During the summer months here in Japan, when it is far hotter than any self respecting place really should be, it is really refreshing to come home after a hard days work and pour yourself a nice cold beer.

Only the drink pictured above isn’t beer, it isn’t even alcoholic. It is the wonderfully titled Kodomo no Norimono (Children’s Drink).

Kodomo no Norimono is a drink designed to look like beer when it is poured into a glass but it is in fact an apple flavoured fizzy drink. It even makes a head when you pour it. I wonder what sort of reaction this kind of drink would garner if it was released in the UK. Probably some sort of Daily Mail inspired ‘won’t somebody protect our children from this evil‘ letter writing campaign.

Perhaps this kind of thing exists here because of Japan’s group drinking culture. When the entire family is tucking into a specially prepared feast, the children can pretend to act like mum and dad and drink their own ‘beer’ too. I very much doubt that this kind of thing promotes alcoholism.

What is and isn’t alcohol can be very confusing to someone just arriving in this country. Take this very popular drink as an example:

When I first saw a young boy walking down the street drinking from a bottle of it, I got one hell of a shock. His mum was next to him acting all blasé about it and I began to think this was one clear case of bad parenting. That was until I discovered that cider in Japan is just another of the many words out there for carbonated soft drink and nothing to do with something that Magners would produce.

The taste of Mitsuya Cider is very similar to something like Sprite and definitely does not contain any alcohol at all.

Unlike this:

When I first came to Japan I became obsessed with Calpis and would always try to sample all the various types of it as I came across them. Once I was on my lunch break and picked up a can of Calpis Sour, something I hadn’t seen before. As I drunk it returning to my classroom I noticed it had a bit of a strange after taste and I wasn’t too fond of it.

It wasn’t until weeks later that I realised that the strange after taste was a result of vodka being mixed in there. I can’t imagine what my students were thinking when they spied it on the table behind me. The main reason I didn’t cotton on to the alcohol present in the can was that I had never associated the word ‘sour’ with alcoholic drinks before. In Japan however it refers to a drink containing a soft drink mixed with shochu.

If you come to Japan and you are unsure if the drink you have just picked up contains alcohol, I wouldn’t go by the name of it, that may confound your expectations. Instead have a look on the packaging for this symbol: 酒. It is the kanji for alcohol and thus is a sure sign that the drink you are holding is some form of liquor.

It may also be worth knowing that sake, traditional Japanese rice wine, is not called that here either, it is known as nihonshu. Sake is the generic Japanese term for alcohol.

This post has been a submission to the July 2011 Japan Blog Matsuri hosted by Nihongo Up.

Japan has a reputation for strange drinks, the likes of Pokari Sweat and Calpis are world famous for various reasons, but recently quite a number new odd looking drinks have been doing the rounds. I, of course, have made it my mission to taste them all and report my findings.

Toranoco

Tabasco sauce is powerful stuff. While you pour it on your pizza, have you ever thought it would be a good idea to gulp a mouthful down? No? That’s not a surprise, nobody has. Quite what inspired the design of this drink is anyone’s guess. For the record, this drink is not some sort of spicy monster but just a cola with an strange colour. It’s tastes like one of those cheap colas your mum used to buy because they were 20p for a 2 litre bottle in Sainsbury’s. Not recommended.

Fanta U.S.A Hip Hop

Only included here because of the name. What, pray tell, does U.S.A Hip hop taste like? According to the folks at Fanta, hip hop has the taste of mixed fruit. It turns out it is lush. If hip hop is the flavour of mixed fruit, remind me to lick the face of Grandmaster Flash next time he is in town. Given the Fanta’s marketing team’s mad imagination, I am anxiously awaiting the release of U.K. Indie (sour lemonade) and Jamaica Reggae (pineapple).

Chocolate Sparkling

Yes, you read that right, this is a sparkling chocolate soda. Incredibly it smells just like hot chocolate, the taste is of wet farts though. Only managed a few mouthfuls before I gave up and poured it down the sink. Avoid.

Fanta Moo Moo White

Good old Fanta, not content with naming things after musical genres they also name things after animal noises. The bottle is the real star of this package, all white with cow markings on the outside. At first I thought that this was some sort of Calpis wannabe but it doesn’t taste anything like it. Apparently it is made with yoghurt but I think it is just cream soda. Not it’s biggest fan but you have to appreciate the effort.

I have noticed a bit of a backlash in the English speaking community to the nicest of all Japanese drinks, Calpis. This is understandable, the name is enough put anyone off, but, but, but, give it a try! It doesn’t say “REFRESH & HAPPY” on the bottle for nothing. Whenever I mention Calpis to those in the know their eyes light up and a smile appears on their face. However if I buy a bottle from one of Tokyo’s many vending machines it will often result in the same conversation from the person with me:

Them: “Ugh, Calpis? How can you drink that stuff?”
Me: “It’s nice, ever tried it?”
Them: “No!”
Me: >_<

I first tried Calpis in London where it goes by the name of Calpico in order to not put off the masses. While the name may not put them off the price certainly will, it was a good £4 for a 2 litre bottle of the stuff. When I got to Japan I found a wide variety of drinks carrying the Calpis name and for a while I decided to do a Kit Kat style gotta try ‘em all thing but I soon discovered that most other Calpis drinks just don’t have the appeal.

Summer Fruits Calpis may have been fine but Calpis Soda, the carbonated version of the drink has some sort of bizarre after taste and is just not as mellow as the original. Hot Lemon Calpis simply tasted like Lemsip with none of its medicinal qualities and The Premium Calpis (awesome name) was too strong and syrupy. The straw that broke the camel’s back Calpis wise was Sour Calpis, not being a fan of sour things I did think “How bad can it be?” when I found it on my lunch break. The word “yuck” sprang to mind as I drank it. It also turned out to be alcoholic so I was drinking on the job too. I have yet to make my own Calpis from the powdered stuff, I’m saving that “treat” for a special occasion.

So, if you are ever in Japan or London’s Chinatown buy some Calpis Water, it’s lush. Just don’t bother with any of the others!

I also discovered over New Year’s that an enterprising izakaya in Osaka has a cocktail containing Calpis called a “David Beckham”. I really don’t understand the logic, I bet that he’s never had Calpis in his life. How can anyone make a cocktail called David Beckham and not have it include Pepsi?