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.
- [February 2026] A comprehensive look at the latest commercials! A roundup of must-see ads
JR commercial roundup. A comprehensive showcase of train-featured commercials (11–20)
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.
JR East “JR SKISKI” 1996
I’m the same way, but if you spent your youth in the 1990s, you probably remember how Tetsuya Komuro’s songs were like the soundtrack of everyday life, playing everywhere you went.
Back then, as part of the “Komuro Family,” many groups and artists kept delivering massive hits, and among them, globe—the group Komuro himself was in—became hugely popular, releasing one hit after another since their 1995 debut and leaving their mark on Japanese music history.
DEPARTURES, used as the theme song for JR East’s ski trip campaign “JR SKISKI,” was globe’s best-selling single, with an astonishing total of 2.288 million copies sold.
It’s a classic masterpiece where Komuro’s characteristically wistful piano tones blend perfectly with digital beats, and KEIKO’s clear, high-toned voice rings out beautifully over the track.
Many people were surely captivated by the commercial featuring Yutaka Takenouchi and Makiko Esumi as a couple.
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 ‘Hometown Express (Christmas Edition)’
When it comes to this exceptionally famous song, explaining it almost feels unnecessary.
Among the works of the genius musician Tatsuro Yamashita, this is one of the most popular, and as the nationally beloved Christmas song “Christmas Eve,” it first appeared on the 1983 album MELODIES.
It was released as a single the same year and became a long-running hit.
A few years later, in 1988, it was used in a JR Tokai commercial featuring Eri Fukatsu, who was 15 at the time, which propelled it to nationwide recognition.
The following year, in the 1989 CM series “Christmas Express,” Riho Makise, then 17, also appeared—something many will fondly remember.
It’s no exaggeration to say that this song transcended the bounds of a mere hit and helped establish in Japan the cultural notion of Christmas as a time for couples to spend together.
JR EAST Takanawa Gateway City: The Mysterious Gateway “City Opening” VersionShinichi Tsutsumi, Ami Toma
This is a commercial announcing that part of Takanawa Gateway City will open in March 2025.
Shinichi Tsutsumi appears as a JR employee and asks Ami Toma, who has just visited Takanawa Gateway City, what she thought of it.
Toma describes it in friendly, down-to-earth terms, saying there were various facilities and it felt “futuristic.” It’s the kind of commercial that piques your curiosity about what the place is like!
JR East TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY Mysterious Gateway “Appearance” Version / “2nd GATE OPEN” VersionShinichi Tsutsumi, Ami Toma
This commercial introduces Takanawa Gateway through a conversation between Ami Toma and Shinichi Tsutsumi, who plays a JR staff member.
In the “Appearance” version, it introduces Takanawa Gateway and mentions that construction is currently underway, while the “2nd GATE OPEN” version highlights the full opening of THE LINKPILLAR 1.
Both commercials have a calm yet slightly humorous tone, and the pleasant dialogue between the two makes them the kind of ads you want to watch again and again.
JR commercial roundup. A comprehensive showcase of ads featuring trains! (21–30)
JR East Adult Holiday Club: Aomori/Oirase (Version)Yutaka Takenouchi
This is an announcement commercial for the Adult Holiday Club, aimed at people aged 50 and over.
It shows Yutaka Takenouchi traveling with his wife in Aomori Prefecture, and not only the scenes but also his monologue together make the trip feel truly wonderful.
It’s a commercial that raises expectations, suggesting there may be joys you can appreciate precisely as an adult.