Unagi eel-themed drinks for summer

It’s not enough for beer to be the official drink of the oppressively hot Japanese summer, one beer company is hoping to tie-in with the traditional food of summer, unagi (eel). Miyashita Sake Brewery is launching a “Suitable for Unagi” black beer that matches the color and richness of the grilled eel coated in sticky and slightly sweet sauce. Sold online in gift packs (¥2,425 for six), the “Suitable for Unagi” beer is intended as a summer gift for friends and co-workers.

Unagi is traditionally eaten during the summer to boost stamina against the appetite-destroying heat, particularly on the midsummer days of the Ox (July 24th and August 5th this year). While the origin of this custom is generally unknown and up for dispute, Miyashita is promoting a theory that explains that because the day of the Ox is associated with calamity, people traditionally turned to the Black Tortoise (the guardian deity of the north, also the direction associated with the Ox) for protection from disaster. The Black Tortoise God is black, thus people ate black food like unagi and now, says the brewery, black beer.

Posters advertising unagi to be hung in restaurants this summer, from unagi.org.

Whatever the reason (and we apologize for any of the questionably accurate explanations above, translated from the Miyashita promotional material), suffice to say the tradition has been a boon for eel merchants since the Edo period.

Meanwhile, a new beverage from Japan Tobacco Beverage says skip the eel altogether and instead go for a bottle of “Unagi Nobori,” a carbonated beverage combining vitamins and “eel extract” with a “refreshing flavor” to beat the summer swelter.

The packaging evokes a traditional unagi vendor, though a ¥147 a bottle the price is significantly less than the real thing.

Tags: beer, beverages, FMCG, JT, Summer, Unagi
Category: Fashion & Lifestyle Trends, Marketing & Ad Trends
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Edelpils - Sapporo Premium Beer

Now that the fallout from the happoshu invasion is settling, there are two distinct trends in the beer market: “zero calorie” and “premium“.

Sapporo’s latest brew is the most expensive we’ve seen thus far (about $2.40 per can), and is taking a distinctly German approach in both form and branding. Edelpils is a hop-crazy pilsener that is so complex that it requires visual instructions just to know how to pour it!

Of course, the infographic on the can does more than just demonstrate proper pouring. Even though most Japanese have never even held a pilsener glass (much less own one), it’s a sign that Edelpils isn’t just a regular beer. It deserves care and attention, and even provides supplementary information for those who scan its QR code.

Is Japan is entering its Golden Age of Beer? It’s true, Japanese beer hasn’t exactly been known around the world for being for ale connoisseurs, but thanks to a ridiculous tax system that hikes prices based on the percentage of hops, brewers have made a concerted effort to improve the product or face annihilation at the hands of hop-free beer substitutes.

Tags: beer, FMCG, QR Codes, Sapporo
Category: Marketing & Ad Trends
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Kosaku Shima sponsorships, supplements for salarymen

Kosaku Shima is the new face for Suntory’s The Premium Malt’s beer. The attractive, ever-youthful Mr. Shima is not a movie star, rather he is the protagonist from the immensely popular manga “Shima Kosaku.”

Often considered the “businessman’s bible,” the manga series by Kenshi Hirokane has followed the trials of the charmed Shima from the bubble-era through the recession and into the present day. Since debuting in 1983, the hero has made his way up the ladder in the fictional Hatsushiba Electric Company, always managing somehow to come out on top of every situation.

While the story is obviously an idealized portrayal of Japanese corporate life, the details are based in real life, which accounts for a lot of the manga’s popularity. It is no surprise then that Shima would drink Premium Malts, the beer of choice served at most high class night spots.

Lest you question Shima’s cultural importance, it should be noted that when he was finally named president of the company earlier this spring, Japan’s largest newspaper, the Yomiuri, ran an article on the subject as if it were a real news story.

Meanwhile, Takara Tomy Wellness has announced plans for what might be the most clever niche supplement yet: Shima Kosaku-themed supplements intended for the ubiquitous salaryman.

Available in three varieties, designed for specific situations (receiving and entertaining clients, business negotiations, and extreme pressure) the campaign hints not so subtly that these supplements will bring out the inner Shima in the ordinary businessman. Each packet also contains one of 30 “business cards” with a printed QR code leading to additional mobile web contents.

The Shima Kosaku supplement series, available from June 23, is the first product to be released by Takara Tomy Wellness, a supplement and nutrition product subsidiary of the toy maker giant formed in December of 2007.

Tags: beer, manga, nutrition, QR Codes, Shima Kosaku, Suntory, supplements, Takara Tomy
Category: Marketing & Ad Trends
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Asahi beer can celebrates Tokyo Sky Tree

Following the announcement from Tobu Railways that the name of the new Tokyo Tower would be the Tokyo Sky Tree, Asahi Beer released plans for a limited edition Asahi Super Dry can featuring the tower and an image of the future skyline.

This actually makes sense considering that Asahi headquarters (also housed in a designer building with controversial appeal, Philippe Starck’s Flamme d’Or known colloquially as the golden turd) are located in Sumida Ward, the location of the new tower.

While many Tokyoites feel a strong attachment to the original iconic 50 year old Tokyo Tower, it seems that Asahi is banking on the public warming up to the new, far more sexy one. Construction of the digital broadcast tower, initiated by NHK and five other broadcasting companies and built on Tobu railway land, began this year and is scheduled to be completed in 2011.

When finished, the 610.58 meter (2,003 ft) Tokyo Sky Tree will be the tallest structure in the city and include offices, shops, and restaurants, plus two observation decks. Asahi, however, works a little faster, the Super Dry Sky Tree can, will be available in the Tokyo area for a limited time from July 23rd.

Tags: Asahi, beer, FMCG, tobu, tokyo sky tree
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No sugar beer from Kirin and Suntory

With the debut of Kirin’s Zero this week and Suntory’s Zero Nama (draft) scheduled for the first week of March, the diet beer market has reached a new competitive peak, just in time to shed some of that post-Valentine’s Day chocolate weight.

The “zero” in both names refers to zero sugar, which is big news for beer-guzzling would-be dieters. Both also come in close to nil in the calorie department, Kirin Zero with 67 calories for a standard 350ml can and Suntory Zero Nama with 81 calories. Though it should be noted that both of these are happoshus, and thus not technically beer.

Sapporo, meanwhile, has a 50% reduced calorie actual beer planned for release on February 27, which weighs in at 119 calories and 4.6g sugar. Sapporo already has a low calorie happoshu, Sapporo Slims, which has 74k calories and 1.4-3.15g sugar (no, we’re not sure why it varies).

Magazine Tokyo Walker gave readers a sneak peak at the new beers and rated them in terms of “refreshing-ness” and “bitterness,” with Suntory Zero Nama coming out on top with 4 (out of 5) stars for refreshing-ness and 3 for bitterness.

Tags: beer, beverages, FMCG, health, Kirin, Metabo, Sapporo, Suntory
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Happy Lager beer for classy, karaoke singing dogs

After getting your kids hooked on the stuff, it seems that only the pets are left. I know that people have been known to feed things that they shouldn’t, like beer, to their dogs. It seems a novel idea, however, to create beer that is actually intended for dogs. Now Petcomyu offers “Happy Lager,” a beer designed for dogs.

The drink is non-alcoholic and flavored with beef extract. Yum! I haven’t tried it but am kind of curious.

Will they actually drink it? These pictures from the website indicate yes.

Happy Lager comes in this stylish 3 bottle gift pack, the perfect holiday present for the dog who already has everything (which in Tokyo is not uncommon). One bottle is about $4.50, making it more expensive than two bottles of the comparable HUMAN versions.

I wish I knew someone with a dog!

Tags: beer, beverages, pets
Category: Fashion & Lifestyle Trends
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Beer-wine-liqueur mash-up from Kirin Beer

Beer campaigns typically go in for a masculine look, but not this new campaign for Kirin’s “Sparkling Hop.” Check out this stylish young man swilling his beer as if it were wine.

On closer inspection, “Sparkling Hop” is actually a kind of happoshu (a near-beer malt beverage) with an addition of barley spirits that give the drink a slightly fruity flavor.

Happoshu is cheaper than beer (compare Kirin Tanrei brand happoshu at ¥144 a can to Kirin Ichiban brand beer at ¥206 a can) because the low-malt content is designed to exempt the beverage from the pricey tax levied on beer. Beer sales versus happoshu sales are used as an economic marker in Japan, with higher beer sales being an indicator of a healthy economy. Despite its sophisticated image, Sparkling Hops which is classified as a liqueur because of the sprits, is only ¥127 a can! It seems that Kirin is offering an economical option to would-be fashionable young men who can’t afford to splurge on trendy oshare (stylish) imported beers.

But how does it taste? I decided to subject my boyfriend (who I think is pretty stylish) to a “tasting.”

We used flute glasses for the full effect although this is probably unnecessary (and I’m sure he would have rather just drunk it out of the can). The taste falls somewhere between beer and cider (and soda water), ideal for people who don’t really like the taste of beer, and at only 5% alcohol it is very nomi-yasui (easy to drink). It gets a diplomatic ma-ma (so-so).

Tags: beer, beverages, FMCG, Kirin
Category: Marketing & Ad Trends
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