Itoen Tully's Barista's Iced Coffee

Itoen and Tully's have introduced a Barista's Iced Coffee in a larger than usual 390 ml size. This is a lightly sweetened essentially black coffee to the consumed on the go.

http://www.itoen.co.jp/products/list/products_detail/id=4965

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

First Kitchen Tapioca Float‏

First Kitchen is currently offering a Tapioca Coconut Mango Float, to coincide with their Enjoy! Asian Resorts campaign.

http://www.first-kitchen.co.jp/news/index.php?ym=201207

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

Burger King Angry J Whopper‏

As described in the press release, the story behind this special is as follows - there is a well known spicy Jamaican dish called Jerk Chicken. BKJ used this as a basis to develop a summer special. They developed their own version of the sauce, called jerk sauce, and are using it on two sandwiches. The promotion is called Hot Jamaica and the two sandwiches are the Angry J Chicken and the Angry J Whopper. I assume the angry is related to the spiciness and the J stands for jerk and/or Jamaica.

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

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

Nippon Ham Ticket Giveaway

Nippon Ham is giving away tickets to see home games for the professional baseball team they own - The Nippon Ham Fighters. Great for those who live in Hokkaido or people who are planning on visiting. The Fighters moved from Tokyo to Sapporo a number of years ago, which I thought was great for Japanese baseball, but it makes promotions like attractive to a far more limited audience than before.

Entry is by mailing in proof of purchase on 500 yen or more of Nippon Ham products.

http://www.nh-hanbai.co.jp/hokkaido/campaign1207/index.html

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

Itoen Tully's Iced Honey Milk Latte

Tully's goes through Itoen in Japan for its line of canned coffees. They have introduced an iced honey milk latte. I have tried it and it is pretty good for a canned coffee.


http://www.itoen.co.jp/products/list/products_detail/id=4965

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

First Kitchen Asian Wraps‏

First Kitchen is offering Asian themed wraps to coincide with their Enjoy! Asian Resorts campaign. There are 3 varieties: Shrimp & Sweet Chili Wrap (エビスウィートチリラップ), Karubi or Grilled Beef Ribs Wrap (カルビ焼肉ラップ), and Nasi Goreng or Indonesian-style Fried Rice, Egg and Vegetable Wrap (ナシゴレンラップ).

http://www.first-kitchen.co.jp/news/index.php?ym=201207

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

Pronto Tropical Fruit Cakes‏

Proto's current offering of desserts includes three tropical fruit cakes. These look like summer offerings, but this is not made clear on the website.

The three cakes are the following:
Mucho Mango Mille-Crepe (たっぷりパンゴーのミルクレープ)
Tart of Two Kinds of Grapefruit (２種類のグレープフルーツタルト)
Chiffon Cake with Rich Coconut Cream (濃厚ココナツクリームシフォン)

http://www.pronto.co.jp/menu/cafe/food.html

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

Alpine Salt German Trip Giveaway‏

SKW East Asia, the distributor of Alpine Salt in Japan is holding a German Alps trip for two (3 pairs) giveaway. Entry is via webform. It does not look like purchase is necessary, but entries are limited to one per person.

http://campaign.skwea.co.jp/index.html

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

Kua'aina Avocado Burger

This is one of my favorite burgers in Tokyo. It is not shown online, but they have added a spicy version of their avocado burger, which is pretty good.

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

First Kitchen Enjoy Asian Resorts‏

First Kitchen is conducting an Enjoy! Asian Resorts campaign in collaboration with ANA. Entry is limited to members of First Kitchen's online club and appears to require a cell phone. The top prizes are ANA vouchers for trips to Asian resorts (I assume the winner gets to chose). Other prizes are various Asian goods.

http://www.first-kitchen.co.jp/news/index.php?ym=201207

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

Circle K JR Bus Tickets‏

Like all convenience store chains, Circle K Sunkus has an ATM looking machine in each store which sell a variety of items such as concert, movie, amusement park and sports tickets, as well as test registration (and there are many, many standardized qualification tests offered in Japan). Now they are offering long distance bus tickets also. Long distance buses are becoming very popular because many are overnight buses so not only do you save a lot of money on the transportation, you save on hotel costs also.

http://karuwaza.jp/m-cksu/static/pc/kst/ticket.html

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

Marudai Fishman Brothers‏

If you go to the site below you will see something you don't see everyday - dancing fish sausages (The Fishman Brothers フィシュマン兄弟). Marudai sells fish sausage, which are not to be confused with kamaboko. Kamaboko are also processed fish, but are considered traditional Japanese food and even a delicacy. Fish sausage are pretty much what they sound like - processed fish make to look and taste somewhat like pork sausage. This is made easier by the fact that Japanese sausage is generally less spicy and greasy than Western sausage.

In any case the dancing sausages are a treat, as is their recommendation for a personalized bento for the kids featuring the Fishman Brothers. Note especially the Elvis-type hairdo made from nori seaweed.

http://www.marudai.jp/fishmanbrothers/index.html

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

Starbucks Refreshers

Starbucks is currently offering fruit drinks they call Refreshers - one called cool lime and the other Berry Berry Hibiscus. The special offering will last as long as supplies last.

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

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

MOS 40th Anniversary‏

MOS Burger is giveaways to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Collect stamps corresponding to 4 sandwiches and get the next one free. There are also QR codes on sandwich packaging which allow the customer to enter a contest for household goods and gift sets.

http://www.mos.co.jp/cp/mos40/120619/

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

FamilyMart Gelato‏

FamilyMart has started to offer gelato desserts which were developed under a collaboration between FamilyMart, Lotte and SIGA (the Italian Gelato Association). I think it would surprise many people how much work goes into developing new products like this.

http://www.family.co.jp/goods/sweets/gelato/index.html#kodawari

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

Marudai Kunseiya Sausage‏

Marudai Foods advertises that their Kunseiya (燻製屋) sausage has won the Monde Selection Award for sausage 3 years in a row and was the first sausage brand to win this award. For this product they use Alpine mountain salt and cure the meat for 3 days.

http://www.marudai.jp/kunseiya/

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

Hard Rock Cafe Spicy Avocado Burger

Hard Rock Cafe is offering a Legendary Spicy Avocado Burger for July.

http://www.hardrockjapan.com/merchandise/2012_07_special_menu.asp

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

Meiji Fruit and Vinegar Drinks‏

Meiji has introduced two fruit and vinegar drinks - one grape and one peach. Vinegar drinks have a long history in Japan, remain popular and are generally considered to be healthy.

http://catalog-p.meiji.co.jp/products/foods_drink/drink/030210/4902705116023.html

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

MOS Caponata Burger‏

As part of their Vege Works summer specials, MOS has introduced a caponata (カポナータ) burger which includes eggplant, zucchini, red & green peppers and a special cheese sauce.

http://www.mos.co.jp/cp/yasai/120619/

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

Morinaga Aloe Yogurt Peach‏

Morinaga has introduced a new flavor, peach, for its popular aloe yogurt line.

http://www.morinagamilk.co.jp/products/yoghurt/aloe/682.html

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

Kagome Karada Next‏

Kagome recently introduced Karada Next (カラダNEXT), which is a soy and vegetable drink. It comes in two varieties - Soy Blend and Cereal Blend.

Health is the selling point and the specifics mentioned are the following:
- use of whole soy beans and not soy milk, thus more vegetable protein
- no sugar, thus 30% fewer calories then milk or soy drink (soy milk)
- excellent PFC (protein, fat, carbohydrate) balance
- isoflavones for beauty (both for women and men)
- ideal for breakfast or for snaking

Karada Next Soy Blend - 40% liquid soy (not soy milk), 30% vegetable juice, 30% fruit juice, 87 kcal/200 ml (advertises soy isoflavone content, iron and vegetable protein content)
Karada Next Cereal Blend - 50% soy-cereal (wheat/oat) blend, 25% vegetable juice, 25% fruit juice, 85 kcal/200 ml (dietary fiber, vitamin B and vegetable protein content)

http://www.kagome.co.jp/karada-next/top/index.html

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

Recaldent Giveaway‏

Recaldent is an oral health care gum. Recaldent is an Australian technology which uses a milk derived casein phosphopeptides - amorphous calcium phosphate, or CPP-ACP, to better deliver calcium to teeth. Kraft owns this technology now.

In a giveaway aimed at raising the profile of this product, 10 people who answer a quiz and questionairre will recieve 1 million yen each. Pretty big giveaway.

http://100.mezameru.jp/

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

Coke Olympic Sponsor‏

Coca Cola is a worldwide Olympic sponsor. That applies in Japan and they are using that status on products and in commercials. Not exactly sure what the restrictions are, but I assume being a worldwide sponsor makes it difficult to cheer on specific countries or athletes. The commercials I have seen are more general, whereas national sponsors are actively cheering on the Japanese team.

http://www.cocacola.co.jp/products/

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

MOS Burger Pepsi NEX Promotion‏

MOS Burger is holding a promotion with Pepsi NEX which involves value sets for 2 or 3 people. The naming of the meals is interesting: the 2 person set is called 夏のニコニコセット or summer smile set, but as written smile can also be read as two items each (two drinks, two sandwiches, etc.), and the 3 person set is called 夏のサンサンセット or summer bright set, but as written can also mean three items each.

http://www.mos.co.jp/cp/summer/120719/

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

Lawson Rice Burger‏

The convenience store chain Lawson also runs a slightly higher class chain called Natural Lawson where the quality and price of the offerings is a bit higher. They also offer items via overnight delivery. One special this month is for yakiniku rice burgers. Japanese rice is just sticky enough that you can fashion it into a bun of sorts, providing an alternative to bread. At 10 for 4,200 yen, these do not come cheap, but they do look good.

http://loppi.jp/fromnaturallawson/products/detail.php?product_id=138955

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

Pepsi NEX B'z Dark Knight Sony‏

Suntory is promoting Pepsi NEX with Summer Campaign giveaway of a variety of goods - B'z concert tickets (popular Japanese music group), Dark Knight Rising movie tickets and free Sony electronics. Entry requires registering at Suntory's online site.

http://pepsi-cp.jp/apc/sscp/F1206PEP/top.html

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

MOS Burger Ultraman Collaboration‏

MOS Burger is collaborating with Ultraman in a summer promotion. There are toys given away with children's meals, chances to enter on the internet for larger prizes (via QR codes received with kids' meals) and there are in store events around Tokyo. Ultraman is obviously huge among kids in Japan, but I have been surprised how well known Ultraman is outside Japan as well. Nothing like Pokemon, but still fairly well known.

http://waiwai.mos.co.jp/ultra/

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

McDonald's Oreo McFlurry‏

McDonald's is selling an Oreo McFlurry in Japan, which shows how strong a brand Oreo is even in Japan.

http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/quality/basic_information/menu_info.php?mid=8614

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

Meiji Meibalance Vacation Giveaway‏

This is interesting and may be a sign of the demographic shift in Japan. Meibalance (short for Meiji Balance) is line of complete nutrition products normally aimed at older adults or hospital patients. This promotion shows that Meiji is aiming at a wider audience for this product line. If you didn't know the difference, you would think these were any other energy or nutrition drink - and of course they can be used just that way.

The top prize in the giveaway is are stays at any of the JTB affiliated onsens (hot spring hotels) around Japan. Minor prizes are gourmet foods or small household appliances. Entry is by collecting proof of purchase labels and mailing them in attached to a postcard.

http://www.meiji-eiyoucare.jp/campaign/201207_onsen/

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

Meiji Chip Chop 50 Percent Plus‏

Meiji Chip! Chop snacks now have an even more chocolaty taste and the package contains 50 percent more by weight. The line has seasonal variety flavors and now has special animated characters to promote it - the "Chip! Choppers".

Copy
チョコ感UP！さらにあとひく美味しさ！
More chocolaty! A taste that leaves you wanting more!
甘くてしょっぱい！
Sweet and salty!

http://www.meiji.co.jp/sweets/chocolate/chipchop/

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

Meiji Zavas Giveaway‏

Meiji is giving away a can of its Zavas protein supplement plus a protein shaker to 10 people who submit join the online site and respond to a questionnaire.

http://www.meiji.co.jp/sports/savas/fan/cmp/120702_savascmp/index.php

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

Pronto's July Pastas‏

Pronto, the coffee and food chain, has 3 special pastas for July:
Meat Sauce Spaghetti with Eggplant and Paprika (パプリカとナスのミートソース)
Chilled Japanese-style Spaghetti with Octopus and Summer Vegetables (冷製タコと夏野菜の和風スパゲティ)
Spaghetti with Ginger Pork Shabu Shabu (豚しゃぶ生姜風味スパゲティ)

http://www.pronto.co.jp/menu/cafe/food.html

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

McDonald's Tropical Soda McFlurry‏

McDonald's has introduced a tropical soda flavored McFlurry soft cream dessert. The details reveal that tropical soda is another name for the traditional Japanese ramune flavor, commonly used in soda drinks in Japan.

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

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

Tully's Espresso Shake Swirkle‏

For the Summer, Tully's has added a Espresso Shake to its Swirkle line of frozen drinks.

http://www.tullys.co.jp/menu/swirkle/espresso_shake.html

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

Meiji Shokkans Gumi Edy Campaign‏

Meiji's Shokkans line of gumi candy (so called because it has a slightly harder consistency and therefore more of a food feel - shokkan 食感) is being promoted with an Edy point giveaway. Winning stickers are attached to product. Winners receive a special cell phone strap pre-charged with 1,000 Edy points.

http://www.meiji.co.jp/sweets/candy_gum/shokkans/

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

Budweiser New Look‏

The Budweiser new look has also come to Japan. Cannot say I'm in love with the new design, but all brands need a new coat of paint every once in a while.

http://www.budweiser.jp/main.html

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

McDonald's Basil Mayo Sauce‏

McDonald's has introduced a limited edition basil and mayonnaise sauce to go with chicken McNuggets.

http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/campaign/world_mc/menu/index.html#heading_sidemenu

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

Tully's Mango Tango Cream Swirkle‏

For the summer, Tully's is offering a Mango Tango Cream Swirkle.

http://www.tullys.co.jp/menu/seasonal/index.html

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

Meiji Uzumaki Campaign

The campaign can be translated as something like "make mother happy, 5,000 yen spending money campaign", and sends postal payments of 5,000 yen to 1,000 winners. Entry is by proof of purchase mailed in on a postcard. The promoted products are Meiji family ice cream boxes including the popular uzumaki ice cream family boxes (mini ice cream cones which twirled tops to resemble soft serve ice cream).

http://www.meiji.co.jp/sweets/icecream/campaign/201203/

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

McDonald's World Mac Le Grand‏

McDonald's is kicking off a new series of special burgers, this time with the World Mac theme. The first burgers in the new series are called Le Grand, and represent the France stop on the tour. They use ciabatta bread - one with added peppered ham and the other with added tomato.

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

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

Meiji Naruto Movie Collaboration‏

In what is being called a collaboration between Meiji and the makers of the new Naruto movie (Road to Ninja, Naruto The Movie), Meiji is offering special Naruto wallpapers and lockscreen images for cell phones. Details are on packages of Meiji puddings, jellies and fruit flavored milks.

http://www.meiji.co.jp/sweets/dessert/narutocmp/

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

Sapporo Best Couple Story‏

To promote Kin no Off happoshu beer, Sapporo is holding a Best Couple (or Good Husband and Wife) contest where people submit stories that best represent what a good couple they are and then Hiromi Nagasaku (永作博美), who represents this brand, will choose the winner herself. The winner receives a night in a suite and an expensive dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel in Tokyo.

http://www.sapporobeer.jp/kinnooff/iifufu/index.html

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

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Meiji Anpanman All Star Campaign‏

Meiji is conducting a giveaway of Anpanman character goods such as children's seats, furniture and towels. To enter, collect 6 bar codes from Meiji products with Anpanman characters on them (flavored milks, juices, cheese balls, etc.) and mail them in on a postcard.

http://www.meiji.co.jp/foods_drink/drink/anpan/campaign2012/

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

Meiji New Xylish Flavor‏

Meiji has relaunched its entire Xylish gum line and all four flavors carry a new label, but Deep Mint is the newest and claims to result from a new process that helps the gum retain its flavor longer. They are short on details, but mention capsules (do they mean encapsulation?). They also claim the secret to the great mint taste is what they call "triple mint" a combination of quality mint leaf, mint oil and mint "essence" or "extract". This is confusing, because it sounds like 3 ingredients, but I assume they are not using whole mint leaf and I am also not sure what the difference is between an extract and an oil in this case.

In any case, they claim great mint taste and extra long lasting flavor.

There are currently four flavors in the lineup: Deep Mint, Relax Mint, Crystal Mint and Hyper Cool.

http://www.meiji.co.jp/sweets/candy_gum/xylish/

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

Daesang Corn Silk Tea‏

Chung Jung One (チョンジョンウォン) appears to be a/the food brand for Daesang company, in any case that is the brand which appears on products. I saw advertisements for their corn silk tea around Tokyo this week and it is for sale online, but it is not yet on the company's website (odd, and not good for marketing).

In any case, corn silk tea is said to be popular in Korea and they are trying to bring it to Japan. It advertises itself as being calorie and caffeine free. This product is promoted using the popular K-pop girls' group, KARA.

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/hiroba/10008300/

This site (below) claims many benefits for corn silk tea and traces its use back to native Americans.

http://www.teabenefits.com/herbal-tea-benefits/cornsilk-tea-benefits.html

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

Sapporo Mugi to Hop Voting‏

Sapporo is holding a "I like fish" vs "I like meat" campaign with voting to promote Mugi to Hop (麦とホップ) happoshu beer which goes well with both. 2012 people will receive 400 g of Matsuzaka beef (松阪牛) and 2012 people will receive 800 g of Tokisake or Tokishirazu Salmon (時鮭). The number of giveaways obviously correspond to this year. Matsuzaka beef is a special beef from Mie Prefecture and Tokisake Salmon is a type of Salmon caught in a specific place and a specific time in Hokkaido. 5,976 people will receive Quo cards, making the giveaway to a round number 10,000 people.

http://www.sapporobeer.jp/mugitohop/senkyo/

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

Suntory Premium Malt's Search‏

Suntory is doing something I am surprised more companies do not do themselves. You can use their website to search for the nearest pub, "izakata" (居酒屋) or restaurant serving Suntory Premium Malt's beer. Just as the name implies, this is Suntory's premium beer and they are in a struggle with Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo to get their beer in drinking establishments. It is common for only one Japanese beer maker's products to be sold in a specific izakaya, so getting your beer in there is matter of constant competition. Assuming people would make their choice of izakaya based on the availability of Suntory Premium Malt's, this search capability could prove mutually beneficial for all three parties (Suntory, the izakaya owners and customers).

http://gourmet.suntory.co.jp/find/s_search/sp__11ZESGG0508A/temp__premium/

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

Daesang Red Vinegar Drink‏

Daesang, a Korean food company, sells a few select products in Japan. They appear to depend heavily on online purchases. They claim to have a 70 percent market share of the vinegar drink market in Korea. Both Japan and Korea have histories of producing and drinking vinegars and they are generally considered health drinks. As these drinks result from fermentation, almost every brand can claim unique benefits related to specific ingredients and cultures used.

Daesang sells 3 varieties of its red vinegars (紅酢 or ホンチョ) in Japan: pomegranate (ざくろ), blueberry (ブルーベリー) and wild strawberry (野いちご). This product is also promoted by a popular K-Pop girl band, KARA.

http://www.daesang.co.jp/campaign/hongcho/online2.html

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

FamilyMart Collaboration‏

FamilyMart is collaborating with two award winning restaurants (one in Tokyo and the other in Osaka) to bring spaghetti products inspired by the restaurants to FamilyMart stores. In collaboration with Tabelog (a Japanese food and dining social site) they are conducting voting to choose the exact dishes that will be sold.

イル テアトリーノ ダ サローネ （IL TEATRINO DA SALONE） in Tokyo
ポンテ ベッキオ （PONTE VECCHIO） in Osaka

http://tabelog.com/tieup/familymart/

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

Morinaga Lipton Extra Shot

Morinaga is promoting Lipton Extra Shot chilled cup drinks by giving away French BOUL'MICH (ブールミッシュ) sweets or St.Cousair (サンクゼール) jam to 1,000 people who enter by typing in an ID hidden under a sticker on each package. Lipton Extra Shot has won Monde Selection (もんドセレクション) and iTQi product awards for taste.

http://lp-ex.net/
http://www.liptonchilled.com/special/extrashot/secret/

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