Monday’s ad is for Kirin Lager, from the early 1990s, probably 1994. I’m guessing 1994, because Ford also did a television commercial for Kirin that year. Featuring actor Harrison Ford, whose birthday is today, the poster is advertising Kirin Lager. According to one account, here is a translation of the poster, which was seen in a convenience store window:
Harrison Ford endorsing Kirin beer, Fukushima 福島
“Kono aji ga, biiru.” = “This taste, beer.”
“Kire aji, daigo aji” = “cutting edge taste, the epitome of taste”
“Kirin ragaa.” = “Kirin lager.”
And apparently the small letters at the bottom here translate as: “You have to be 20 years old for beer and recycle the empty cans.”
Cool ad (which Harrison got a nice chunk of change for doing, & I’d bet that the photo was shot in Hollywood, unless he was making a movie over there at the time). I’ve not seen Kirin Lager Stateside in years, just the maltier (& far better) Ichiban (first running) version (which A-B has been making under license in LA for at least a decade; Kirin makes Bud over there under license)
Note (which the world-traveler beer/booze hounds amongst us probably know already – I learned when I spent my 40th birthday & then some in Japan 3/89): 4 companies control beer & booze manufacturing/distribution (as well as soda-pop & canned coffee drinks sold in vending machines). Kirin, Asahi, & Sapporo have the vast majority of the beer market & a lot of the sodas; Suntory is the major liquor maker. I have no clue about sake, as I’m not fond of it; wine, save for the sweet (& mostly ceremonial) plum stuff is imported (primarily from CA & Australia). All 4 companies had sidewalk vending machines (usually by neighborhood markets) from which one could buy beer/sake/soft drinks/liquor 24/7. In Kyoto, I bought a few bombers from a machine in front of a market a short walk from the ryokan in which I stayed (for US $26/night; cost me US $70/night for a dinky hotel room near Tokyo Tower – yen was low 130’s/$1 then; now it’s around 90). What amazed me was that there was no vandalism – which probably still is true today! I’d love to go back, but I can’t afford it.