[news] To Whom Will Oguri Shun Send New Year Cards?

To Whom Will Oguri Shun Send New Year Cards? [1/11/09]:

The actor Oguri Shun appears in a new series of commercials that have recently begun to be aired. The TV ads are for next year's New Year cards sold by Japan Post Service. Oguri plays the role of a suit-clad company employee. The costars include actor Terao Akira and actress Eikura Nana. In the first 'episode' titled 'Noticing (Recognizing)', a younger employee asks the senior employee (Oguri) his address. When they had filmed the scene where the two employees talk to each other, Oguri made lots of ad-lib remarks that entertained and impressed the staff.
Oguri recalled a fond memory he had concerning New Year cards. When he was still in middle school, he had appeared in a 'Taiga' drama. ['Taiga (大河)' dramas are historical TV dramas broadcast by NHK.] After the filming, he sent New Year cards to actor Takenaka Naoto, who had played the lead role in the drama. "For a couple of years I wrote to Takenaka-san 'Happy New Year. This is Oguri. I played the character 'Sakichi'. Takenaka-san still remembered. I was really happy when he told me 'You and I are New Year card friends.'"

[In Japanese New Year cards are called 'nengajo (年賀状)' and are a important part of Japanese culture. In the cards people usually write 'Akemashite omedeto-gozaimasu (lit. 'Let's celebrate the arrival of a new year.')'. The cards are sent to close relatives, friends and associates. Each year is named after an animal based on the Japanese zodiac [which in turn is based on the Chinese zodiac]. There are 12 animals that respond to the 12 year cycle; rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and boar. This year is the year of the ox, and next year (2010) will be the year of the tiger. We hope you enjoyed this Japanese culture trivia]

credits: music japan plus