On March 13th, major restaurant chain Yoshinoya announced that it had appointed actor Takuya Kimura as its brand ambassador and that a new commercial would be broadcast nationwide from the 14th. The promotion will be based on the new brand message, "Genki wo, Itadakimasu."
The new TV commercials starring Kimura, "Me and Yoshinoya" and "Me and Beef Bowl," show Kimura visiting Yoshinoya and wolfing down a beef bowl garnished with pickled ginger. Yoshinoya's desire to "bring energy to all of Japan" is expressed through Kimura's words, "Genki wo, itadakimasu."
A special website was launched on the 13th, and the new commercial was released ahead of its TV broadcast. You can also watch behind-the-scenes footage of the commercial's filming.
When asked about his memories of Yoshinoya, Kimura recalled that when he was younger, "there was a store in Shibuya, and at the time, (Yoshinoya) was like a place to go when you were hungry."
When asked about his favorite way to eat Yoshigyu, he revealed, "I'd like it to be served with lots of soup. I almost said that about three times during filming. I would have also liked to have put shichimi (chili pepper) on it."
