If you’ve ever visited Japan and fallen in love with its beauty and culture, prepare to be swept off your feet again with the latest ad campaign from Guess.
Shot by famed Chinese photographer Chen Man, the photos take us on a journey through cherry blossoms and tea houses, featuring girls with samurai swords and parasols.
From Tokyo to Mount Fuji, the series features Japan’s wild and peaceful landscapes, while paying homage to the country’s traditional roots and modern lifestyle at the same time. The result is two models who come off looking both elegant and bad-ass.
This thought-provoking image stands out for its allusion to gender stereotypes and femininity. When a girl puts down a pole flying pink koinobori carp, traditionally used as a symbol of strength for the Boys’ Day national holiday (now known as Childrens’ Day), you know she’s heralding a new dawn for gender stereotypes.
▼ Not coy about flying her koi
The dramatic red and black looks, styled by Satoshi Hirata, pay homage to Japan’s long rickshaw tradition, which is still going strong today. The black, shiny rickshaws can be seen at tourist spots with passengers draped in bright red blankets to shield themselves from the cold. 
A quiet tea house scene plays with saturated colour beautifully. The seated poses may be good for marketing, but don’t try them at a real-life Japanese tea ceremony. Showing off your assets, touching your bare feet and sitting on the straw mat tatami seams won’t go over well at all.
A hanami picnic under the cherry blossoms. The model’s adoring gaze up into the cherry blossom tree makes the viewer feel like a pretty little bird.
The shinkansen bullet train meets samurai steam punk as it passes through rice fields beside Mount Fuji on its way up to Tokyo.
Thanks Guess for the journey through Japan’s awe-inspiring cultural and traditional landscape. We hope to see you again very soon. If you bring the girls and the clothes, we’ll bring the cherry blossoms and the tea.
Source: Japaaan
Images: Guess Japan