JR commercial roundup. A comprehensive look at commercials where you can see the trains!
You’ve probably often seen JR commercials—JR has a rail network spanning all across Japan—while watching TV or browsing video sites.
They’re full of things that make you want to go out, like announcements about great deals and travel campaigns you can enjoy using JR lines.
What’s more, JR commercials feature all kinds of trains, from the Shinkansen to popular limited express trains, so they’re fun to watch for the visuals alone.
We’ll be introducing JR commercials both old and new, so be sure to check them out.
JR commercial roundup: A comprehensive look at train-featured commercials (1–10)
JR East: Let’s go, Tohoku!NEW!Fumino Kimura
JR East’s campaign “Ikuzo, Tohoku.” Since 2013, Fumino Kimura has appeared in this commercial series.
The ads show her traveling by train to the Tohoku region and interacting with locals.
In every spot, Kimura’s unpretentious way of engaging with the people there leaves a strong impression.
The song she hums will likely end up lingering in your ears before you know it.
JR Central #Tokyo Thrills: “Art” EditionNEW!Sosuke Ikematsu
This is a JR Central commercial promoting the appeal of sightseeing in Tokyo.
Sosuke Ikematsu gazes at his smartphone, murmuring, “I feel like I look at the same things every day.” In the next cut, he moves into the Mori Building Digital Art Museum and is overwhelmed by its beauty.
The line from a young girl, “There’s nothing else like it—Tokyo,” is also striking, painting the city of Tokyo as remarkably captivating.
JR East ‘Travel on Weekdays! Kyun♡ Pass’ VersionNarration: Hiro Shimono
This is a promotional commercial for a limited-time ticket that lets you ride unlimited on JR East lines on weekdays.
It introduces a 1-day ticket for 10,000 yen, and a 2-day ticket for 18,000 yen, which is an even better deal.
It’s the kind of ticket that makes you want to plan a relaxed weekday train trip.
The narration by voice actor Hiro Shimono is upbeat and fast-paced, and it really lifts your spirits just listening to it!
JR Central Tokaido Shinkansen – New Train N700S
This is a superb masterpiece that bursts with the dazzling pop sensibility of Queen, the world-famous band born in the UK! Led by melodious yet rhythmic piano, the driving bass and drums create an exhilarating sense of speed, and the brief but memorable guitar solo is quintessential Queen.
It’s included on the classic 1978 album Jazz, and was released as a single the following year, in 1979, becoming one of the band’s signature songs.
The lyrics and music were written by Freddie Mercury, the frontman whose name is etched in music history.
Beyond the characteristically beautiful yet urgent melody that is so Freddie, the lyrics—shouting raw, instinctive desire straight out—are quite striking.
This track was also used in a TV commercial for the Tokaido Shinkansen N700S, which debuted as a fully redesigned model in July 2020, and the song’s structure—balancing stillness and motion—was skillfully employed in the ad.
JR West ICOCA to iPhone. “Just import it—super smooth.” / “Even charging is super smooth.”High Heels Ringo, Yuna Furukawa
These are two commercials showing Yuna Furukawa introducing Apple Pay’s ICOCA to Ringo.
In both ads, Ringo tries to use a physical ICOCA card, and Furukawa presents how importing ICOCA into an iPhone makes it much more convenient.
The spots highlight that it’s easy to set up and handy to use, and many viewers likely thought, “I want to try it,” after hearing her explanation.
JR East ‘JR SKI SKI’ 2019
Eve’s “Shirogane,” chosen as the theme song for JR SKI SKI in 2019–2020, has an easy-to-love, bouncy guitar riff that’s really fun! Its worldview feels like it paints a grand silver landscape, with a sparkling quality that hints at the future to come.
Thinking about moments that will never return, it seems brimming with the youth and brilliant hope that exist in the “now.” It teaches us the importance of raw, all-out feelings and passion—a winter song that clears the heart.
JR East Japan Suica Renaissance Vol.1 “teppay” EditionYumi Kawai
Starting with a scene of Yumi Kawai enjoying pancakes and a drink at a café, this is an introductory commercial for teppay, a code payment service that JR East plans to offer.
Teppay is a code payment service usable within the Mobile Suica app.
The commercial mentions that over 110 million Suica cards have been issued, highlighting how convenient code payments using the widely adopted Suica can be.
It also showcases other appealing features of teppay, likely leaving many viewers thinking, “I want to try it when the service launches!”