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Father spends ₹5.8 crore on ads to show off son's ‘cuteness’, teen unhappy: ‘Why not transfer that to my bank’

A Japanese dad spent over $700,000 on ad campaigns featuring his son’s childhood pictures, wanting to show Tokyo how cute his son looked as a kid.

Updated on: Jun 11, 2025, 10:17:52 IST
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A Japanese father has stunned the world by spending $700,000 to get his son’s “cute” photos plastered all over Tokyo, reported the South China Morning Post (SCMP). Over the years, the dad, a real estate company owner, has placed several ads featuring childhood pictures of his son.

The kid whose pictures are all over Tokyo is affectionately known as “The Landmark Kid”. (Representative image). (Pexels)
The kid whose pictures are all over Tokyo is affectionately known as “The Landmark Kid”. (Representative image). (Pexels)

The boy, famous as Yu-kun and dubbed “The Landmark Kid,” has his childhood pictures everywhere, from footbridge banners to city buses to parking signs. His dad puts the ads up because, according to him, his son is “absolutely adorable,” and the entire city deserves to see that.

According to the outlet, the ad campaigns show full-blown pictures of Yu-Kun making funny faces. One picture also shows him crying after watching a street performance.

“My son was just too adorable when he was little. I thought, all of Tokyo should know,” his father told the outlet.

Yu-Kun’s reaction to father’s campaign:

Now 16 years old, the teen is not too happy seeing his childhood photos plastered all over the city. “I do not like it. I really do not,” he said. He added, “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 continued.

Social media in splits:

According to the outlet, a Chinese social media user who saw this viral story from Japan 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!”

Another added, “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.”

  • Trisha Sengupta
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Trisha Sengupta

    Trisha Sengupta is a Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of digital newsroom experience. Specialising in high-engagement storytelling, she blends viral trends with traditional journalism to cover the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. Her reporting spans real estate and personal finance struggles in hubs like Bengaluru and Gurgaon, the NRI experience, and corporate shifts like tech layoffs. Trisha also frequently tracks global figures and writes human interest stories. Offline, Trisha is an avid reader, history enthusiast and solo traveler. She balances her journalism career with family life while actively integrating AI tools into her modern storytelling approach.Read More

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