Your video, 1974 - Suntory Whisky, 'Sammy Davis J, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

This video got me interested in exactly why 10 000 Japanese people would choose to perform a notoriously difficult piece, in German.

The Japanese call the piece Daiku and perform it every year in December. The largest of these gatherings is most likely the one in this video, "Suntory Presents Beethoven's 9th with a Cast of 10000," in the Osaka Castle Hall. It could also be the special concert from December 2011 which was dedicated to victims of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and in fact the pictures of that event look quite like this video.

It turns out that it is because in the first world war Japan was allied with Britain, and ended up with some German prisoners of war in Japan. In June 1918, German POWs gave a legendary concert in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, where they played the Ninth. Since then it has become quite popular in Japan.

There is an article from 2010 in www.japantimes.co.jp on this subject.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'japan, high blood pressure, weird, 00s, tea, piss stop, goma mugi cha, suntory' to 'japan, high blood pressure, weird, 00s, tea, piss stop, goma mugi cha, suntory, fire' - edited by Fusionaut

Seriously though, last time I was there we used his bigass face on a giant bilboard in Tokyo as a way of finding our way back to our hotel. He's the mascot of one of their biggest coffee brands (Boss Coffee, by Suntory.)

TLJ is to Suntory what Clooney is to Nestlé.

>> ^Boise_Lib:

>> ^hpqp:
He's big in Japan...

<groan>

Suntory? Where's Bill Murray?

Tags for this video have been changed from 'japan, high blood pressure, weird' to 'japan, high blood pressure, weird, 00s, tea, piss stop, goma mugi cha, suntory' - edited by Eklek

upvote for the new arrangement of this adhoc Japanese orchestra, and for Deep Purple's song.

"From the 250th anniversary celebration of the Great Fire of Edo (Edo is
the traditional name of Tokyo) (Ooedo No Hikeshi) … one of many, but the most
destructive, held along with the Great Eruption of Fuji-san 300th
Anniversary. This is the Kabuki-za orchestra and readers along with
part of the Suntory Hall Orchestra, which occasionally features the
Crown Prince on viola (but not in this one)."

Also see Queen's
"We will rock you"
http://www.videosift.com/video/We-Will-Rock-You-on-Japanese-Instruments

*bravo *livemusic *rocknroll

upvote for the new arrangement of this adhoc Japanese orchestra, not for Queen.

"From the 250th anniversary celebration of the Great Fire of Edo (Edo is
the traditional name of Tokyo) (Ooedo No Hikeshi) … one of many, but the most
destructive, held along with the Great Eruption of Fuji-san 300th
Anniversary. This is the Kabuki-za orchestra and readers along with
part of the Suntory Hall Orchestra, which occasionally features the
Crown Prince on viola (but not in this one)."

Also see Deep Purple's
"Smoke on the water"
http://www.videosift.com/video/Smoke-on-the-water-Japanese-Version

: You understand? You love whiskey. It's Suntory time!
O.K.?....

...Could TOTALLY pull this commecial off , no prob....ACTION!
Fuck, I need to go to Japan!!

For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.