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 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 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.
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 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 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.
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 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 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.
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.
