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You might think that Japanese advertisements are all Hollywood celebrity endorsements or surreal tales of busty schoolgirls with nose rings, but when it wants to, Japan can make commercials that yank on the heartstrings as strongly as anywhere else in Asia. Getting the waterworks flowing today is Toyota, asking the question, “Do you care about your parents as much as they love you?”, and while the video is short on cars, it makes up for that with plenty of tears.

Toyota first gathered, and then separated, a group of parents and their adult children. The automaker then asked both of them the same question, and even though Japanese culture places a heavy importance on respect for family and the elderly, it’s a simple fact of human psychology that kids sometimes don’t realize all that their parents do for them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnmwn2yzSN4&feature=youtu.be

Question 1: How well do you keep in touch with each other?

▼ Mom: “It’s always me writing emails to her, but even after I send them I can see they haven’t been read.”

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▼ Daughter: “I usually read her emails about 10 days after she sends them.”

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Question 2: How often do you find yourself thinking about your child/parent?

▼ Dad: “Every day. I always check my email to see if there’s a message from her.”

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▼ Daughter: “About twice a week.”

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Question 3: What item did you receive from your child/parent that has sentimental value to you?

▼ Dad: “My daughter wrote a letter for me that said ‘Dad, thank you for always working so hard at for us.’ It made me really happy, and I still keep it in a plastic file in the bag that I take with me when I go to the office.”

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▼ Daughter: “Well, I guess, a toy he bought for me when I was a kid.”

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Question 4: “How did you feel when your child/you moved out of the house?”

▼ Mom: “We all went together to my son’s new place in a big car. After we said good-bye, on the drive back, I started crying my eyes out. I couldn’t even understand why I was crying so hard.”

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▼ Son: “I remember my parents really went all out helping me.”

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▼ Mom: “He’d already made up his mind to move out, so I thought I should see him off with a smile. When he turned around to leave, I waved good-bye, and I thought ‘Maybe he’ll look back at me,’ but he didn’t.”

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▼ Son; “For the first month I was on my own, I was just so worn-out.”

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Once all the questions were done, it was time for the children to hear their parents’ responses…

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…and also to break down in tears.

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“I didn’t realize how much they were thinking about me,” says one daughter. “They’re still caring about me,” comments one of the sons, adding “I feel ashamed” at not having picked up on just how devoted his parents were.

▼ “I really should take care of them.”

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Okay, Toyota, why exactly did you go to the trouble of making all these children, plus everyone who watches the video, cry?

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Ah, because you want them to remember that your Welcab model can be equipped with a sliding door and motorized, swiveling seat that makes it easier for seniors with a cane, wheelchair, or mobility issues in general to enter and exit the vehicle. Okay, we’ll take a look at a brochure, right after we go call our parents just to tell them we love them.

Source: IT Media
Images: YouTube/toyotajpchannel