As can be seen in this photo from a recent night eating with coworkers, it is not uncommon to have fried fish bones be served as part of a tempura set. In fact, fried eel bones are something of a special item. The bones become brittle and crispy when fried and the addition of a little salt makes them quite good.
However, despite eating many small fish whole and frying the bones of larger fish, the traditional Japanese diet does not contain adequate amounts of calcium, which is why the Japan Dairy Association is promoting the combination of dairy with the traditional Japanese diet in a program called New Washoku, where "nyu" or "new" can be written as dairy in Japanese and "washoku" means Japanese cuisine.
てんぷら 乳和食
Details of what will happen to storefronts following the merger anouncement of Japan's 3rd and 4th largest convenience store chains. Since convenience stores are everywhere in Japan and since getting into convenience stores is very important for food brands, this is big news.
Rankings before the merger by store count:
7-Eleven 18,860
Lawson 12,537
FamilyMart 11,872
Circle K-Sunkus 6,251
Following merger
7-Eleven 18,860
FamilyMart (Circle K-Sunkus) 18,123
Lawson 12,537
However 1,000 of the Circle K-Sunkus stores will be closed or will be moved, due to business conditions or proximity to FamilyMart stores.
The final goal of the reorganization is to have all the stores branded as FamilyMart by February of 2019.
My thoughts: It will be sad to see Circle K-Sunkus go. As the 4th place player, they have always worked to provide very different selections and new ideas to compete with the big guys. Three dominant chains provides a degree of competition, but you can already see the selection at 7-Eleven becoming very predictable if not boring.
http://www.family.co.jp/
As one of its home delivery offerings, Morinaga has introduced a functional drink aimed at joint health and general health in the middle age and older consumer category. Uruou Glucosamine Drink うるおうグルコサミン. Uruou 潤う・うるおう means wet or moist, but can also convey the meaning smooth as in smooth joint movement. It also contains the meaning, "to benefit from", therefore it pops up in product names and copy from time to time.
The copy for the product states "for everyday movement, walking and health (power) support". Morinaga provides this in the form of a yogurt flavored drink including 4 functional ingredients. These are the following:
1) glucosamine (1,500 mg) - an amino-sugar or aminoglucoside are naturally occurring in the body, but for supplementation are derived from crustaceans and shellfish. It is found in bone, cartilage and joint fluid. The idea is that glucosamines which have been broken down and are easily taken in by the body help in forming new cartilage and in supporting joint health. As I understand it the jury is still out on the effectiveness of glucosamine.
2) collagen (1,000 mg) - collagen if found in cartilage, skin and connective tissue. Low molecular weight collagen (easy to absorb) is very popular in Japan for perceived beauty and health benefits. Collagen is a major component of cartilage and therefore the reasoning is similar to the above. Once again, research is ongoing but the appeal is clear.
3) hyaluronic acid (5 mg) - another component of healthy skin, cartilage and joints. Therefore ditto on all of the above. Both collagen and hyaluronic acid are found in body tissue that requires adequate fluid content and elasticity, thus both skin and joint tissue.
and
4) Shield Lactic Acid Bacteria M-1 - this is a probiotic strain developed by Morinaga which has high heat resistance and boasts improved immune function in test subjects. This effect is not joint related, but instead targets the same audience - people who are aging and suffering joint problems are probably also increasing concerned about immune function (ability to resist infection, colds, the flu, etc.).
In summary, this product throws in several components of healthy joints with the assumption that they will be used by the body to maintain healthy joints, and then adds in a proprietary probiotic for general health maintenance.
The appeal of this type of product is obvious, it checks a lot of boxes and is readily understandable for people in the market for such ingredients. It is also delivered to the door several times a week. The added benefit for companies is that no new scientific data needs to be generated.
Key words: Morinaga, home delivery, glucosamine, collagen, hyaluronic acid, Shield Lactic Acid Bacteria M-1, probiotic, Japan, 森永 宅配 グルコサミン コラーゲン ヒアルロン酸 シールド乳酸菌M-1プロバイオティクス
http://takuhaimilk.ne.jp/products/uruou/
Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.
MegMilk Snow Brand is celebrating 40 years of its Cream Sweets line. As can be seen from this timeline, the formulation has been tinkered with over the years and the shape of the packaging has changed, but it is still basically coffee jelly with cream on top. Along the way they did introduce a Japanese-style pudding, what looks to be cream on sweet jelly and a few brand crossovers. However, this brand and series is most closely associated with cream and coffee jelly.
I know Japanese who make big batches of coffee jelly at home claiming that it helps keep one regular. I have seen this noted several places, but I know of no real evidence for this.
Nov. 22nd will be Cream Sweets day and lots of communications and information will be made available on the website.
http://www.cream-sweets.com/
Key Words: MegMilk Snow Brand, Coffee Jelly, Cream Sweets 雪印メグミルク コピーゼリー クリームスイーツ
Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.
Meiji and Sanrio (the Hello Kitty company) are collaborating on a campaign where Sanrio characters appear on various chocolate and confectionery products, and there is a daily giveaway of Sanrio branded goods via the internet. Not a big follower of Sanrio, but this promotion focuses on four groups of Sanrio characters: Shingancrimson, Plasmagica Yogulemons, and Maple Beat Punch. The first two of these are anime bands that actually appear on TV and release singles and the second two are anime bands formed from members of the Sanrio character stable. Just to be clear, these are animated singing groups created and I assume owned by Sanrio. It is easy to look up the current group of cute young girls who actually do the singing, but I assume they can be rotated in and out as necessary. As you might know, Japan pioneered the concept of completely animated pop groups starting with Hatsune Miku in 2007.
For this campaign, purchase does not appear to be necessary. People can submit entries up to once a day to be eligible for the daily prizes which consist of Sanrio anime band branded QUO digital money cards and waterproof smartphone neck straps.
Key Words: Meiji, Sanrio, Shingancrimsonz, Plasmagica, Yogulemons, Maple Beat Punch, Hatsune Miku, Japan, chocolate, confectionery 明治 サンリオ プラズマジカ シンガンクリムゾンズ ヨーグレモンズ メープルビートパンチ 日本 チョコ 菓子 初音ミク
http://www.meiji.co.jp/sweets/okashi-land/cmp/sanrio_1607/
Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.
MOS Burger has had a line of special "Tobikiri" とびきり or "choice" burgers. All selections in this line use a "golden ratio" 黄金比率 of 100% Japanese pork and beef to produce the perfectly juicy burger. This incarnation uses fresh tomato and lettuce along with half-calorie mayonnaise and a tomato-vinegar sauce.
http://mos.jp/cp/tobikiri/
Key Words: MOS Burger, Tobikiri Burger, Japan, Food, モスバーガー とびきりバーガー 日本 食品 料理
Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.
For 25 years, this seasonal favorite has been a hit in Japan. There is always a big ad campaign and people seem to sincerely look forward to it. Tsukimi 月見 means moon viewing and the name comes from the round shaped sunny side up fried egg which forms the essential element of this burger. You might also note the rabbit image by the moon. This comes from Japanese traditionally having an image of a rabbit on the moon, instead of the western man in the moon. This comes from the Japanese fairy-tale Tsuki no Usagi 月の兎 or Moon Rabbit.
This year's varieties are the regular Tsukimi Burger (egg, slab of bacon), Tsukimi Burger with Cheese, and the Full Moon Tsukimi Burger with Cheese (ham slice instead of bacon, a tomato based sauce aurore, and buttery, fluffy, round moon-shaped buns made with fresh cream).
マックドナルド 月見バーガー
http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/campaign/tsukimi/index.html
Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.
Nestle is bringing back a seasonal favorite for Halloween. As it states in the copy "both kids and adults love pumpkin pudding", so that is the flavor for this holiday. There are 13 individually wrapped chocolate bars per package. Although not shown, there are 6 different Halloween designs for the small individual packages. Nothing wrong with this, but it does sound a tad strange. Since there are 6 designs and 13 items per pack, which means 2 each of 5 designs and 3 of the remaining design? Sounds like this would add unnecessary complexity to the production process, but I suppose Nestle knows what they are doing.
ネスレ キットカット パンプキンプリン
https://d.nestle.jp/kitkat/limited/9416338.html
Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.
There is an ongoing local gourmet food craze in Japan. One of the popular local dishes is Kanazawa Curry. Tombow Beverage of Toyama Prefecture has taken this one step further by introducing a Kanazawa Curry flavored cola. Not available in my area - maybe that is just as well.
トンボ飲料 金沢カレー コーラ
http://www.tombow-b.jp/kanazawacurrycola/index.html
Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.
Burger King Japan has added Chicken Fries to its lineup, which are described as crispy and convenient to handle with an excellent balance of herbs and spices. These come with a choice of BBQ or honey-mustard sauces. The website offers a download so that you can decorate the chicken face on the package to look like various characters: Kabuki, Shogun, Ninja, Sumo and Manga. Some boxes also carry the slogan "Unleash the Chicken".
バーガーキング 日本 チキンフライ
http://www.burgerkingjapan.co.jp/campaign/cp178.html
Photo is a web capture for explanatory purposes, copyright belongs to the company.
