[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.
- [iichiko Commercials] Popular and All-Time Commercials Collection [2026]
- [Oita Mugi Shochu Nikaido] A collection of nostalgic past commercials
- Nostalgic commercials from the 2000s: revisiting ads that left a lasting impression
- [Nostalgic Commercials] A compilation of commercials that aired in the Showa era
- [April 2026] Summary of the Latest Trending Commercial Songs
- [Nippon Life Commercials] Popular and All-Time Commercial Compilation [2026]
- A must-see for people in their 30s and 40s! A roundup of nostalgic 1990s commercial jingles
- [Tokyo Gas] Want to watch again! A roundup of touching classic commercials
- Classic enka songs featured in commercials, along with original CM tracks, introduced together!
- [Heartwarming] Moving CM songs. Popular commercial songs
- Compilation of Gekkeikan commercials. Commercials from a Kyoto-based sake manufacturer.
- [2026] Winter commercial song. The winter song that was playing in the commercial.
- Jazz commercial songs. Popular commercial songs.
[Oita Mugi Shochu Nikaido] A Compilation of Nostalgic Past Commercials (31–40)
Nikaido Shuzo Oita Barley Shochu Nikaido “Unknown Power” Episode
This is the Oita Mugi Shochu Nikaido commercial, “Unknown Power.” It aired around 2006.
Striking scenery, cities, and architecture.
Most of the footage was shot within Oita Prefecture.
With the tone of the viola and a calm, storytelling narration, it evokes a sense of nostalgia.
Even those who have never been to Oita may feel a bittersweet longing and a strange familiarity as they watch.
Nikaido Shuzo Oita Barley Shochu Nikaido “Vanished Footprints” Version
The more regrets you have, the richer a life you’ve led… Perhaps that’s one way of looking at it.
The “Vanished Footprints” spot is made up of various memories and flashbacks of scenes from long ago.
Even though they aren’t my own memories, I can’t help but feel a strange sense of nostalgia.
The visuals are captivating, of course, but the sound is just as important: footsteps on a gravel path, cicadas’ cries, waves rolling in—those sounds, too, evoke nostalgia.
It’s a commercial that makes you want to go back to your hometown.
Nikaido Shuzo Oita Barley Shochu Nikaido “Father” Commercial
This is the 2002 Oita Mugi Shochu Nikaido commercial, “Father.” It portrays the dignified image of a Showa-era father using only his back.
The tagline reads, “The father I don’t know and the me my father doesn’t know pass each other halfway up the hill.” The story follows a boy grown into a man reminiscing about his father, with retro items—such as a bowler hat, a pendulum clock, a low chabudai table, and a vacuum tube radio—evoking a sense of nostalgia.
Nikaido Shuzo Oita Barley Shochu Nikaido “The Days I Longed for the Sky” Version
This commercial features a ferryboat that served for many years in Misumi, Uki City, Kumamoto Prefecture.
A small boat that watched over many human dramas.
For the people who live here, it must have been indispensable.
It carried students on their way to school, people heading to work, and brides on their wedding journeys…
and with each of them, you can glimpse their stories and everyday lives.
The contrast with today—when it’s easy to travel far by car or airplane—is striking.
It kind of makes you want to relax and be gently rocked by a boat, doesn’t it?
Nikaido Shuzo Oita Barley Shochu Nikaido “A Distant Yearning” Episode
This is the Oita Mugi Shochu Nikaido commercial, “Distant Longing.” It features a man in a homburg hat and beige coat shown only from behind, reminiscing about the past as he looks up at a drawbridge.
A striking image shows a boy, seen from behind, watching a girl take a ballet lesson through a window.
The tagline is, “Is it the longing of days long past that whispers to me…?” The location appears to be Tosu Station.
[Oita Mugi Shochu Nikaido] A Compilation of Nostalgic Historic Commercials (41–50)
Nikaido Shuzo Oita Barley Shochu Nikaido “A Dream Returning” Edition
A doll swaying amid the scenery of memories.
If you live far from your hometown, this commercial will probably tug at your heartstrings all the more.
Riding a bicycle along the river, watching a single-car train disappear into the distance—those quintessential countryside scenes inevitably tighten my chest.
The tone of the narration is lovely too.
Poetic, but without any fantasy.
It’s a calming visual piece that gently strokes the nostalgia nestled in everyone’s heart.
Nikaido Shuzo Oita Barley Shochu Nikaido ‘The Town Where the Wind Lives’ Edition
This is the 1994 TV commercial for Oita Mugi Shochu Nikaido, titled “The Town Where the Wind Lives.” It’s a bold work that visualizes the wind.
Children run with windmills, bamboo blinds sway in the windows of an old house, and a bare light bulb swings.
Steam billows up from a drain, and the curtain at a public bathhouse flutters.
It evokes nostalgia and loneliness.
In the BGM, along with the singing voice, the whooshing sound of wind is inserted.