- A Japanese father spent 100 million yen to advertise his son's photos across Tokyo.
- The boy, known as Yu-kun, is affectionately called the Landmark Kid by local residents.
- Yu-kun's father, a real estate owner, highlights his son's cuteness in the campaign.
A Japanese father is making headlines for spending 100 million yen (approximately Rs 5.8 crore) to get his young son's photos plastered all over Tokyo. According to the South China Morning Post, the boy, known as Yu-kun, is well-known in the Adachi area of Tokyo and has been lovingly dubbed "the Landmark Kid" by residents. His smiling pictures are plastered everywhere, from footbridge banners to city buses to parking signs. His image even appears in convenience store windows. Yu-Kun's father, a real estate company owner, puts the ads up because, according to him, his son is "absolutely adorable," and the entire city deserves to see that.
"My son was just too adorable when he was little. I thought, all of Tokyo should know," his father said, as per SCMP.
The ad campaign features Yu-Kon's funniest childhood pictures. One hilarious ad shows him bawling his eyes out after a street performer startled him. This embarrassing photo is now a two-meter-tall advertisement, displayed at the entrance of an underground station.
The father keeps updating the campaign with new pictures of his son. He asks photographers to take new "cute" shots of his son and even plans to feature recent pictures to promote new real estate projects.
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However, Yu-Kun, now aged 16, is not happy seeing his childhood pictures plastered all over the city. "I do not like it. I really do not," he said, adding, "If you really think I am that cute, why not just transfer that 100 million yen into my bank account?"
"People might not recognise my baby photos, but now that I am older, it is just embarrassing," he said.
The story has gone viral on social media, especially in China. Reacting to it, one user wrote, "As the old Chinese proverb goes, 'A father's love is like a mountain,' but this Japanese dad's love is a bit too heavy, on billboards!"
"Parental love is often free, yet it can come at a high cost. Chinese parents are known for hiding their love, but it seems some Japanese parents go as far as plastering their child's face all over the city," commented another.
