Hopefully those ads are waterproof.

Over the past several years, the underground pedestrian walkway that connects to Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station has become one of the most coveted advertising hot spots in Japan, with thousands of people walking by and seeing such creative promotions as every Yu-Gi-Oh! card ever made, giant gift-giving cats, and an eye-catching exhibition of anime eyes. But Japan’s Wakino Ad Company thinks there’s an even better place to put an ad, and it’s right there in the company’s name.

“Waki” is the Japanese word for “armpit,” and sure enough, Wakino Ad Company is all about getting your product or service promoted via young ladies’ armpits.

The company has just started operations, and so armpit advertising remains on the untested frontier of Japanese business strategy, with an yet unknown, and thus possibly limitless, potential. To help us visualize the possibilities, Wakino Ad Company has released concept stills showing how this strategy could be applied to detective agencies…

...acting schools…

…and even job-hunting websites.

And lest you think this is all a weird joke, Wakino Ad Company has landed its first paying customer, beauty treatment and dermatology chain Seishin Biyo Clinic, which is, appropriately enough, using armpit advertising to spread the word about its painless underarm hair removal procedure.

The concept is reminiscent of the one from Absolute Territory PR, which sells advertising space on women’s thighs. Wakino Ad Company’s focus on a less traditionally salaciously thought-of body part could perhaps make it the better choice for companies who want to maintain a wholesome image while still dabbling in anatomy-based marketing.

▼ Oddly enough, Wakino Ad Company is itself a sort of advertisement, as its owned by beauty product company Liberta, which sells armpit beautifying products.

For those who’re looking to get their foot, or armpit, in the door of the professional modeling world, Wakino Ad Company is currently recruiting models through its website here (male applicants are also welcome). Or, if you’ve got competitive confidence in your armpit allure, the company is also holding an armpit beauty contest, once again open to both sexes and with applications being accepted here.

Sources: @Press (1, 2) via Togech

Top image: @Press

Insert images: @Press (1, 2)

Follow Casey on Twitter, where his armpits aren’t silky smooth enough to earn him any ad revenue.