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.
- A roundup of JR Central commercials. The direction that conveys the allure of travel is captivating, and the music is also a highlight!
- JR East commercial. A compilation of commercials showcasing beautiful scenery.
- JTB commercial. A collection of commercials that make you want to go on a trip.
- JR commercial roundup. A comprehensive look at commercials where you can see the trains!
- [J:COM Commercials] Popular and All-Time Commercials Summary [2026]
- JR’s CM song roundup, including SKISKI and more
- [Famous] Compilation of Local Commercials from Across Japan
- [JAL] A collection of Japan Airlines commercials: ads introducing fun journeys in the sky
- A roundup of commercials featuring enka singers—from ones where you can hear their singing to fun and quirky spots.
- JRA commercial roundup. Cool commercials from the Japan Racing Association featuring racehorses.
- A commercial featuring Yuriko Yoshitaka. From long-running, classic spots she’s appeared in to the latest ads.
- Compilation of commercials featuring Kanjani Eight. Also introducing ads in which individual members appear.
- [April 2026] Introducing the latest commercials all at once! A roundup of noteworthy ads
JR commercial roundup. A comprehensive showcase of train-featured commercials (11–20)
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 East: Let’s go, Tohoku!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 West ‘Travel Program In-show Commercial Song’ ‘I Want to Go Far Away’
The travel program “Tōku e Ikitai,” which has been on the air since 1970, is known as the longest-running travel show in Japan.
Interestingly, it is also the only program for which the JR Group provides commercial sponsorship.
The reason is that the show’s sponsor at the time it began airing was Japanese National Railways (JNR), and after JNR was split up and privatized, the JR Group inherited the role of sponsor.
The commercial song used in this context was “I hope so” by Akina Nakamori, one of Japan’s most celebrated divas.
It’s the title track from the album of the same name released in 2003, and it became a hot topic because Nakamori herself wrote the lyrics.
Musically, it has the feel of a simple, mid-tempo rock ballad, but Nakamori’s voice—tempered by a wealth of life experience—conveys a comforting, all-enveloping warmth, while the positive lyrics strike a chord with listeners.
As for the origin of the title, please do look it up for yourselves.
JR Central (Central Japan Railway Company) “Yes, let’s go to Kyoto.” Spring 2018 “Kanshūji Temple”
The TV commercials for the campaign “That’s right—let’s go to Kyoto,” which Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) has been running since 1993, vividly showcase tourist spots in and around Kyoto City.
The series has been so influential that many people say it inspired them to take a trip to Kyoto.
In 2018, it also made headlines when Kyozo Nagatsuka, who had served as the narrator for 25 years since the campaign began, stepped down and Tasuku Emoto was announced as his successor.
The version introduced here was released in the spring of 2018 and features Kanshuji Temple, founded in the year 900.
The CM uses the jazz standard “My Favorite Things” as its theme music.
The arrangement, notable for its mysterious harmonies in the intro, was created by musician kotringo, known for her work on the soundtrack of the film “In This Corner of the World.” The arrangement was reportedly crafted in response to a request to evoke the feeling of a celestial maiden.
JR East ‘JR SKISKI’ 1999
Even now, past the 2020s, the brilliance of the tagline “Snow for love, white for romance” never ceases to amaze.
JR East’s “JR SKISKI” ski-travel campaign, launched in 1991, featured many hit songs in its commercials, and the one introduced here is from 1998, set to GLAY’s massive hit “Winter, again.” It’s one of the quintessential winter songs of the 1990s and the band’s best-selling single.
A song that could only come from Hokkaido-born GLAY, it also showcases the distinctive lyrics of TAKURO, the band’s guitarist and primary songwriter.
Beyond TERU’s soulful vocals and TAKURO’s melodious lead guitar, HISASHI’s exquisite phrasing using the Talbo instrument manufactured by Tokai Gakki, JIRO’s bass lines that generate the track’s core groove, and the arrangement by famed producer Masahide Sakuma all coalesce into a flawless classic born from GLAY’s rock-solid band ensemble.
JR East ‘JR SKISKI’ 2012
GReeeeN, which became a nationally beloved band with the theme song for NHK’s morning drama series “Yell,” released this song in 2012 as the CM song for JR East’s “JR SKISKI.” The multiple key changes throughout the track are striking, and the unexpected modulations make it a very fun listen.
The lyrics depict that bittersweet yet happy moment when you realize you’ve fallen for someone—a feeling everyone has experienced.
It’s a song that will make your heart flutter as you overlay it with your own memories.
JR commercial roundup. A comprehensive showcase of ads featuring trains! (21–30)
JR East “JR SKISKI” 2013
This song was created as the CM song for JR East’s 2013 “JR SKISKI” campaign.
Incorporating processed sounds of instruments used in classical music, the track has a more pop-oriented finish than SEKAI NO OWARI’s usual sound, and the music video follows suit with a pop vibe.
Directed by Jun Tamukai, who also worked on “RPG,” the MV is even more pop than SEKAI NO OWARI’s usual style.