Images of Japan actually can reveal a lot about the person who took the photos, or the purpose behind the photos. Whether the photos are to entice tourists, or a souvenir to bring back home, there are many ways to analyze what is valued by the photographer. 

This photo:

exemplifies what a travel website (which this photo is originally from) is looking for in a picture. The cherry blossoms, the traditional building, and most of all, no crowds. It's very rare to see a picture of a traditional shrine or sight-seeing location with crowds of people, despite the fact that many locations are overcrowded with tourists. The photograph is recognizably Japanese, and can stand on it's own as a promotional image without any words or description.

There's no image of Japan that's complete without a scenic shot of Fuji san in the background. This image particularly also contains a side shot of a pagoda and beautiful shot of tree tops. This photograph is more traditional, as the first image, again with no existence of people. Another interesting observation is that no matter what, almost all images of Japan have a solid blue sky, with little to no clouds. This is very enticing, and almost looks fake, but in reality the sky in Japan is almost always a solid blue. This is a very small detail, but something that demonstrates the beauty of Japan. 

On the complete other side of these images, this photograph of the a city is enticing in a different way. This is an overhead image taken of the Shibuya Scramble, the busiest tourist center. In this photograph, it's important to demonstrate the large crowds, because that itself is the draw of this area (not to mention 109). It's also a separation from the typical traditional pictures used by travel websites. 

Semiotics of Kit Kat Commercials

I think that everyone who lives in America is in tune to the iconic "crunch" sound which accompanies every Kit Kat commercial. This itself shows what the company values in their product- eating it. Each Kit Kat is filled with a crunchy wafer, and the sound of the "crunch" from the commercial is supposed to make the viewer wish they were also crunching into one. There are no current solid still frame advertisements for Kit Kat, however the 30 second commercials shown on tv can be picked apart for semiotics as easily as a still.

This commercial features Chance the Rapper, a popular musician, walking down an aisle in the store and encountering a singing Kit Kat bar with Chance the (W)Rapper written on it. Towards the end the singer looks at two other characters and says, "Oh, I get it." The main "sign" in this commercial is the revamped Kit Kat jingle. It's completely redone, but still is recognizable as the old jingle only by people who have been exposed to the old jingle. Chance himself is a sort of sign, as he is only recognizable by people who have been exposed to him and his music before. There are clues within the commercial as to who he is, therefore he is more like a "symbol." I believe the use of a celebrity such as Chance the Rapper denotes that he's the type of person who would eat a Kit Kat. Viewers and consumers tend to purchase and utilize products when they're tied to a symbol of wealth and fame, such as this singer.

On the other hand, this Japanese Kit Kat advertisement:

Shows a pretty young girl with a package of Kit Kats. Her clothing looks like that of a school girl, which denotes that she is young, probably around high school aged. The cherry blossoms featured all over the ad may either be hearkening back to Japan's relationship with the flower, or be demonstrating the flavor of the Kit Kat. Using a young girl, a symbol of health, happiness, and youth, is what really drives this ad home as a Japanese advertisement. Many of the ads seen in this country focus on showing fresh-faced people, typically women or young girls. This connotes that the Japanese public values health and wellness over wealth and fame.