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.
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.
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 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, 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 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 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.
Coca Cola is introducing Schweppes to Japan with a campaign featuring Pierce Brosnan and emphasizing its British origins and adult taste. British Lemon Tonic is written on the label.
http://c.cocacola.co.jp/schweppes/
Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.
Circle K Sunkus, in coordination with JA, is giving away trips to the Tohoku region to experience local rice harvesting. Twenty adult-elementary student pairs will win the trip (2 days, 1 night) to Miyagi Prefecture. This is part of revitalization efforts to encourage travel to and consumption of goods from the area most heavily effected by the disaster last year.
http://www.circleksunkus.jp/wakuwaku/event/inekari12/index.html
Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.
For the summer, Tully's is offering a Ballpark Hot Dog with Avocado and Beef Pastrami. I have never seen a hot dog like this at any ballpark, but it sure does look good.
http://www.tullys.co.jp/menu/hotmeal/ballpark_dog_avocado_beaf_pastrami.html
Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.
