Takuya Kimura of SMAP dances for some Gatsby money, in a throwback to a commercial he shot 20 years ago

SMAP star Takuya Kimura made sportin’ waves featuring in Gatsby’s TV commercial for their super popular hair styling range Moving Rubber, which features him bussin’ moves.

This commercial was a throwback to a commercial Takuya shot with Gatsby in 2006 for the EXACT same product — in which he also danced to Gatsby-fied disco song. Back then it was The Stylistics’ single “Can’t Give You Anything (But My Love)” originally released in 1975. And this time Takuya dances to Gatsby-fied flip of Spectrum’s “Tomatso Ippatsu”, which was originally released in 1979. And I’ve gotta say, it’s pretty incredible how they worked ‘Gatsby’ and ‘Moving Rubber’ into the song, because in the original it literally does sound like ‘Moving rubber’ is being sung at one point. Whoever is responsible for picking the songs has great taste.

It’s kinda incredible that the packaging for Gatsby’s Moving Rubber hasn’t really changed in 20 years.

I remember when I first went to Japan and discovered Gatsby. I have combination skin which skews oily. And back when I first went to Japan, this was during a period where skincase is not what it is now — or at least not what is now in the west.

I was in Shibuya and there was a drug store blasting music, with its products spilling out onto the street on shelves and buckets. I just wondered in out of sheer curiosity. And to say I was overwhelmed by the volume of products would be an understatement. Not only did this drug store have a men’s skincare section (which also wasn’t common in the west during this time), but they had skincare…by skin type!? Bitch. They had whole ranges for normal skin, dry skin, oily skin, combination skin, alligator skin, Pokémon water type skin. Everything. I ended up walking out with a bag full of stuff to take back home.

Gatsby Moving Rubber starring Takuya Kimura | Mandom

Gatsby is a really popular brand in Japan. Not only because they have the budgets to put a member of SMAP in their TV commercials, but because it’s available everywhere and it eats up a good chunk of retail space everywhere it’s sold. Chances are if you go into a konbini and look in the aisle for men’s toiletries, it will be predominantly Gatsby products. I’ve since moved on from Gatsby. But the memory of discovering the brand for the first time will always sit with me. ‘One of your memories of your first trip to Japan is of Gatsby?!’. Yep. Weird behaviour. But a lot of my memories of Japan are of the small, weird, seemingly silly and insignificant things. One of my memories from my last trip to Japan was riding a bike. Just…riding a Docomo bike in Tokyo.

Whenever I lurk in YouTube comments and subreddits about travel to Japan, I always say that everything is an experience and it’s true. Even something like going to a drugstore. And whenever I’m in Japan I genuinely always look forward to going to drug stores. The green tea is that you’ll probably save money shopping at a drug store versus a konbini.

HENNYWAY.

Takuya Kimura stays getting bags. And it’s crazy to think that this man has met Michael Jackson, shot a campaign with Beyoncé and performed with Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga.