You might think that the samurai no longer exist in Japan. That the samurai officially vanished when they were banned from carrying swords in the late 19th century. That might be true, but samurai still exist in Japan. Today, they just wield glowsticks instead.
This Cup Noodle ad is titled "Present-Day Samurai" (現代のサムライ or Gendai no Samurai) and features idol fans preforming otaku dance routines known as "wotagei" (ヲタ芸) or "otagei" (オタ芸). Below, you can see more otaku dancing:
Just imagine if these were swords!
カップヌードル「現代のサムライ」篇 30秒 [Cup Noodle]
To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft.
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.