Yamazaki Tanita Lunch Pack Okara Salad & Summer Vegetable Curry

In another interesting collaboration between Tanita and Yamazaki to develop balanced, low calorie lunch packs, this time around they are offering a variety pack including a okara (high fiber soy pulp) salad on whole grain bread and a summer vegetable curry on white bread. Each Lunch Pack, consisting of one sandwich each comes to a total calorie count of 253.

Tanita is an international maker of health measurement equipment for such things as weight and body fat. They recently opened a limited number of restaurants, one right in the middle of the business district around Tokyo Station, which look like company lunch halls but but focus on well balanced, low calorie meals. These restaurants also have registered dieticians on hand for free counseling.

ヤマザキ ランチパック タニタ

http://www.yamazakipan.co.jp/

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

Tully's 150 Yen Second Cup

To compete with cheaper McDonald's and convenience store coffee, Tully's Japan is offering discount second cups of coffee. With a receipt (photo), you can go into any Tully's store on the same day and buy a short coffee for 150 yen. タリーズコーヒー

http://www.tullys.co.jp/

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

Nestle KitKat Big Little Chocolate Balls

Nestle has introduced round, bite-size KitKat chocolate balls which include the familiar layered wafer pattern and promised enhanced chocolate flavor. ネスレ キットカット

http://d.nestle.jp/

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

Meiji Super VAAM and the East Asia Squash Championships

Sports like squash, badminton, table tennis and indiaca are especially popular in Asia. Meiji with its Super VAAM sports drink (17 amino acids, CoQ10, carnatine) is sponsoring the 9th East Asia Squash Championships in Tokyo. 明治 スーパーヴァーム

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

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

KitKat Raspberry Adult Flavor

As part of its adult flavor or adult sweetness series (meaning less sweet than usual), Nestle Japan has introduced a raspberry flavor. Nice since over the years here in Japan, I have noticed many products becoming as sickening sweet as their Western counterparts. ネスレ キットカット

http://d.nestle.jp/kitkat/limited/9416831.html

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

McDonald's World Cup Brazil Burger

It looks like the Brazil Burger (pictured on the left), among the other countries represented in the World Cup country series of sandwiches, is designed to have the most visual impact. The bun has a soccer ball shape, and red and yellow bell peppers along with the lettuce give the burger a nice color arrangement. The two beef patties, cheddar cheese and smoky BBQ sauce round off this premium offering. The German Burger, described previously is shown on the right. マクドナルド ワールドカップ

http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/campaign/worldcup/taste/index.html

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

KitKat Vanilla Ice Cream Flavor

Nestle Japan has introduced a Vanilla Ice Cream flavor KitKat which is made to be refrigerated or frozen. I live in a family that regularly refrigerates chocolate because we like it that way. However, sweetness, aroma, and other factors related to taste are heavily influenced by temperature. Therefore chocolate is made to be eaten at room temperature. Unfortunately, a head to head comparison with a chocolate developed for room temperature is not possible because there is not another vanilla ice cream flavor. However, it would be interesting to see what changes have been made. ネスレ キットカット

http://d.nestle.jp/kitkat/limited/9416817.html

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

KitKat Pizza

As mentioned on this blog previously, Nestle Japan has introduced a bakeable, pudding flavored KitKat. In a collaboration with Strawberry Cones, a pizza delivery service, a KitKat Pizza has been developed and is available for a limited time. You will probably have to act fast, but it might be worth the effort if only for the novelty. ネスレ キットカット

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

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

McDonald's World Cup German Burger

As part of the World Cup Burger Series, McDonald's will be selling a German Burger which consists of pork schnitzel on a pretzel bun, with a potato-roast onion layer on one side and a mushroom-champignon sauce on the other. Lots of thought went into this sandwich. The World Cup special starts tomorrow. ドイツバーガー マクドナルド

http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/campaign/worldcup/taste/index.html

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

MegMilk Snow Brand Megumi Brand

The MegMilk Snow Brand Megumi Brand is a bit complicated. The flagship product contains the probiotic combination Lactobacillus gasseri SP strain (SBT 2055) and the Bifidobacteria strain Bifidus SP. The website actually claims a combination of two Lactobacilli, but that is not technically correct, Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus are classified differently. This product has a Japanese functional food claim approval, but the low fat version and the individual cups do not carry that claim. Then there are other individual portion products (either for convenience stores or home delivery) which have only one of the probiotics and in one case an additional ingredient - glucosamine. So it appears that Megumi brand guarantees at least Lactobacillus gasseri SP strain (SBT 2055) or the Bifidobacteria strain Bifidus SP, and sometimes both. 雪印メグミルク 恵

http://www.megumi-yg.com/brand/

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

McDonald's World Cup Spanish Omelet Muffin

As part of the World Cup sandwich series, for breakfast McDonald's will start offering Spanish Omelet Muffins which include spinach, red paprika, cheese and a special sauce containing tomato paste, paprika and almond. Sounds pretty good, but will only be available during breakfast hours and only during the campaign which begins on Tuesday. マクドナルド ワールドカップ

http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/campaign/worldcup/taste/index.html#spain

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

McDonald's World Cup Sandwich Selection

With the World Cup in Brazil drawing near, McDonald's will start offering sandwiches based on countries strong in soccer while asking the question "Which country is most delicious?" The 5 countries represented in this series are Germany, Spain, France, Brazil and Japan. Three sandwiches will become available this Tuesday, and the remaining two sandwiches on June 18th. McDonald's is the official restaurant of the FIFA World Cup. マクドナルド ワールドカップ

http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/campaign/worldcup/taste/index.html#brazil

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

Outback Steakhouse Japan Bloomin' Burger

I am not sure if this has just made it to Japan or not, but the Outback Steakhouse Japan Bloomin' Burger is being advertised. You may have seen news from the US, where this burger was singled out as one of the indulgent burgers not to be eaten regularly if you are on a diet. A large beef patty topped with bloomin' onion slices with a side of fries come to 1,574 kcal and 100 grams of fat. Looks good though. アウトバックステーキハウス

http://www.outbacksteakhouse.co.jp/

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

McDonald's Mega Mac

McDonald's is offering an indulgent version of the Big Mac for a limited time. Four patties instead of the usual two.The price is 419 yen (including tax). マクドナルド メガマック

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

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

Meiji Chocolate is Not Empty Calories

Meiji is the iconic chocolate in Japan, similar to Hershey bars in the US. This advertisement reminds customers that chocolate is a source of magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc. Some people might have issues with an advertisement like this. Personally, I don't have a problem. This is another way of saying that chocolate is not empty calories, unlike certain fizzy drinks. This advertisement is not false, but it is up to the consumer to think one step further - if I need one or all these minerals, is chocolate the best way to get it. Probably not, but at least there is something nutritious contained in those addictive black bars. 明治 チョコ

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

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

Kirin 2 Liter Bottles from 1933

Two liter bottles of Kirin Lager were sold from 1933 to 1943 and cost only 1 yen 10 sen per bottle. Oh . . . if that were only the price today. The bottle shown here is a replica produced in 1983 to commemorate the opening of the new Sendai Factory. キリンラガービール

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

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

Morinaga Stronger Body Yogurt

Despite the long and somewhat awkward name, this is an interesting product. Morinaga appears to be rolling most of the functional ingredients it is known for into a single yogurt drink. Sold only by home delivery, something Japanese companies do to help ensure loyalty and regular useage, this one dose a day product includes the following functional ingredients:
1) lactoferrin, an antimicrobial protein found in relatively large quantities in mother's milk
2) BB536, a bifidobacterium that promotes good bacteria in the microbiota
and
3) MoLac, a Lactobacillus paracasei bacterium which even in it killed state, not live, boosts immune function.

Oddly, by some definitions, this would not count as a probiotic, because (2) is not a Lactobacillus strain and (3) used as a killed bacteria. Other definitions include Bifidobacteria, so this would count under those definitions. 森永 カラダ強くするのむヨーグルト

http://takuhaimilk.ne.jp/products/lfdrink/

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

Coca Cola World Cup Giveaway

Coca Cola Japan is conducting a campaign and giveaway to coincide with the World Cup. Special Coke and Coke Zero bottles have Japanese player's names printed on them. At checkout, you receive a code on your receipt, which you use to receive points on your account on the Coca Cola Japan website. Various prizes are offered accumulating points: personalized Coke bottles (your name printed on the label), towels designed by Keisuke Honda (national team member), Sony TVs and Walkmans, etc. コカ・コーラ

https://secure-c.cocacola.co.jp/sealcp/l2014/

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

7-Eleven Glico Giantcone Chocolate Mint

Glico is offering a mint chocolate version of its popular Giantcone ice cream series exclusively through 7-Eleven convenience stores for a limited time. Specials like this are usually a little more unusual, but mint chocolate might be enough to have some people choose 7-Eleven over other stores, I suppose. Other people, myself included, find the mint chocolate flavor combination almost inexplicably repellant. Chocolate is great and mint is fine, but mint chocolate is a completely different animal. グリコ ジャイアントコーン チョコミント

http://www.glico.co.jp/ice/giant/giant.html

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

Suntory The Premium Beer Hills

Suntory is also opening a beer garden location, this one in trendy Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, and only for one month. That is a lot of effort for just one month, but they are likely to get a lot of media coverage to justify the expense. サントリー

http://www.suntory.co.jp/beer/premium/event/hills/

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

Kirin Ichiban Garden Brewery Experience

Kirin is opening special beer gardens again this year, which feature Ichiban Shibori Frozen, which is a draft version of their best selling Ichiban Shibori Beer, topped with frozen foam. Despite calling it a "brewery experience", no beer is produced on-site. Currently there are beer gardens in the Shibuya area of Tokyo and Osaka, with plans to open more locations in Fukuoka and Sendai. The image of the store looks very spacious, which would not be a cheap endeavor in Shibuya. キリン一番搾り 

http://www.kirin.co.jp/products/beer/ichiban/is_garden/

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

Kirin Tropicana Green vs Golden Kiwi

Tropicana, which goes through Kirin in Japan, asks whether you like green or golden (also called gold) kiwi. I don't see either offered currently, so they might be planning on offering one or both in the new future. In preparation, I have provided a link to a comparison of their nutritional properties, which are similar but do differ. キリン クリーンキウイ ゴールデンキウイ

http://www.livestrong.com/article/379079-are-green-kiwi-fruit-gold-kiwi-fruit-nutritionally-the-same/

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

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

Yamazaki Fish Sandwich Lunch Pack

Here is another Yamazaki Lunch Pack, called the fried fish and tartar sauce sandwich and the package stresses that the tartar sauce contains pickles. This is the new flavor of the month requested by customers in an online poll. I cannot find exactly what type of fish is used, but it appears to be mimicking fast food fish sandwiches. McDonald's has used cod, hoki and pollack over the years. ヤマザキ ランチパック フィッシュフライ＆タルタルソース

http://www.yamazakipan.co.jp

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

Yamazaki 3 Varieties of Delicious Lunch Pack

One of Yamazaki's new Lunch Pack offerings is a variety pack including a sausage sandwich, a potato salad sandwich and a bacon and egg sandwich, called "3 varieties of deliciousness". ヤマザキ ランチパック ３種のおいしさ

http://www.yamazakipan.co.jp/

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

Suntory Brasil Selection Bourbon Amarelo Coffee

Suntory has introduced a new Brazil themed canned coffee in their Boss line to coincide with the upcoming World Cup. The can uses the Spanish or Portuguese spelling for Brazil, and the Brazilian flag, while the coffee itself is made from high quality Bourbon Amarelo beans from Brazil. サントリー ブルボンアマレロ ボス

http://www.suntory.co.jp/

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

Kirin Sumikiri Beer 1 Year Anniversary

Kirin Sumikiri is a 3rd category beer, which is said to be inspired by the refinement of the Japanese sword, not exactly sure what that means in practice, but the label could be seen as resembling steel of a fine blade. This product claims to use technology from Ichiban Shibori beer and Tanrei beer technology to bring out the best barley flavor and emphasizes 100% malt flavor in the beer portion of the product which is then mixed with spirits produced from barley to be classified in a lower tax third beer category.

This advertisement shows actor Etsushi Toyokawa, who often plays samurai in movies, in a nice outfit which includes a Kirin crest on the helmet. キリン 澄みきり 豊川悦司

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

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

Starbucks Digital Money

Starbucks Japan has offered prepaid cards in Japan for some years, but they are now also offering payment via a smartphone app. It appears that registration and charging the card are done online and payment is conducted on the same IC card reader as used for the prepaid cards. This payment system uses mobile wallet technology available in most smartphones and some other phones in Japan. スターパックス

http://www.starbucks.co.jp/

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

Sapporo White Belg Beer

With White Belg, Sapporo tries to capture some of the Belgian white beer taste in a 3rd category beer. They use some Belgian techniques and Belgian malt in process. Sapporo has now announced international recognition for this beer. They have won the Superior Taste Award at the iTQi (International Taste and Quality Institute) awards. I have not heard of these awards before, but winning an international competition is always nice. サッポロービール ホワイトベルグ

http://www.sapporobeer.jp/

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

Kirin CircleK Sunkus Oriental Mango Tea

Kirin has collaborated with the convenience store chain CircleK Sunkus on a new Mango Tea which uses Alphonso mangoes (called the king of mangoes by Kirin). This is a limited edition product and contains about 10 percent juice. キリン サークルKサンクス

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

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

McDonald's Pork Cutlet Burger

McDonald's is offering a limited edition pork cutlet burger called the Tonkatsu Mac Burger. Pork Cutlet, called tonkatsu in Japanese is very popular in Japan. There are not only pork cutlet restaurant chains, but pork cutlet sandwiches frequently appear as special offerings from fast food outlets. This sandwich has a special pork cutlet sauce, mustard and cabbage on a bran bun. とんかつマックバーガー

http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/

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

Starbucks New York Nonsweet

In its chilled cup series available in convenience stores, Starbucks is introducing New York Nonsweet, which is said to be inspired by New York, whatever that means. The same espresso roast beans are used for this nonsweet latte. It does however use some trehalose as sweetener. スターバックス

http://www.starbucks.co.jp/

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

Burger King Bacon Chili Fries

Burger King Japan is offering the bacon chili fries pictured with its new BBQ burgers. In addition to the bacon, cheese and rough cut fries with peeling still attached, the fries are covered with a pepper Caesar sauce. バーガーキング

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

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

Burger King BBQ House Selection

Burger King Japan introduced a BBQ House Selection promotion last Friday, which includes three different burgers: BBQ burger, Idaho BBQ and Premium BBQ Whopper.

The Idaho BBQ includes a layer of hash browns (no word on if the potatoes are actually from Idaho or not). The Premium BBQ Whopper includes beef slices. The BBQ sauce is described as smokey. バーガーキング BBQバーガー アイダホBBQ プレミアムBBQワッパー

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

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

Kirin Lager Beer Can from 1960

This is an interesting image of a Kirin Lager Beer can from 1960. The design looks quite modern, but as with other cans of that era, it requires a can opener. Another interesting point is how it is worded in Japanese. It comes across as canned beer 缶詰ビール, instead of the more modern can beer 缶ビール. 
キリン

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

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

Lotteria Ramen Burgers

Previous incarnations of ramen burgers have used ramen as either the bun or as a meat replacement. A new promotion from Lotteria falls into the latter category. Something that does not really appeal to me - carbohydrate on carbohydrate sandwich.

There are two interesting points about this ramen burger promotion:
1) the ramen taste mimics the taste of a famous ramen store in Ikebukuro called Taishoken. 大勝軒
2) the burgers come in single, double or triple versions, building on recent over-sized sandwich trends,
and
3) the burgers come with a ramen sauce soup, so that you can eat the sandwich as is, dip it in the sauce (as you do with tsukemen noodles) and/or dilute the soup for drinking.
ロッテリア 元祖つけ麺 東池袋 大勝軒

https://www.lotteria.jp

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

Lotte Koala's March and Children's Day

In its popular chocolate filled Koala's March snack boxes, Lotte is including special Children's Day themed cookies this week. ロッテ

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

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

Ben & Jerry's and Children's Day

Ben & Jerry's offered an interesting Children's Day treat idea - using Ben & Jerry's ice cream of course. No explanation is really necessary.

http://www.benjerry.jp/

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

Fujiya and Children's Day

Fujiya offered this cute image for Children's Day.

http://www.fujiya-peko.co.jp/

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

Morinaga Aloe Yogurt and Children's Day

For Children's Day, Morinaga offered a yogurt based recipe in the image of carps, which are associated with this holiday. 森永 アロエ ヨーグルト

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

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

Glico Pucchin Pudding as Kintaro

For Children's Day, Glico has the traditional children's character Kintaro with a pudding head. At the very least, it is a nice photo. This is interesting for English speakers as obviously "pudding head" means a stupid person. I don't think that is part of the intent here. グリコ プッチンプリン

http://www.glico-dairy.co.jp/

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

KFC Statues and Boys Day

Tomorrow is Children's Day (which used to be Boy's Day), which is quite often associated with samurai imagery. Here are some Col. Sanders statues from around the greater Tokyo area in samurai gear.

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

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

Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey Bee Cool

Jack Daniel's Japan is promoting their Tennessee Honey variety to the served cold under the "Bee Cool" catch phrase. As such they are sponsoring the Kansai area Music Circus '14 Dance Festival being held Monday in Kobe. They recommend it for cooling down after dancing. Jack Daniel's goes through Asahi in Japan.

http://music-circus.jp/

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

Gllco Pretz Sour Cream & Onion Thailand

This is Glico's Pretz Sour Cream & Onion as it appears in Thailand. グリコ

http://www.glico.co.jp/

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

Tully's 555th Store in Japan

With the opening of a store in Tottori Prefecture, Tully's Coffee now has 555 locations in Japan. To commemorate, they are selling these special coasters. NIce design.

http://www.tullys.co.jp/

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