“KIRIN LAGER BEER × HARRISON FORD & MOMOKO KIKUCHI” (c.1994) – ORIGINAL JAPANESE IN‑STORE BILLBOARD – “MR. BEER” CAMPAIGN (STORE‑USE / 非売品)
Extremely Rare | In‑Store Display (Not for Sale) | First Use c.1994 | 120 × 60 cm | Double‑Sided Foam Board (0.5 cm) | DHL Express Shipping Included
This is an original Japanese store‑use billboard (硬質フォームボード) produced circa 1994 for Kirin Lager Beer’s nationwide push that paired Harrison Ford with actress/singer Momoko Kikuchi (菊池桃子). In 1994 Kirin refreshed Lager’s label and rolled out new TV spots and point‑of‑purchase materials; the launch wave explicitly teamed Ford with Kikuchi (e.g., the “Arrival/来日編” spot) and with comedian Shiro Ito in later variants—context for the imagery on this board.
Japan‑only design & credit
Like most ’90s brewery POP, agency/photographer credits are unprinted. The campaign earned industry notice that year (TCC award listing for the 1994 “Label / Harrison Ford” TVC), and contemporaneous scripts feature the key line Ford delivers in Japanese: 「キリンラガービール、ください。」 (“Kirin Lager Beer, please.”).
Billboard design (what you see here)
Studio‑white background; Ford and Kikuchi each hold a frosted Kirin Lager can. The bold vertical headline reads 「キリンラガービール、ください。」; lower right carries the period end‑card copy 「ミスター・ビール。キリンラガービール」 used across the mid‑’90s campaign. Clean, bright, and unmistakably ’90s Kirin. (The “Mr. Beer / ミスター・ビール。” tag is documented in 1995 creative records for this campaign family.)
Beer & celebrity in Japan
Kirin Lager is one of Japan’s longest‑running beer labels, and the brand’s mid‑’90s strategy leaned on A‑list talent—Harrison Ford with Japanese co‑stars like Momoko Kikuchi and Shiro Ito—to underline Lager’s “No.1/please” simplicity and the new label refresh. Coverage and retrospectives note this Ford‑fronted phase as a pop‑culture high point for the brand.
About this format (size & use)
Unlike paper posters, this is a thick, shop‑hung foam‑board billboard—the exact material placed in convenience stores and liquor shops for the campaign. Size 120 × 60 cm (approx. 47.2 × 23.6 in.); 0.5 cm thick; double‑sided with the same image on both faces for window/display rigs. These store boards were printed in small numbers and typically discarded after use, so survivors are exceptionally scarce.
Why this example is extraordinary
’90s beer POP was handled hard and destroyed after campaigns. A double‑sided Harrison Ford × Momoko Kikuchi foam board from this push is an ultra‑rare survivor that will present beautifully in a bar, tasting room, office, or home gallery.
Condition
Very Good / Excellent display condition for a store‑used board. Original hanging holes at the edges; light handling/finish scuffing and subtle surface impression lines visible at raking light; clean image with strong color on both sides (see photos). Displayed at the time.
Logistics
Price includes worldwide DHL Express shipping. Professionally packed, fully insured.
It is ~30 years old.
It is not a reproduction or reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
A rare, nostalgia‑rich mid‑’90s Kirin Lager in‑store billboard starring Harrison Ford with Momoko Kikuchi—a true 非売品 (not‑for‑sale) display piece from Japan’s golden age of beer advertising.
