Hollywood celebrities have been crossing the Pacific to make commercials in Japan for decades. It's a quick, easy way for celebs to make a buck without harming their reps back in the States, thanks to secrecy clauses that prevent Japanese companies from disclosing the endorsements.

But with the success of YouTube and similar sites, many of these commercials are now available worldwide on the Web. The spots make for hilarious viewing, and you can be sure the stars are laughing all the way to the bank.

Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed products in Japan.

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger

If Arnold Schwarzenegger is to be believed, inhaling a cup of Nissin instant noodles will provide you with enough strength to swing really heavy-looking bronze pots back and forth with ease. Or, you can melt away your stress with a can of Hop's Beer. Or tap into your superhero-worthy powers with a jolt of Vfuyy energy drink. The bodybuilder/
actor/governor of California endorsed these Japanese products in commercial spots from the 1990s.

2. Nicolas Cage

Maybe it happened while filming Leaving
Las Vegas . . . or maybe Honeymoon in Vegas. Either way, at some point, Nicolas Cage was bit by the gambling bug, so much so that he felt the need to shill for Sankyo, the manufacturer of pachinko machines. Similar to slot machines, the devices can be found in casinos across Japan. Ads from the late 1990s feature a wild-eyed Cage so obsessed by his pachinko fever that he's having trouble functioning day to day!

3. Cameron Diaz

There's something about Aeon English Schools that made Cameron
Diaz want to sing their praises. Aeon, a private institute with more than 300 schools in Japan, has also received a boost from Celine Dion, Ewan McGregor, and Mariah Carey. In the Diaz spots (which aired in 2000 and 2001), the bubbly star of Charlie's Angels and There's Something About Mary looks fresh-faced and innocent as she repeats the word "believe" over and over in front of a series of different backgrounds. Aeon posters featuring Diaz's mug were also plastered around Japanese cities during the same time.

4. Harrison Ford

What do hiking near a volcano, dining at a sushi restaurant, sitting in a steam room, and jetting around on an airliner have in common? They all go great with Kirin beer, according to Harrison Ford. The man who turned both Han Solo and Indiana Jones into household names lent his visage to this refreshing lager in at least five different TV commercials, plus a print ad, during the mid-1990s.

Jodie Foster, Madonna, and Richard Gere are some of the celebrities who have made ads in Japan that you'll find on the next page.

Top 5 Most Intriguing Lists While you can browse through hundreds of fascinating lists at Extraordinary Lists, here are 5 lists that we feel are certain to amaze and entertain: 14 Best-Selling Books Repeatedly Rejected by Publishers 14 Films Directed by Steven Spielberg 14 Notable Grand Ole Opry Performers 12 One-Hit Wonders 13 Notable Movies Directed by Ron Howard