12 Japanese TV Commercials Movie Stars Don't Want You To Find

By Jack Morrell /

2. John Travolta €“ Can Chu-Hi (Tokyo Drink)

This is legitimately the greatest commercial in the history of the medium of television. There is nothing I would not buy from this man, and Scientology has missed a trick comparable to Charlie Chaplin saying the talkies would never catch on, by not having John Travolta dancing as their evangelism figurehead in the 1980s. The above clip is actually three 15 second commercials glued together, and they€™re all basically a snake-hipped Travolta shaking it like Danny Zuko while eighties stuff happens around him in a showering cascade of awesome. And then he flicks his eyes to camera, holds out a can and says, €œTokyo Drink€ and everyone loses their minds. Tokyo Drink is the brilliant 1980s nickname for Can Chu-hi, a kind of highball in a can based on a traditional Japanese spirit called shochu. For a while in 1985 it was one of the most popular drinks in the country, selling more than whiskey and, eventually, sake. I attribute this (probably wrongly, but whatever) as entirely due to John Travolta and his genius selling skills in these adverts. Be right back €“ off to buy some online.