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The actor Oguri Shun appears in a new series of commercials that have recently begun to be aired. The TV ads are for next year's New Year cards sold by Japan Post Service. Oguri plays the role of a suit-clad company employee. The costars include actor Terao Akira and actress Eikura Nana. In the first 'episode' titled 'Noticing (Recognizing)', a younger employee asks the senior employee (Oguri) his address. When they had filmed the scene where the two employees talk to each other, Oguri made lots of ad-lib remarks that entertained and impressed the staff.
Oguri recalled a fond memory he had concerning New Year cards. When he was still in middle school, he had appeared in a 'Taiga' drama. ['Taiga (大河)' dramas are historical TV dramas broadcast by NHK.] After the filming, he sent New Year cards to actor Takenaka Naoto, who had played the lead role in the drama. "For a couple of years I wrote to Takenaka-san 'Happy New Year. This is Oguri. I played the character 'Sakichi'. Takenaka-san still remembered. I was really happy when he told me 'You and I are New Year card friends.'"

※In Japanese New Year cards are called 'nengajo (年賀状)' and are a important part of Japanese culture. In the cards people usually write 'Akemashite omedeto-gozaimasu (lit. 'Let's celebrate the arrival of a new year.')'. The cards are sent to close relatives, friends and associates. Each year is named after an animal based on the Japanese zodiac [which in turn is based on the Chinese zodiac]. There are 12 animals that respond to the 12 year cycle; rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and boar. This year is the year of the ox, and next year (2010) will be the year of the tiger. We hope you enjoyed this Japanese culture trivia♪

[CM] 小栗旬给谁寄新年卡？

演员小栗旬最近出现在一系列广告中。他还拍摄了日本邮局的明年年贺状电视广告。小栗旬在广告中扮演身着西装的公司职员。同演的还有演员寺尾聪和荣仓Nana。在名为"Noticing（认出）"的第一集里，年轻的公司职员询问前辈（小栗旬饰）的地址。当他们拍摄两个志愿互相聊天时，小栗旬加了很多即兴演出，让在场的工作人员欣喜不已且印象深刻。
小栗旬回顾了他自己关于年贺状的心情。当他还是中学生时，他就出现在一部大河剧中。拍摄完后，他给大河剧主演竹中直人寄了一封年贺状。"连续很多年我都给竹中先生写'新年快乐。我是小栗旬。我扮演Sakichi。'而竹中先生一直还记得。当他告诉我'你和我是年贺状朋友'时我非常高兴。"

※在日本，新年卡被称为"年贺状"，是日本文化重要的一部分。在贺卡里，人们通常会写"あけましておめでとうございます。(意为'新年到了，恭贺新禧')"。人们把卡寄给亲戚、朋友和认识的人。每年都有一个生肖，而12种动物也是12年的循环。今年是牛年，明年则是虎年。希望你能喜欢这个关于日本文化的小知识。♪