traditional Japanese attire seated at the center of the screen somehow carries a convincing presence.
The familiar Fuyumi Sakamoto’s cover of “Love Is Like a Prayer” is used as the CM song, and her impassioned vocals suit iichiko’s image perfectly.
iichiko by Sanwa Shurui, “Aegean Sea” version
In the 1993 “Aegean Sea” edition, a day on the beautiful Aegean unfolds.
From the slightly pale morning sea, to the sun rising and the water gleaming a vivid blue, and finally the sea bathed in the colors of sunset, the scenes are so beautiful they soothe the heart.
Along the way, shots of someone reading a book and a large ship cruising across the Aegean convey an unhurried flow of time.
The commercial’s BGM is Billy BanBan’s signature song, released in 1972 and a major hit; with this song, they appeared in that year’s 23rd NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
The younger brother, Susumu Sugawara, once had mixed feelings because the song was written by an external lyricist and composer, but as an unfading masterpiece, it has naturally been covered by many artists—as well as by the duo themselves—and continues to be sung across generations.
Sanwa Shurui iichiko ‘Yulia Path’ version
The 1990 “Julier Pass” segment is set on the Julier Pass, a mountain pass in Switzerland.
It’s said that the name Julier comes from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar.
We look out from the train window at the fertile lands of the Julier Pass, but outside it’s pouring rain.
Even in those rainy scenes, you can clearly see the lush green beauty of the Julier Pass.
It makes you feel that no matter the weather, there are times when it’s good to go with the flow.
At the end of the commercial, a bottle of iichiko is placed by the train window.
Sipping iichiko while swaying along with the train and taking in the beautiful scenery must be something special.