“When the times change, rock changes too. Jun Rock Japan.”
“TAKARA SHOCHU ‘JUN’ × DAVID BOWIE” (1980) – ORIGINAL JAPANESE B3 NAKAZURI (TRAIN HANGING) ADVERTISING POSTER – “JUN ROCK JAPAN / CRYSTAL JUN ROCK” CAMPAIGN (RAIL DISPLAY / 非売品)
Ultra Rare | In-Train/Subway Hanging Ad | Non-Retail Advertising Issue | First Issue 1980 | 36 × 51 cm (B3)
This is an original Japanese B3 nakazuri advertising poster produced in 1980 for Takara Shuzo’s campaign for 宝焼酎「純」 / Takara Shochu “Jun”, starring David Bowie. The campaign is closely associated with Bowie’s instrumental track “Crystal Japan”, which was used for Takara Shuzo’s Crystal Jun Rock television commercial. This poster belongs directly to that celebrated Japan-only advertising campaign.
Japan-only campaign & credit
This is a Japanese alcohol advertising poster, not a concert poster, record-store poster, or music promotional sheet. Takara Shuzo launched 宝焼酎「純」 / Shochu “Jun” in 1977 as a modern clear shochu, part of Japan’s wider late-1970s “white spirits” movement. The square glass bottle, clean typography, and modern branding helped reposition shochu for a younger, design-conscious audience.
Poster design — what you see here
A dark wood-grain setting frames a long-tailed rooster, David Bowie’s campaign portrait, and two square Takara “Jun” bottles. The main Japanese copy reads:
「時代が変わればロックも変わる。純ロック・ジャパン」
“When the times change, rock changes too. Jun Rock Japan.”
Lower product copy announces 「20ソフト新発売」 — the launch of the softer 20-degree version — with period pricing visible for 20° 720ml / 460円 and 35° 720ml / 600円. A printed facsimile Bowie signature dated ’80 appears within the artwork; this is part of the printed design and is not a hand signature.
Shochu, Bowie & “Crystal Japan”
The wider campaign occupies a significant place in Bowie’s Japan-related visual history. The advertising imagery was shot in Kyoto at Shoden-ji, and the accompanying music, “Crystal Japan”, became one of Bowie’s most distinctive Japan-linked instrumental works. The campaign combined late-Showa Japanese alcohol branding with Bowie’s refined, otherworldly image, creating one of the most memorable foreign-celebrity advertising campaigns of the period.
About the nakazuri format — B3 & rarity
Nakazuri are ceiling-hung advertising posters displayed inside commuter trains and subway cars. The standard single-panel nakazuri format is B3, approximately 36 × 51 cm. These posters were produced for short-term public transit display, changed frequently, and generally discarded after use. They were not sold to the public, making surviving examples from high-profile campaigns especially difficult to find.
Why this example is extraordinary
A full B3 transit advertising example from the Takara Shochu “Jun” × David Bowie campaign is a highly desirable cross-collectible: David Bowie memorabilia, Japanese advertising design, late-Showa alcohol branding, and commuter-rail ephemera. The complete product copy, period pricing, Takara “Jun” branding, rooster imagery, and Bowie campaign artwork give this sheet strong display and research value.
Condition
Good vintage/display condition. Previously folded, with visible fold line; overall handling creases; surface scuffs; corner and edge wear; light age toning and handling marks to the blank reverse; small adhesive/tape remnants visible on the back. Colours remain strong, and the principal image and copy are complete. Please review the detailed images. Once framed, this poster will display very well.
It is over 45 years old!
It is not a modern reproduction or reprint.
Printed facsimile signature only — not hand-signed.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
A rare and highly evocative 1980 Takara Shochu “Jun” × David Bowie B3 nakazuri — a non-retail Japanese rail-advertising survivor from the “Jun Rock Japan / Crystal Jun Rock” campaign, and an exceptional object at the intersection of Bowie’s Japan period, shochu branding, and late-Showa commuter advertising.
