Commercial Craze: Moving Signs In Tokyo And Osaka

21 Aug 2008 Category: Japan

Commercial Craze: Moving Signs In Tokyo And Osaka

Hello there! An octopus and a handsome fishy greet customers with a smile. What a sweet way to advertise!

Take a walk around any Japanese town and you’re sure to get a glimpse at the very special variety of advertisements. Some are life-size and hanging from store fronts, others are flickering neon flashes, and, of course, you’ll get your dose of 3D a lot. But! Some of these consumer-flirts are moving signs– Yes, you read right, signs that move, evolve or rotate in any direction… Whether you are passing by or riding a bicycle, these truly weird and funky eye catchers will turn your head! Today PingMag showcases some of our favourites.

Written by Ryoko
Translated by Kevin Mcgue

Osaka’s Kuidaore

When people from Western Japan think of moving signs, the one that instantly comes to mind is Kuidaore Taro. This famous mannequin stands in front of the Kuidaore restaurant in Osaka. However, just last month Kuidaore Taro retired after nearly 60 years of service, and he can no longer be seen in front of the restaurant! While he was there, his red and white striped suit coupled with his wire-framed glasses made people smile. But wait! You can spot a picture of Taro in his current job as DJ on his website! And omg, he is going to DJ at the Azabu Juban festival in Tokyo this Friday evening. Do make it there at any means!

See Kuidaore Taro in action here!

Osaka’s Kani-Douraku

One of the most famous is a giant moving crab originating from Osaka. Its giant moving legs lure onlookers in its cove, as it is mounted on top of Kani-Douraku, a restaurant that that specialises in crab dishes. Urban legend has it that inside the crab, there is a part-time worker on a bicycle, pedalling away to make the sign move for just ¥800 an hour — maybe more if the legs kick faster. If you visit Osaka, be sure to pass by Kani-Douraku to get a look at this larger than life-size crustacean.

What a freshly coloured crab! So the dishes in the restaurant must be fresh too… The legs are constantly moving, by the way.

There is also a neon sign above the roof of the shop…

… with funky changing colours!

To show you a little bit of crab action, this is the one in front of the restaurant’s branch in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Though it is not as famous as the original Osaka sign, it is huge nevertheless and kicks with real energy!

Antonio in Kabukicho

Our cheerful photographer friend Tim Rudder found this sign modeled on former professional wrestler Antonio Inoki in the entertainment quarters of Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku. In this disguise he resembling Elvis Presely quite a lot, with white sunglasses and a red towel hung around his neck (!). But hold on, he is also holding a yellow scroll that he unrolls to reveal the message Come in! which really draws a lot of attention. Actually, we don’t happen to know what kind of shop this is at all. So, if anyone knows, do tell!


Former professional wrestler, Antonio Inoki, in his second life… Photo by Tim Rudder

… welcoming guests with a smile. Photo by Tim Rudder

As a puppet slowly unrolling the scroll… Photo by Tim Rudder

saying ‘Come in!’ With a very dramatic lighting on the sign. Interestingly weird… Photo by Tim Rudder

A Pachinko Parlour in Hongo

Then, we found something special in front of a pachinko parlour in Hongo, Tokyo. Perhaps there is some kind of unexpected connection between a samurai and pachinko, but we still were surprised to find this rotating samurai head in front of the shop. By the way, under the head you can spot an advertisement for The Great Sea Story, a new pachinko game by Nagoya-based maker Sanyo. Check out its wonderful promo video.


The rotating samurai looks a bit mischievous, we have to admit….

… with pretty serious eyes on his face.

An Old Town Barber

We spotted this hairdressers delight in front of a barber shop in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo. Its attached to the familiar barber pole and seems to be completely handmade: a barber with a perm holding a comb and scissors. With a closer look, we found the scissors are moving up and down, cutting his own hair. His clothes match the colour of the traditional barber’s pole. This guy really made us feel the old times in Tokyo as they once were.

Careful not to cut your ear!Watch him in action!

An Octopus and a Sunfish

We spotted these inflatable cuties in front of an electronics shop on Chazawa Street connecting Sangenjaya and Shimokitazawa: a vinyl octopus riding on a gigantic sunfish?! First you see the loonie eyes of the octopus, and then the sunfish pops up to show his. We couldn’t help but wonder what machinery is involved in making this one move…

This cute display will definitely draw you into the store, see it move over here!

Jack and the Beanstalk Display

Last week, PingMag introduced you to the Tanabata festival at the Asagaya Pearl Centre. At this same festivity, we found this most intricate “Jack and the Beanstalk” sign at an electronics shop. Even in the fairy tale picture books, Jack does not move, but in this display his arms move left and right as he swings his axe. Imagine, the shopkeeper made it himself by hand!

An animated scene from the fairytale ‘Jack and the Beanstalk.’ Watch it!

Bonus: The Realistic Beetle

The grand finale though would have to be the moving beetle from the Asagaya Pearl Centre. Perched in front of an appliance shop, we must say that the enormous beetle looks pretty realistic. It is over one meter long, and its legs also move on the huge piece of wood it is mounted to. We have no idea what connection an appliance shop would have with a beetle, but it seems to do the trick with both kids and adults alike.

This enormous beetle is over one meter long. See it move!

Thanks to Tim Rudder for his photos, and all of the shop people who kindly cooperated. If you find an interesting moving sign, let us know!

74 Comments

  1. This are very nice japan signs and seemed and give info about daily life.

    Posted by: sözlük on August 21st, 2008 at 7:29 pm

  2. i’ve been to the osaka crab and it captures your attention straight away

    Posted by: roku on August 21st, 2008 at 8:13 pm

  3. haha love the giant crab!

    MASSIVE DAMAGE!

    Posted by: chantix on August 21st, 2008 at 11:49 pm

  4. Funny to see the Foreigners get so excited just about everything in Japan.
    Idiots!

    Posted by: yumi masa on August 22nd, 2008 at 1:03 am

  5. hey, yumi masa, chill. i think if you read the article you’d see this article was written by a japanese person.

    Posted by: john on August 22nd, 2008 at 1:19 am

  6. great article ;)

    Posted by: Jude on August 22nd, 2008 at 2:53 am

  7. wow my country is so strange when i see it ping-style!

    Posted by: minako on August 22nd, 2008 at 6:12 am

  8. [...] Commercial Craze: Moving Signs In Tokyo And Osaka [pingmag] Popular attention-getters in Japan are “moving signs” or 3D advertisements–a drumming clown, a giant moving crab, a professional wrestler dressed like Elvis. We can’t say this has the typical “wow” factor all things Japanese inspire, except maybe “wow, that looks annoying.” [...]

    Posted by: NGT News: Lonely Planet x Nokia, Mobile Disco, “Condom” Ringtones on August 22nd, 2008 at 8:04 am

  9. this are very funny for children. To they be happy at outside.

    Posted by: araba on August 22nd, 2008 at 8:54 am

  10. And also for adullts have child soul be funny.

    Posted by: araba on August 22nd, 2008 at 8:57 am

  11. Well, the Dotonbori branch of Don Quixote has a oblong Ferris Wheel integrated into face of the store - does that count as signage?

    There’s also a moving version of the Glico Man in front of the small Glico shop on Dotonbori, not too far from the giant neon version. A third Glico Man nearby is large enough to “pose” for photographs, and when you approach it, he “talks” via pre-recorded questions (in Osaka-ben, of course).

    Posted by: feitclub on August 22nd, 2008 at 8:58 am

  12. to yumi masa, wtf?

    Posted by: foreigner on August 22nd, 2008 at 12:34 pm

  13. [...] to when the wish doesn’t come true - it is, however, on my to-do-list third story is that of moving signs in tokyo (東京) and osaka (大阪市). having witnessed my share of strange and cool signs when [...]

    Posted by: loka?blog » Blog Archive » pingmag update, august 2008 on August 28th, 2008 at 4:41 am

  14. [...] Take a walk around any Japanese town and you’re sure to get a glimpse at the very special variety of advertisements. Some are life-size and hanging from store fronts, others are flickering neon flashes, and, of course, you’ll get your dose of 3D a lot. But! Some of these consumer-flirts are moving signs– Yes, you read right, signs that move, evolve or rotate in any direction… Whether you are passing by or riding a bicycle, these truly weird and funky eye catchers will turn your head! Read the full story>> [...]

    Posted by: Kevin Mcgue - Tokyo-Based Journalist & Filmmaker » Commercial Craze: Moving Signs In Tokyo And Osaka on March 1st, 2009 at 10:24 am

  15. [...] Read the English version at PingMag» [...]

    Posted by: Kevin Mcgue | “Commercial Craze: Moving Signs In Tokyo And Osaka” Translation on April 16th, 2010 at 9:55 pm

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