“JR SKISKI – Watashi wo Ski ni Tsuretette”, Japanese Railway / Winter Travel Advertising Poster, Original Offset 2017, Rare, B1 Size (c. 73 × 103 cm) AA45
This is an original Japanese B1 advertising poster issued by JR East in 2017 for the JR SKISKI winter campaign. Produced to promote ski travel on the Joetsu Shinkansen to snow resorts such as GALA Yuzawa, the design was created as a deliberate homage to the much-loved 1987 ski film Watashi wo Ski ni Tsuretette (Take Me Out to the Snowland). It was released as part of a 30th anniversary double celebration: 30 years since the establishment of JR East (1987–2017) and 30 years since the release of the film that helped define Japan’s late-1980s ski boom. Large-format original JR promotional posters from this campaign are highly appealing examples of contemporary Japanese travel advertising, especially in the scarce B1 format.
JR SKISKI – Watashi wo Ski ni Tsuretette (2017)
The composition is intentionally styled like a dramatic 1980s cinema poster, combining romance, speed and winter sport into a single energetic image. At the centre is an illustrated portrait of the film’s heroine, with surrounding scenes of skiers in motion, gondolas, fireworks, hot-spring references, snowboarders, mountain scenery and a Shinkansen train charging through the snow. The train prominently featured is the E4 Series “Max” Joetsu Shinkansen, reinforcing the campaign’s message that skiing and winter leisure are easily accessible by rail.
Across the middle appears the campaign slogan 「私を新幹線でスキーに連れてって」 — “Take Me Skiing on the Shinkansen” — a playful reworking of the original film title. At upper left is the additional line 「なんんなら、温泉にも連れてって。」, meaning “If you want, take me to the hot springs too.” At the lower right is a commemorative seal reading “JR EAST × WATASUKI 30th Anniversary,” explicitly linking the campaign to the film’s anniversary. The upper-right corner carries the JR East identity and “Ticket to Tomorrow” branding.
What makes this poster particularly compelling is the way it bridges Japanese railway advertising, film nostalgia and commercial illustration. Rather than using a straightforward photographic layout, the visual was designed to evoke the look of a classic illustrated movie one-sheet, giving the poster a retro-cinematic quality unusual in modern transport advertising. This makes it appealing not only to collectors of railway and travel posters, but also to those interested in Japanese popular culture, 1980s nostalgia and contemporary graphic design.
The campaign was created within the sphere of JR East’s commercial advertising operations, with design and visual development undertaken by professional agency and creative teams rather than as a fine-art poster in the traditional sense. As such, it stands as an excellent example of how Japanese corporate advertising can achieve a level of style and collectability far beyond the ordinary promotional poster.
Rarity and condition
Original B1 JR SKISKI posters were produced for promotional display and were not intended for long-term preservation, meaning many surviving examples show pinholes, creasing, edge wear or other signs of use. Clean, well-preserved copies are increasingly sought after, especially by collectors of Japanese railway ephemera, ski advertising, nostalgic 1980s-themed design and JR campaign material.
This particular poster is in excellent+ condition. The colours remain strong and fresh, the paper is clean, and the poster presents beautifully overall. It retains a crisp, bright appearance with only very minor signs of handling or age, if any, and no major distractions. Please refer closely to the photographs, as they show the exact poster for sale.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
