Unlike in, say England, where we do fireworks when it’s cold and miserable in November, in Japan the fireworks season is the height of summer. In fact our city’s fireworks display and matsuri (festival) is tonight. To celebrate the fireworks (hanabi 花火 in Japanese) season, Suntory have released a new design for their Kinmugi (Rich [...]
The Daily Yomiuri newspaper reported yesterday that Asahi Breweries Ltd. has taken back the top spot in the beer market in Japan after two years in second place to Kirin. Asahi was top in the first half of 2010 with 37.1% of sales followed by Kirin with 36.4%, Suntory 13.4%, Sapporo 12.3% and bravely bringing [...]
With the on-coming onslaught of the unbearably humid Japanese summer Beer manufacturers in Japan are finding ways to maximise their sales, and big supermarket chain Aeon recently launched a ￥88 ($1) daisan (beer-like drink) onto the market. Tax on alcohol is (compared to say the UK) very cheap, with whiskeys and other spirits in off-licenses [...]
It’s quite common in Japan to get small free gifts attached to drinks, etc in the convenience stores. Models of cars with coffee, world cup badges with Coke, anime figures (Lupins a favourite) with just about anything. The other day I spotted this, free with 2 or 4 packs of Suntory The Premium Malts… It’s [...]
