Suntory 7-Eleven Limited Edition Boss Coffee

Suntory and 7-Eleven have collaborated on a limited edition Boss Coffee only available through SEVEN&i Premium outlets, meaning 7-Eleven and Itoyokado. It is called 7 because it is a blend of coffee from seven different countries. It would be interesting to learn what benefit 7 varieties brings to the mix, but that is not detailed. There are regular (blue) and reduced sugar (red) versions.

http://www.sej.co.jp/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

CircleKSunkus Strawberry Castella

Under its private brand Cherie Dolce, the convenience store chain CircleKSunkus is offering a Strawberry Castella that looks very good. It uses Amaou strawberries from Shizuoka Prefecture. あまおう苺 カステラ シェリエドルチェ サークルKサンクス

http://www.circleksunkus.jp/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Calpis L-92 Probiotic

Calpis has the L-92 probiotic strain and sells this drink in 200 ml bottles. They do not have FOSHU () approval for a claim so they try to on the package, they try to convey the feeling without actually making a claim.

カルピス社からの乳酸菌科学から
from Calpis' Lactic acid bacteria science
守る働く乳酸菌
Lactic acid bacteria that works to protect
カラダの中から、より強く
become stronger from the inside

https://www.calpis.co.jp

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Circle K Sunkus Coffee Anman

CircleKSunkus is the fourth largest convenience store chain in Japan. They were actually ahead of the larger chains in introducing freshly brewed coffee in-store. Now to go along with this, they are offering coffee flavored anman (sweet bean filled manju). Looks pretty good to me. サークルKサンクス コーヒーあんまん

http://www.circleksunkus.jp/

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Suntory Limited Edition 2014 Sherry Cask Hakushu

This is a bottle of limited edition 2014 single malt sherry cask Suntory Hakushu Whisky. Looks very nice, but probably a bit out of my price range.

http://www.suntory.com/whisky/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Kirin Challenge Cup 2014

Kirin focuses a good part of its sponsorship on the Japanese National Soccer Teams (both men and women). They have done quite a good job as in many people's minds the national team jersey and Kirin are closely associated with one another. They also sponsor a series of international matches which together are called the Kirin Challenge Cup. The first match of this year will be Japan vs. New Zealand on March 5th. キリンチャレンジカップ 日本代表 ニュージーランド代表

http://www.kirin.co.jp/

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Haagen-Dazs Mango Crispy Sandwich

Haagen-Dazs will offer a limited edition mango flavored crispy sandwich starting March 3rd, and is said to contain whole mangos, which I take to mean in the form of mango bits in the ice cream. ハーゲンダッツ

http://www.haagen-dazs.co.jp/

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Meiji Marble Chocolate Latte Art

Very nice latte art using Meiji Marble Chocolate. The colors are actually made with colored chocolate powder. 明治 マーブル チョコレート

http://www.meiji.co.jp/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Lotte Uru Up Collagen Technology

Lotte has a patent on its Uru Up Collagen supplement mentioned a few days ago. Collagen is frequently derived from either pigs or fish. In both cases, taste and smell can frequently be a problem. There are a number of patents addressing this problem. On its website, Lotte advertises their method and notes that a patent has been filed (but not yet accepted). The website explains that moderate heating and reduced pressure result in evaporation of the unwanted odor causing compounds. I was interested in exactly what these compounds are, so I tracked down the patent application and still found vague wording. However, they do mention that the compounds cause a caprylic smell, meaning caprylic acid, which does have a high boiling point. The chart on the right is the reduced odor. ロッテ コラーゲン

http://www.lotte.co.jp/

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Morinaga Aloe and Gold Kiwifruit Yogurt

Morinaga's popular Aloe Yogurt line is celebrating 20 years on the market this year. Many other companies also sell aloe yogurt, but the connection between Morinaga and aloe yogurt is strong in customers' minds due to 20 years of advertisements associating this product with weight loss. No official claim is made, but the same associations/claims are made for aloe products in other countries.

As part of the 20th year commemoration, they have introduced a new flavor, aloe and gold kiwifruit. 森永 アロエ ゴールドキウイ

http://www.morinagamilk.co.jp/

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Yebisu Beer 124 Years Old Today

Yebisu Beer (a Sapporo brand) was born 124 years ago today. Feb 25th 1890. Happy Birthday! 恵比寿ビール

http://www.sapporobeer.jp/yebisu/

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Asahi Mintia Calpis Collaboration

Asahi bought Calpis in 2012 and is now using the popular and destinctive Calpis flavor in a variety of products. This is called a collaboration, but it is within the larger Asahi group of companies. Asahi Food & Heath is now offering a Calpis flavored version of its popular Mintia breath mints.

http://www.asahi-fh.com/

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Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie

Nice photo of a new Ben & Jerry's flavor in Japan - chocolate fudge brownie.

http://www.benjerry.jp/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Lotte Uru Up Collagen

Lotte sells a collagen supplement meant for skin care. Products in this category each have a different combination of ingredients which promise the best results. Lotte lists the following as active additives:
1) collagen 5,000 mg
2) vitamin C 100 mg
3) hyaluronic acid 20 mg
4) placenta extract 2 mg
5) lotus embryo extract 2 mg
6) pearl barley extract 1 mg
per 6.7 g serving (powdered form).

The first 3 are fairly commonly seen in this category, the latter three appear to have been plucked from Chinese medicine.

The name of the product comes from the Japanese word associated with healthy skin, but often simply translated as moist - uruoi. ロッテ うるアップコラーゲン ヒアルロン酸 プラセンタエキス ハス胚芽エキス ハトムギエキス

http://www.lotte.co.jp/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

KitKat Kohaku Pack

The red-white combination is traditionally associated with good fortune in Japan and can be frequently seen in products, at shrines and even the national flag. Nestle mixes the traditional red KitKat packages with white chocolate packages in one bag to achieve the same effect and sells it as a good luck for students taking their entrance exams. They have also added a popular young singer, Miwa, on the label.

http://www.nestle.jp/brand/kit/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Morinaga Partheno Yogurt Available in Kansai

Morinaga is finally taking its premium Greek style yogurt to the Kansai, Tokai, and Hokuriku areas of Japan. Sort of odd that it has taken this long for them to expand a product which has been a strong enough seller to remain on convenience store shelves.

Once again, this product is Morinaga's complete retake on the Greek yogurt boom started in the US. In the US, Greek yogurt is a product which sells well because it is thicker and tastes better, but also because it is high in protein and therefore fits in with consumers' growing interest in high-protein, low-carbohydrate foods. In Japan, the same approach would not work, because the resulting product would be much more expensive. So Morinaga sells it as a dessert-type product with a pack of  honey or other sweet mixture which can be stirred into the product. That of course completely goes against the low-carbohydrate angle seen in the US.

http://www.morinagamilk.co.jp/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Morinaga EcoRaku Packs for Infant Formula

Morinaga is taking an eco-friendly initiative with its infant formulas. Instead of the traditional tin cans, Morinaga is selling plastic container starter kits (plastic tub, measuring spoons) which can be repeatedly used with separately sold paper container refills. After use, the paper bag can be lifted out of the tub, rolled up and discarded. The product name incorporates "eco" for ecologically friendly and "raku" for easy to use.

They perform some calculations and come up with some interesting figures, albeit based on an overly optimistic assumption. IF all the infant formula in Japan were used in this fashion, the resulting savings in CO2 output would be equivalent to the CO2 taken in by 1 million cedar trees a year, or enough to fill the 387 Tokyo Domes. The overly optimistic assumption is that Morinaga would not only become the largest seller of infant formula, but the only seller of infant formula.

http://www.hagukumi.ne.jp/ecorakupack/

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KitKat Chocolatory Special Cream Cheese

Nestle has just opened the world's first store dedicated to KitKat in the Ikebukuro Seibu Department Store, Tokyo, called the KitKat Chocolatory. They have also introduced a special flavor only available at this store - special cream cheese - which employs natural cheese power (said to go well with the sweet chocolate flavor). These are said to be flying off the shelves.

http://nestle.jp/brand/kit/

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Glico Dairy Cafe Ole

Glico Dairy also has a popular line of coffee milk drinks called Cafe Ole. While Snow Brand sells well in the 500 ml brick paks, Cafe Ole does better in 200 ml sizes. This line is interesting in that it gives you a choice as to the coffee/milk ratio - 50/50, 85/15 or 30/70.

http://web.cafe-ole.jp/info/

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MegMilk Snow Brand Megumi Probiotic Yogurt

MegMilk Snow Brand's flagship probiotic yogurt is Megumi and contains both a L. gasseri strain as well as a bifidobacteria strain. L. gasseri SP (or SBT 2055) is human (Japanese) derived and has been shown to persist in the human digestive tract far longer than other probiotic strains. In fact, they say it is the first of its kind in the world. The bifidobacteria is a proprietary strain. ガセリ菌SP株 ビフィズス菌SP株 雪印メグミルク

http://www.meg-snow.com/products/yogurt/7f5ae.html

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MegMilk Snow Brand Pokemon Drinks

MegMilk Snow Brand uses Pokemon characters for its series of children's dairy drinks. The flavors are strawberry, coffee, fruit, and yogurt. As mentioned yesterday, coffee is a flavor popular with all age groups in Japan.

http://www.meg-snow.com/pokemon/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Snow Brand Coffee

In Japan, coffee flavored milk is as popular as chocolate milk in other countries, and appeals to young people and adults alike. The pioneer product in this category was Snow Brand Coffee which was introduced in 1963. The company is now MegMilk Snow Brand. 雪印コーヒー 雪印メグミルク

http://www.meg-snow.com/yuki-coffee/

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Lotteria Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

Lotteria is offering a honey mustard grilled chicken burger which promises to be sweet and spicy. As with MOS Burger's grilled chicken sandwiches, this appears to be a whole piece and include the skin. ロッテリア ハニーマスタード グリルチキンバーガー

http://www.lotteria.jp/topics/2014/topics02060002.html

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MOS Burger Grilled Chicken Burgers

MOS Burger has introduced grilled chicken burgers featuring whole pieces of chicken, grilled with the skin. These come in two varieties: teriyaki flavor and spicy miso flavor (a mixture of 3 different miso seasonings). モスバーガー

http://www.mos.co.jp/index.php

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Wendy's Pretzel Burger Comes to Japan

The Pretzel Burger that was a hit in the US last year, but has since been discontinued will now make a run in Japan, albeit only in 3 outlets. Wendy's and a number of other chains jumped on a pretzel burger (the bun is made out of soft pretzel dough) bandwagon last year. When the boom faded, many gave up on the special buns. Marketing analysis warned that Wendy's US was overly depending on flashy offerings, at the expense of tried and true menu items. In Japan, many of the chains are offering money losing ultra cheap menus, which they have to bankroll by selling premium burgers.

http://wendys.co.jp/

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McDonald's American Vintage '80s Funky BBQ

McDonald's will enter the final phase of its American Vintage promotion tomorrow with 1980's themed Funky BBQ sandwiches. They explain that from the numerous varieties of BBQ in the US, they have chosen one with a special smoked flavor (from birch and cloves) and 10 spices and herbs. The Funky BBQ Chicken version has chedder cheese and lettuce. The Funky BBQ Beef version goes on to add a slab of bacon. The calorie counts have not been posted yet, but the previous sandwiches were 480 and 530 calories each. The added slab of bacon might bump that up a bit.

http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/campaign/americanvintage/index.html

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7-Eleven Lotte Ganache Covered Chocolate Ice Cream

Lotte and 7-Eleven have collaborated on the development of ganache covered chocolate ice cream as part of 7-Eleven's premium gold series of products. They are shaped similarly to the mochi covered ice covered ice cream. There is an announcement on 7-Eleven's website claiming that over 3.7 million packages of this product have been sold in only 2 months. チョコ ロッテ

http://www.sej.co.jp/products/7gold1105.html

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

7-Eleven Glico Pocky Grand Chocolat

Glico and 7-Eleven have collaborated on the development of a special Pocky with extra rich, melty chocolate which is only available at 7-Eleven. This product uses specially selected cocoa powder from the Netherlands and milk powder from Finland.

http://www.sej.co.jp/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Japan Olympic Committee World Sponsors

Olympic World Sponsors obvious include but are not specific to Japan. Not surprisingly, no Japanese food companies are among the world sponsors. The only food companies are US based: McDonald's, P&G, and Coca Cola. More interesting to me though is the fact that there is only one Japanese company, Panasonic. I suppose Panasonic sponsorship would exclude the other Japanese electronics companies, but if I were head of sponsorships, I would certainly want a major automobile company like Toyota on board.

http://www.joc.or.jp/about/partners/

Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.

Rakuren 8020 Probiotic Yogurt

Rakuren, the product brand for Shikoku Dairy Cooperative, has conducted research in collaboration with Hiroshima University's Professor Hiroki Nikawa on the probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus KO3 and found it has anti-caries (or anti-cavity) activity. Rakuren is selling yogurt and drink yogurt containing the probiotic branded as 8020, from the common name for the strain L8020. Although it does not look like an official health claim has been approved, a big, shiny tooth is shown on the package.

An oral health benefit for a probiotic is not surprising, but most companies put more effort into separating the product from the data for the ingredient in cases where an official claim has not been obtained. らくれん プロバイオ 歯周病

http://www.rakuren.co.jp/8020/lineup.html

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Suntory All-Free Non Alcoholic Beer

Suntory touts its All-Free non-alcoholic beer as the number 1 seller in this category. Non-alcoholic beers are cash cows for beer companies, because they are placed next to beer on the shelves, making them look cheap, when they are actually priced quite high. This product is called All-Free because it is alcohol-free, calorie-free and sugar-free. Interestingly, as I was searching for information on purines in relation to yesterday's post, I found an article claiming that non-alcoholic beers end up having higher purine content, so you get rid of one thing only to enrich something else you don't want. That is pertinent, because these non-alcoholic beers are popular among older and elderly people, the same people who might want to avoid developing gout.

The graph shows how the new formulation has improved: less off-taste, more beer-like, better after-taste, better mouth-feel, richer taste.

http://www.suntory.co.jp/beer/allfree/index.html?fromid=beer_top_pc

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McDonald's Beams Design Bags

McDonald's and BEAMS Design collaborated on bags as part of a giveaway to coincide with the American Vintage special burger offerings. The bag shown fits in with the 70's theme of the second round of the campaign.

Cards with serial numbers will are given to people who order the "Hot and Groovy" sets and the first 11,000 who respond get a bag.

http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/campaign/americanvintage/campaign02/

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Suntory Jokki Nama Beer

Suntory has renewed its 3rd category Jokki Nama Beer. They have test data showing low off-tastes and low objectionable after-taste. However the more interesting claim is for low purine content. They claim 0.0 to 0.9 mg per 100 ml, in contrast to regular beer which contains between 9 and 11 mg per 100 ml. Since purines in beer have been strongly associated with the occurrence of gout, many people are trying to still enjoy beer without the increased risk of gout. If so, Suntory says this is the beer for you.

http://www.suntory.co.jp/beer/jug-nama/product/index.html
chart of purine contests of various beers
http://products.suntory.co.jp/beer/ingredient.html

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Japan Olympic Committee Official Sponsors

Among the Japan Olympic Committee Official Sponsors, there are several food companies or organizations.
Meiji, Ajinomoto Frozen Foods, Nissin, Nissin Oillio, Marudai and JA.

http://www.joc.or.jp/about/partners/

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KFC Hello Kitty Collaboration

KFC is collaborating with Hello Kitty on kids' menu gifts. Among the gifts are combs, mirrors, drinking bottles, stickers, cups and containers for lunch box items.

http://www.kfc.co.jp/menu/set_smile.html

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Yoshinoya New Japan Pro-Wrestling Collaboration

Yoshinoya is collaborating with New Japan Pro-Wrestling in a series of promotions, each of which feature one wrestler and one Yoshinoya product or special. Discount tickets to events are offered as well as product giveaways. New Japan Pro-Wrestling bills itself as the "King of Sports", which might cause some people might roll their eyes.

http://www.yoshinoya.com/njpw/index.html

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McDonald's Olympic Happy Set

McDonald's is offering Olympic themed happy sets in two phases. The first is a set of Olympic stickers and the second is a calendar to help follow all the events.

http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/happyset/hs/index.html

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Kentucky Fried Fish

KFC has brought back fried fish and fish sandwich which uses the same fried fish pieces. They are still using Alaska pollock, but calling it Kentucky fried fish is interesting.

http://www.kfc.co.jp/campaign/friedfish/

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KFC Boneless Chicken

KFC's boneless chicken has made it to Japan. Definitely more convenient, but some people think the taste is not quite the same. In an article last year, it sounded like KFC expected the boneless to eventually become more popular than the traditional chicken pieces. Something to watch.

http://www.kfc.co.jp/menu/detail/index.cgi?pid=OR_campaign_117

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Rakuren Evening Milk

Rakuren is the brand for Shikoku Dairy Cooperative. One of their products available nationwide is this milk with is only taken from 3 farms in Ehime Prefecture and only from evening milkings. They claim the content of the evening milk is far superior to that from morning milkings. They also claim all milk to be pasteurized within 24 hours of milking. I just found a carton of this milk at Seijoishi in Kanagawa Prefecture. らくれん 愛媛県 四国乳業 夕しぼり

http://www.rakuren.co.jp/yuushibori/limitation.html

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Suntory Bitter Roast

Suntory Bitter Roast is an all malt beer available for a limited time only in convenience stores. It is alternately described as an "adult deep roast" and a "rich and bitter taste for adults". サントリー ビターロースト ビール

http://www.suntory.co.jp/beer/?fromid=top_pr

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MOS Burger Cup Patissier

Cup Patissier is the MOS Burger brand for French-style, slightly more expensive desserts. The current offerings are
1) strawberry mousse cake 苺ムースケーキ
  - a strawberry, currant, and raspberry sauce on a fluffy mousse (a "sweet and sour harmony")
2) sweet potato monte blanc 紫芋のモンブラン
  - a sweet potato mousse on top of a sweet potato cream base
3) coffee jelly cake コーヒーゼリーケーキ
   - coffee jelly on top of a cocoa sponge cake with a little milk poured on top

http://www.mos.co.jp/cp/cuppatissier/131001/

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Burger King French Fries Renewal

Burger King french fries have been renewed to taste better and be crispier. The fries now have the peel attached and corn starch and wheat flour help the fries retain their crispness.

http://www.burgerkingjapan.co.jp/

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Lotteria x Kimukatsu Genkatsugi Burger

Kimukatsu is a chain of pork cutlet shops in Japan that specializes in pork cutlet consisting of numerous thin slices of pork stacked together, instead of the more typical single cut of pork. They have collaborated with the fast food chain Lotteria to offer pork cutlet sandwiches in the same style called the genkatsugi burger (genkatsugi roughly means "worth a try"). I have tried it and it is actually very good. It is priced a bit more than other sandwiches. ロッテリア キム勝ツ ゲンかつぎバーガー

http://www.lotteria.jp/topics/2014/topics01090001.html

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Japan Olympic Committee Gold Sponsors

Among the gold sponsors of the Japan Olympic Committee there are 2 food companies, Asahi and Ajinomoto. Not surprisingly, among all food company sponsors, these are also the two with the biggest overseas presences.

http://www.joc.or.jp/about/partners/

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Pronto Hi-Ball Campaign

Through the end of the month, Pronto is holding a hi-ball campaign where you receive tickets for each hi-ball you order. Prizes are available for different numbers of tickets.
- 5 tickets = 1 free hi-ball
- 20 tickets = 1 free bottle of Suntory Kakubin whisky
- 50 tickets = 1 free bottle of Suntory Yamazaki or Hakushu whisky
- 250 tickets = 1 free bottle of 18 year old Yamazaki whisky + a special Pronto bronze glass

プロント サントリー 山崎 白州 角瓶 ハイボール

http://www.pronto.co.jp/campaign/2013/12/post-2.html

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McDonald's American Vintage '70s Menu - Classic Fries

Another offering to go with the Hot and Groovy sandwiches are "Classic Fries" with a cheese and bacon crumb topping. The cheese his handed out in a squeeze pack and the bacon crumbs in a small sachet.

http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/campaign/americanvintage/index.html

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Pronto Chestnut Pumpkin Cream Spaghetti

Pronto developed February's special in collaboration with the Kagawa Nutrition University. This chestnut, pumpkin cream spaghetti only has 425 calories and contains 1/2 a day's worth of vegetables. プロント 女子栄養大学 栗かぼちゃのクリームスパゲティ

http://www.pronto.co.jp/campaign/2014/01/4.html

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