[Oita Mugi Shochu Nikaido] A collection of nostalgic past commercials
Nikaido is a shochu made in Oita Prefecture using 100% barley.
Nikaido’s commercials have been airing since 1987, with a new one released every year.
They hardly ever show product introductions or drinking scenes; instead, they’re characterized by artistic visuals that strikingly capture nature, townscapes, and everyday scenery from various regions.
What’s even more iconic—so much so that it defines “a Nikaido commercial”—is the narration with its unique atmosphere.
Evoking nostalgia and speaking straight to the heart, these commercials have built a devoted following since they first began airing.
In this article, we’ll catalog Nikaido’s commercials and introduce their distinctive worldview.
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[Oita Mugi Shochu Nikaido] A Compilation of Nostalgia-Inducing Historic Commercials (11–20)
Nikaido Shuzo Oita Barley Shochu Nikaido ‘Astronomical Poet’ Edition
This is the 1995 TV commercial for Oita Mugi Shochu Nikaido, titled “Astronomical Poet.” As with Nikaido’s specialty, the spot is crafted to stir the nostalgia and romantic sensibilities of middle-aged and older men.
An observatory atop a mountain and a familiar elementary school classroom.
The tagline reads, “My hometown is this star.” Constellations drawn on a blackboard and a school at dusk.
A boy holding a star chart gazes up at the night sky.
The passage of time and the story are conveyed purely through imagery.
Nikaido Shuzo Oita Barley Shochu Nikaido ‘When I Look Back, It’s Tomorrow’ Edition
Amid our everyday lives, we catch distant rumors about former classmates and friends.
It’s the “When I Look Back, It’s Tomorrow” chapter, where we reflect on those precious times we spent together back then.
Even though it’s simply a sequence of empty classrooms and halls, for some reason you can’t look away.
Didn’t you also have friends you once talked about the future with? It’s a commercial that stirs a gentle ache—making you wonder, “I wonder how they’re doing now.”
Nikaido Shuzo Oita Barley Shochu Nikaido “The Power to Communicate” (commercial)
There’s a phrase, “a cog in society,” which rarely carries a positive meaning.
But it’s only when the gears mesh that our world turns.
This is the ‘Power to Communicate’ edition, featuring many gears.
Using items like clocks and toy cars, it expresses the passage of time and the flow of moments.
Even when movements repeat, it’s never the exact same instant.
It’s a commercial that makes you reflect on the scenes that slip by and on the things working hard out of sight.
Nikaido Shuzo Oita Barley Shochu Nikaido “Traveler’s Train Window” Version
This is the 1999 Oita Mugi Shochu Nikaido commercial titled “Traveler’s Train Window.” It only lasts a few dozen seconds, but it’s a wonderful ad that lets you journey on an old, nostalgic wooden-floored train.
Through the train window, which runs cutting through deep greenery, all you can see is a sea of green.
And in the final scene, a man and woman dressed in white walk along a track where the sleepers have been removed, leaving it abandoned.
Despite being a series of fragmentary images, it feels very romantic.
Nikaido Shuzo Oita Barley Shochu Nikaido ‘Organ of the Forest’ Edition
The “Forest Organ” edition released in 1991.
In the footage, an organ and school desks and chairs are arranged in the middle of a forest.
It was reportedly filmed near Lake Yamashita in Yufuin Town, Oita District, Oita Prefecture.
The lush natural imagery, paired with the narration about how we grow up in such an environment, makes you overlay it a little onto our own days spent hurriedly, chased by time.
Deep down, we want to live freely, bound by nothing.
It’s a commercial that stirs that instinct.
Nikaido Shuzo Oita Barley Shochu Nikaido ‘Dream of the City’ Version
The “City Dream” edition released in 1989.
Unusual for Nikaido, who typically keeps product promotion to a minimum, this commercial puts the product front and center! And yet, it still doesn’t take the typical approach of simply showing people drinking alcohol.
The product pops up from various parts of nature, and there are even scenes where it flies through the sky like an airplane.
The narration is memorable too: Nikaido’s barley shochu is born from nature, and drinking it evokes memories of one’s hometown.
The footage was shot in Shiiba, Sawara Ward, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture.
[Oita Mugi Shochu Nikaido] A Collection of Nostalgia-Inducing Historic Commercials (21–30)
Nikaido Shuzo Oita Barley Shochu Nikaido “Whispers of the Wind” Edition
Train platforms, mountains and rivers, a harbor, a school—scenes that evoke a certain nostalgia appear one after another in the 2025 commercial “Whisper of the Wind.” The line “A melody is a diary without words” leaves a strong impression, making you want to reflect on your own memories and ponder what that means.
Every scene is captured with beautiful, striking composition, resulting in visuals you’ll want to pause and take your time to appreciate.
