EPIC Visa Commercial Features Lonely Thai Woman in Tokyo

Photo from YouTube

I know that you're all cried out from watching sad Thai commercials about mothers and sad Thai commercials about dogs and sad Thai commercials about everything, so I don't want you to worry about this following video. It's not going to destroy you emotionally.

The credit-card company, Visa, recently released a commercial that's nearly 15-minutes long, and it's already got the world buzzing. It's racked up more than six million views on both Facebook and YouTube so far.

It feels more like a short film, which is good for something of this lentgh—though there are several too-obvious branding efforts scattered throughout the ad. But I suppose they have to make money someplace.

The short movie follows a brokenhearted Thai woman who travels to Tokyo shortly after she loses her job and gets dumped by her boyfriend. It should be a trip of a lifetime, but, for her, it's a melancholy lone journey through the most picturesque, high-definition parts of Japan's capital.

The name of the film—and the recurring hashtag in it—is #TokyoUnexpected. And true to its title, the commercial is full of unexpected pleasures.

No sad tears here. Just a gentle, sometimes funny look at loneliness and the comforts of travel. Watch:


It reminds me just a tiny bit of the fantastic Thai comedy, Hello Stranger, a feature-length movie as hilarious as it is touching. Both films solidify the notion that Thais are obsessed with Japan.