Free Samurai Business Card Holder with Premium Malts Lager

It’s quite common in Japan to get small free gifts attached to drinks, etc in the convenience stores. Models of cars with coffee, world cup badges with Coke, anime figures (Lupins a favourite) with just about anything.

The other day I spotted this, free with 2 or 4 packs of Suntory The Premium Malts…

Free Business Card Holder

It’s a Samurai crested black laquer effect Business Card Holder! How cool is that? (Well probably only cool if you’re a bit of a samurai otaku and like anything with these crests on…just me perhaps?).

It’s a campaign to promote some TV programme (an historical drama obviously), can’t remember the name though.

Business cards (Meishi) are loved in Japan and just about anybody who has any kind of job will carry them at all times and give them out to anyone they meet (with appropriate rituals, they have to be handed over the correct way, while bowing, etc. – also never put someone elses card in your back pocket and sit down! Big NoNo! ).

I wonder however, what reaction you might get if you pulled this fella out of your pocket in a high powered meeting?

Box Instructions

One amusing thing with this is the detailed instructions enclosed with it on how to operate this device.

It’s essentially a box, and I’m pretty sure everyone knows how boxes work, however for those that don’t, (and I’m not sure what this says about Suntory Premium Malts drinkers), here are 4 pictures explaining how to open and close it.