Photo - Yamazaki Nabisco Premium Crackers

McDonald's McCafe vs McCafe Barista

I mentioned this recently, but this photo does a good job at showing the difference between McCafe (McDonald's in-store coffee offerings) and McCafe Barista which is a new chain opened by McDonald's Japan to complete at a lower price with the big coffee chains.

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

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

Photo - Tomatoes from Yamanashi Prefecture

トマト、山梨県産

Chateau Mercian

Japan's largest wine company Mercian became a subsidiary of Kirin several years ago, but is still branded separately. The Chateau Mercian line is Mercian's collection of premium Japanese wines, most of which come from Yamanashi Precture (Japan's wine region). キリン、メルシャン

http://www.chateaumercian.com/

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

Photo - 7-Eleven Suntory The Brew Beer

This is a 7-Eleven Private Brand (PB), 3rd category beer produced by Suntory. It is pretty good for a 3rd category beer and is quite a bit cheaper than a regular beer. The unusual thing is the Suntory on the label. I suppose this would be called a co-branded product, rather than a strict PB product.

Photo - Eggplant from Nara

This is eggplant from Nara Prefecture. なす、茄子、奈良県産

Meiji Collagen Gumi‏

Meiji's Fruit Gumi 果汁グミ line promises real fruit juice and 2,000 mg of collagen provide a health angle to these treats. Addition of a variety with 6,000 mg of collagen per serving ups the ante. That is quite a bit of collagen and this product is being marketed to young women as an alternative to other collagen supplements which usually come in either powdered or drink forms. 明治

http://www.meiji.co.jp/sweets/candy_gum/fruits_gummi/product.html

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

Photo - Roast Pork from Chiba

Thinly sliced roast pork from Chiba Prefecture. 千葉県、豚ロース

Photo - Coca Cola Aquarius Freezable Pouches

Coca Cola sports drink Aquarius in freezable pouches for hot weather. コカ・コーラ、アクエリアス

Photo - Oh'my Cod Egg Spaghetti Bento Singles

Another packet for kids school lunches. This time the spaghetti is topped with cod eggs. オーマイ、お弁当たらこスパゲッティ、日本製粉

Photo - Life Foods Frozen Blueberries

These blueberries are imported from the US. The photo on the package shows them being used as a yogurt topping. ライフフーズ、ブルーベリー

Asahi Dry Zero

This summer, Asahi introduced a zero alcohol beer to compete with the market leader Kirin Free. As you can see from the photo, the label looks remarkably similar to regular Asahi Dry, the best selling beer brand in Japan. Not only that, but these relatively new zero alcohol beers are positioned on shelves next to regular beers and not in the non-alcohol beverage section. That means a huge price markup, still looks like a bargain compared with heavily taxed beers. These have become important sources of profit for beer companies in Japan. アサヒ、ドライゼロ

I also heard very interesting comments in a lecture recently, these zero alcohol beers are not just for designated drivers, they are very popular among older Japanese, who also have relatively deep pockets. So while it might not appear so at first glance, these are actually products answering the needs to a rapidly growing demographic in Japan.

http://www.asahibeer.co.jp/dryzero/top.html

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