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/

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

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/

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

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/

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

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/

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

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

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

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.