The one-night special will be screened on Japanese television tonight, on the last day of the Heisei period.

Today is a historic day in Japan, as 30 April marks the final day of the thirty-year-long Heisei era. And as Emperor Akihito prepares to step down from the Chrysanthemum Throne and hand the role over to his eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, on May 1 – which will mark the start of the new Reiwa era – Japan is taking a nostalgic look back at the past thirty years of Japanese history.

One company waxing lyrical over the Heisei period is Japanese beverage company Suntory, which is bidding a fond farewell to the era with a new commercial featuring the poster boy for their Boss canned coffee brand: Hollywood actor Tommy Lee Jones.

Jones has been appearing in Boss coffee commercials since 2006, playing the role of an alien observing humans in their element, and tonight, the company will be screening an epic two-minute long commercial on television for one night only, featuring some of Jones’ best appearances over the years.

Take a look at the special two-minute commercial, entitled “Alien Jones: Heisei Special”, below:

The special commercial is made up of past ads featuring Jones, all tied together with a narrative that comments on the social quirks and achievements seen by Alien Jones on this planet during the Heisei period.

The ad begins with Jones’ 2011 Boss commercial, which shows the “cycle of meetings and farewells” illustrated by one couple parting and another meeting on a station platform, with Jones in the role of station attendant.

The clip goes on to show Jones in a 2006 ad, where he brings drinks to customers as a karaoke employee and cries over the emotive singing of acclaimed Japanese enka singer Aki Yashiro.

He’s then pictured as a construction worker who remarks on the sense of accomplishment that can be felt by beings on this Earth, before stepping into the ring as sumo referee, from a 2008 ad, looking over the new heroes born during the period.

The clip ends with a montage of Jones’ best appearances, while commenting on the fact that “It’s not easy to know what type of era was created over the past thirty years, but one thing I can say is that people worked hard in the Hesei era.”

Given the amount of appearances Jones has made over the years, he’s definitely worked hard during the Heisei era. Here’s to many more years of Boss coffee commercials starring Alien Jones as we roll over to the new Reiwa era!

Source: Suntory
Images: YouTube/サントリー公式チャンネル （SUNTORY）
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