nekkyou

Whisky & Chocolate

2007-11-29T14:29:00.000+09:00

Lotte and Suntory have teamed up once again, this time to release a limited edition set of Whisky and chocolate in time for next year's Valentine Day.

Dean & Deluca

2007-11-27T17:06:00.000+09:00

Dean & Deluca has released a new and seasonal flavour for its premium ice-cream line with "Modena Balsamic Vinegar with Fig".

White goods go ECO

2007-11-26T17:22:00.000+09:00

The large Japanese manufacturers of household electronics have launched campaigns touting the environmental friendliness of their products in recent months. Slogans are quite similar (Toshiba with Eco Style and National with Eco Ideas) and seem to try and persuade consumers to trade in their current products for the latest, energy-saving model.

Suntory Smoothie

2007-11-23T14:40:00.000+09:00

Suntory has come up with a new take on the liquid breakfast with this Fruit and Tofu Smoothie

Spot the difference

2007-11-19T15:03:00.000+09:00

From time to time, Japanse companies release what can only be considererd brazen imitations of their competitor's package design. The most recent example are Ebisu and Kirin - one of the above is a so-called third beer (brewed without malt) and retailing for about 130 Yen for a 350ml can, the other a premium beer sold for approximately twice that amount.

Virginia Slims Noire

2007-11-17T16:33:00.000+09:00

Virginia Slims "Noire" is the latest tobacco brand targeted at women.

Eneloop Kairo

2007-11-15T14:46:00.000+09:00

Sanyo has released a rechargeable and thus eco-friendly pocket-warmer with the Eneloop Kairo

Sony integrates LISMO!

2007-11-12T14:05:00.000+09:00

KDDI has announced that the next generation 'LISMO' mobile music download service will be fully compatible with Sony audio equipment, allowing owners of Sony's NETJUKE HDD stereo system to back up and play music files downloaded using an au mobile phone or transfer music stored in 'NETJUKE' directly to an au mobile phone or Walkman - without using a PC.

Glico Almond Premio

2007-11-08T19:05:00.000+09:00

Glico has released a premium version of its almond chocolate sweets with Premio.

Haagen Dazs Kokuto & Kuromitsu

2007-11-07T17:53:00.000+09:00

Haagen Dazs Japan has released another flavour inspired by traditional Japanese ingredients with Kokuto & Kuromitsu, brown sugar and sugar syrup.

SUICA goes ECO

2007-11-06T17:39:00.000+09:00

Train operator JR East is jumping on the recent craze for re-usable shopping bags with the SUICA de Eco campaign, offering new users of its smart card SUICA the chance to win a cute SUICA cloth shopping bag.

Peace Infinity

2007-11-01T18:17:00.000+09:00

The premium trend that has been evident in so many recent new product launches in the food and beverage sectors has reached cigarettes - Japan Tobacco has released Peace Infinity, a premium version of its Peace brand.

Starbucks Discoveries Paris

2007-10-29T16:40:00.000+09:00

Starbucks has released the latest addition to its RTD coffee brand Discoveries with Paris. The drink follows the recent trend towards bitter flavours and is not sweetened.

Clorets HOT

2007-10-28T16:43:00.000+09:00

Cadbury's Clorets chewing gums now come in Spicy Cinnamon as well.

Lotte Beni

2007-10-26T16:50:00.000+09:00

Lotte's new health and energy drink Beni is targeted at women.

Face mask goes fashion

2007-10-22T15:52:00.000+09:00

Unicharm has released a new face mask in its successful Rittai series specifically targeted at women and teamed up with the online community site Girlsgate to provide tips on a face mask as the ultimate fashion accessoire.

Hello Kitty

2007-10-20T17:05:00.000+09:00

Interestingly, the world's first Hello Kitty Jet. Interestingly, the plane is not operated by a Japanese airline, but Eva Air from Taiwan, where Hello Kitty appears to be even bigger than in Japan.

Hello Kitty is everywhere on board of this plane - including of course the welcome video, where she can be seen doing a somewhat un-Japanese dance.

Vegetable Yogurt

2007-10-15T09:00:00.000+09:00

Otsuka is trying to establish a completely new product category - vegetable yogurts - with Yasai no Senshi.

Suntory goes mint

2007-10-03T14:17:00.000+09:00

Suntory has released Cool Mint Cider, a mint-flavoured soft drink developed in cooperation with Lotte's Cool Mint chewing gum brand.

Pro Tec Head

2007-10-01T17:36:00.000+09:00

Lion has released a new hair-care line for men called PRO TEC HEAD, which consists of four products and offers a new care system to revent hair loss and thinning.

Bitter Caramel

2007-09-28T19:34:00.000+09:00

Haagen Dazs Japan has recognized the recent trend to non-sweetened snacks and beverages and has released Bitter Caramel.

National Horse Riding Simulator

2007-09-01T08:18:00.000+09:00

National seems to be quite successful with its horse riding simulators - not only because of the novelty and obvious health benefits, but also by cleverly making a sport with a strong celebrity image accessible - at least as a simulation - to the average Tokyo citizen in their cramped apartments. Simulated horse riding for imaginary social mobility?

Axe effect

2007-08-12T11:30:00.000+09:00

Axe has launched in Japan with this (hopefully intentionally) funny website.

Premium Calpis

2007-08-11T08:44:00.001+09:00

Calpis is the latest company to jump on the premium bandwagon with The Premium Calpis.

SUICA Water

2007-07-24T10:23:00.000+09:00

JR is beginning to realize the value of its SUICA penguin character as a promotion tool and has started using it in the adverts for its new From Aqua mineral water brand.

Yakult Thorpedo

2007-07-23T08:16:00.000+09:00

Yakult's Thorpedo is a sports drink developed in cooperation with scientists at the University of Sydney.

Office snacks

2007-07-21T07:45:00.000+09:00

Manufacturer of traditional Japanese snacks Kanro has come up with this fun campaign presenting its products as the ideal snack when at work.

SUICA & Ecute

2007-07-18T06:49:00.000+09:00

SUICA promotion at the Ecute shopping center inside Shinagawa station.

Kirin

2007-07-15T06:48:00.000+09:00

Kirin goes premium with this sparkling version of its tea drink Gogo no Kocha.

Mobile SUICA Campaign

2007-07-10T06:47:00.000+09:00

JR has launched a campaign to encourage customers to sign up for Mobile Suica, where the Suica card is integrated in their mobile phones.

Kirin & Uniqlo

2007-07-02T07:32:00.000+09:00

Kirin has teamed up with discount clothes retailer Uniqlo to promote its Afternoon Tea brand with a campaign offering the chance to win an exclusive Uniqlo T-Shirt.

White Tea

2007-06-29T07:49:00.000+09:00

White tea seems to be the latest trend among tea beverages - Coca Cola Japan's Venus White is the latest example.

Suntory Premium Malts Black

2007-06-26T07:40:00.000+09:00

Suntory has released a limited black version of its successful premium beer brand Premium Malts.

KitKat Yubari Melon

2007-06-18T09:38:00.000+09:00

The latest Kitkat flavour is Yubari Melon - and a percentage of profits go to the famous melon producing (but recently bankrupt) town of Yubari.

La Menta

2007-06-10T13:37:00.000+09:00

Lotte has released La Menta - a mint for oyaji (old guys)!?

Deo Natulle

2007-06-06T07:59:00.000+09:00

Just in time for the hot and humid rainy season, Deonatulle has released this foot deodorant in a nice, faux-European design. Background and concept of the ad, however, are purely Japanese, with a tatami mat - the traditional flooring found in many homes and restaurants that requires taking off one's shoes - and the caption "Uh-oh, I have to take off my shoes..?".

Frisk

2007-06-03T07:52:00.000+09:00

Always quick to pick up on the latest trends, Frisk - which has been a huge hit in Japan with 2.4 boxes sold each second - is offering a case covered in Swarovski crystals as part of its latest campaign.

Tully's goes Jazz

2007-06-02T10:10:00.000+09:00

Jazz legend Ron Carter appears in Tully's adverts for its Barista's Special chilled RTD coffee.

The Oolong tea wars

2007-06-01T06:22:00.000+09:00

Suntory has been so successful with its tea drink Black Oolong TTP which it claims suppresses the increase in serum triglycerides that osmaller manufacturers are trying to launch copycat products.

Mega Teriyaki

2007-05-24T06:59:00.000+09:00

Mc Donald's giant hamburger MegaMac has been so successful that the company will release a teriyaki version soon.

(Teriyaki is a cooking method where meat is broiled in a sweet soy sauce marinade.)

Dolce

2007-05-20T11:55:00.000+09:00

Haagen Dazs Japan has branched out into desserts and released a new brand with Dolce.

Peach John goes retro

2007-05-13T15:09:00.000+09:00

Lingerie mailorder Peach John goes retro with its latest catalogue featuring model Dita von Teese for a distinct 1940s atmosphere.

NTT DoCoMo goes RED

2007-05-06T10:54:00.000+09:00

NTT DoCoMo has joined the (Product) RED initiative and released the M702iS(RED) handset developed by Motorola. A percentage of the profits from sales will be donated to the global fight against AIDS.

The Hop

2007-05-02T17:21:00.000+09:00

Sapporo has added another product for its premium Ebisu brand with The Hop.

Lawson Plus

2007-05-01T17:11:00.000+09:00

The barriers between convenience stores and supermarkets are disappearing in Japan. Latest example is convenience store operator Lawson with its Lawson Plus stores, which offer fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables alongside the standard convenience store offerings.

Dieta

2007-04-15T16:46:00.000+09:00

Japan Tobacco has released Dieta, a calorie-free sparkling water with a flavour of Japanese citrus fruits yuzu and amanatsu as well as dietary fiber and deep sea water.

Kirin The Gold

2007-03-25T11:56:00.000+09:00

Kirin has released its new flagship brand The Gold.

Although name and design make it look like another premium beer, the impression is misleading - The Gold is priced in line with other standard beers. Kirin seems to speculate that this "affordable premium" image will be effective in winning over the target group of men in their 20s and 30s. The aim is to turn The Gold into the top beer brand for the young generation and replicate the success Asahi has achieved with its Super Dry among the generation of their fathers.

Gerolsteiner

2007-03-18T09:38:00.000+09:00

German mineral water Gerolsteiner has gone on sale in Japan, marketed and distributed by Sapporo.

Starbucks

2007-03-17T08:11:00.000+09:00

Starbucks has released a new flavour in its RTD coffee drinks sold at convenience stores.

Umaito

2007-03-13T07:35:00.000+09:00

Sapporo has released Umaito, a beer drink with a fun, retro image.

Kanebo

2007-03-12T08:04:00.000+09:00

Kanebo will re-release Kaoru Otoko, its body fragrance chewing gum for men on March 19.

Saori

2007-03-10T22:01:00.000+09:00

Coca Cola Japan has jumbed the traditional green tea bandwagon and released Saori.

The Black

2007-03-07T21:37:00.000+09:00

Sapporo has relaunched the dark beer from its premium Ebisu brand as The Black.

Suntory

2007-02-27T22:01:00.000+09:00

Suntory is targeting female shoppers with its POS adverts for Gomamugi-cha, a tea drink that lowers blood pressure. The signs on the shelves read "Take care of your husbands blood pressure!".

Colorful advert

2007-02-26T21:56:00.000+09:00

Huge poster advert in Shibuya station for Softbank's new handset Pantone.

Colorful handsets

2007-02-23T13:40:00.000+09:00

Softbank and NTT DoCoMo seem have launched a color war with their most recent handsets.

New Coca Cola campaign

2007-02-16T21:59:00.000+09:00

After introducing its redesigned cans, Coca Cola Japan has launched a massive new advertising campaign.

Morinaga gets personal

2007-02-10T11:31:00.000+09:00

Morinaga Milk has released two puddings developed by foreigners - Mr. Bergeroni from Canada was in charge of the maple sirup flavor, while Mr. Geraerts from Belgium came up with the chocolate one.

Freedom Project

2007-02-06T15:07:00.000+09:00

Ad for Freedom Project, an anime series by Katsuhiro Otomo (of Akira fame) commissioned by Nissin Cup Noodles for their 35th anniversary in 2006.

Spring already?

2007-02-02T11:42:00.000+09:00

In January, Kitkat has launched its yearly campaign aimed at students taking the univerity entrance exams. Why KitKat? Because the pronounciation sounds almost the same as Japanese “kitto katsu”, which means “will surely win”.

Nissin

2007-02-01T11:39:00.000+09:00

Nissin Food Products will begin selling refillable instant ramen cups and refill packages from March this year.

Grown-up but cute!

2007-01-27T11:52:00.000+09:00

...is the tagline of the new campaign by cosmetic manufacturer Kose

Free Manga

2007-01-26T23:48:00.000+09:00

The next step after free magazines? Free Manga!

According to the Mainichi Shimbun, venture publishing firm Dejima will begin distribution of a free manga magazine, called “Comic Ganbo”, at 30 Tokyo-area train stations. “Comic Ganbo” will be available starting January 16th. New issues are scheduled to appear every Tuesday or Wednesday. The first issue will have a print run of 100,000 copies.

New Coke cans

2007-01-24T23:44:00.000+09:00

Coca Cola will release its redesigned cans on January 29 in Japan, before their worldwide release.

AU Media Skin

2007-01-19T21:44:00.000+09:00

The Media Skin by Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka - originally a concept model for AU's Design Project - is about to be officially released as part of the company's spring lineup.

Mc Donald's MegaMac

2007-01-17T11:50:00.000+09:00

Mc Donald's has jumped the premium bandwagon and released the
MegaMac which will be available only in limited numbers each day.

Minimalist coffee

2007-01-14T09:02:00.000+09:00

Already a few months old, but still an intereting concept - soft drink manufacturer Dydo has come up a "simply design coffee".

Pasmo

2007-01-13T08:49:00.000+09:00

On March 18, a new IC card will be introduced. While the existing Suica worked only for JR trains, the new Pasmo can be used on most of the other train, subway and bus lines in and around Tokyo: Tokyo Metro, Toei, Tokyu, Keio, Odakyu, Tobu, Seibu, Keisei etc. Pasmo is linked with Suica, so finally one IC card can be used to pay for all (or at least most) public transport in Tokyo. Below is the Pasmo character.

Gone...

2007-01-08T20:12:00.000+09:00

Ebisu released its limited edition extra-premium beer Kohaku on Nov. 22 last year, and it is already sold out at my local sake-ya, which means it was on the market for only a little more than one month...

Suntory

2007-01-05T15:03:00.000+09:00

Suntory is using every opportunity to use traditional images in the adverts for its green tea drink I-emon and has come up with these train adverts featuring traditional new year decorations.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T17:28:00.000+09:00

2007 is the year of the boar - an animal that provides an interesting insight into the challenges facing an ageing Japan. According to this article boars are becoming a serious problem in rural Japan, where in many villages the rapidly ageing population is no longer able to keep their number down, and damages to crops are increasing.

The above artwork can be found here.

Yom Yom!

2006-12-24T13:55:00.000+09:00

The publisher Shinchosha has released this new version of its Yonda?Club campaign. The word for reading is yomu in Japanese, so the Panda devouring the book is making the correct sound.

Kirin goes retro

2006-12-17T17:09:00.000+09:00

Kirin has gone retro and released two flavors in their original design from the 1920s with Fukkoku.

R25 goes female

2006-12-07T17:04:00.000+09:00

The free magazine R25 has doubled its potential readership with L25, its sister publication targeted at women.

MUJI Design Award

2006-11-26T20:32:00.000+09:00

MUJI has announced the results of its Design Award.

PSP goes pink

2006-11-22T04:40:00.000+09:00

Sony has released a special version of the PSP targeted at women, which comes in pink and with a case by Samantha Thavasa, the handbag brand of the moment.

MUJI Christmas

2006-11-21T07:06:00.000+09:00

Yes, it's that time of the year again, and also this year MUJI is doing a Christmas campaign.

New Glico chocolate

2006-11-15T21:56:00.000+09:00

Glico has teamed up with cocoa brand Van Houten and released the premium chocolate snack Dear Cacao.

No-good men

2006-11-01T20:42:00.000+09:00

Damens Walker is a new drama on TV Asahi, the title of which can be roughly translated as "no-good men". The show takes up the complaint voiced by many Japanese women that there are no good (i.e. marriable) men left - only freeter, otaku and similar types with unstable character and finances.

Pizza

2006-10-31T08:27:00.000+09:00

　

Pizza-La has come up with this funny train advert for its new toppings - the basil leaves are not part of the photo, but have been attached to its surface for a 3D effect.

Return to cool

2006-10-23T07:13:00.000+09:00

It is almost one month after Softbank took over what used to be Vodafone Japan. After what could only be described as a mediocre brand under Vodafone (David Beckham and the Ferrari handset, anyone?), Softbank has injected some much needed cool with these funky ads and of course a huge choice of equally good-looking handsets.

Suntory with new flavours

2006-10-18T20:43:00.000+09:00

Suntory has made an addition to its premium line of chu-hi drinks and has again kept an eye on the season - the new flavours are grape and pear.

Asahi goes premium, too...

2006-10-16T14:27:00.000+09:00

Another new premium happoshu, this time from Asahi with Zeitaku Biyori set for release on November 7.

Morinaga goes premium

2006-10-13T07:36:00.000+09:00

Morinaga has come up with a premium version for its Mt. Rainier coffee brand which looks suspiciously like Starbuck's.

Levis

2006-10-09T08:34:00.000+09:00

Levis has picked up on the recent surge in popularity of dark denim jeans in smart, sharp cuts among working women in their 20s and released a line targeted at this group with Levis Lady's Style.

Pepsi & Levis

2006-10-07T11:22:00.000+09:00

Pepsi has teamed up with Levis for this campaign.

Softbank takes over

2006-10-05T07:14:00.000+09:00

From last Sunday, Vodafone has disapeared from Japan as all shops were rebranded under the Softbank logo. Softbank has also started a massive promotion campaign offering a free iPod nano to all new customers purchasing a 705SH handset.

Suntory

2006-10-02T07:03:00.000+09:00

Suntory has come up with Japonais Gold, a premium beer in a package that uses elements of rinpa painting to remind of traditional Japan.

Haagen Dazs

2006-10-01T07:57:00.000+09:00

Haagen Dazs Japan has released a number of new and limited flavors for autumn, among them Banana Caramel Tart.

Suntory

2006-09-29T06:51:00.000+09:00

Suntory has launched an ad campaign for its Iemon green tea drink focused on autumn motives. This subway ad consists of a noren-like piece of cloth in the brand's signature green with (fake) autumn leaves attached - a nice difference to the standard poster adverts.

MUJI

2006-09-27T07:38:00.000+09:00

MUJI has released a line of skincare products for men in stylish black packaging.

Family Mart goes SUICA

2006-09-25T06:49:00.000+09:00

Convenience store chain Family Mart and JR East have come up with a campaign to get more people to use their SUICA cards for payment - a campaign with exclusive SUICA goods as prizes! All customers at Family Mart who spend more than 600 Yen and pay via SUICA, or charge their SUICA cards with 3,000 Yen or more have the chance to win one of the products - which are not available elsewhere - pictured above.

New beers from Asahi and Sapporo

2006-09-23T10:22:00.000+09:00

Recent new beer products include Asahi's dark happoshu Honnama Clear Black, which has seen a limited release exclusively for winners of a promotion campaign in autumn 2005.

Sapporo meanwhile has released a special beer commemorating the company's 130th anniversary.

The razor wars?

2006-09-21T07:43:00.000+09:00

After Schick's recent PR offensive, Gilette is hitting back with a campaign for its Fusion 5 razor that includes whole trains of the Yamanote Line covered exclusively in adverts for this product.

Boss

2006-09-20T07:41:00.000+09:00

Suntory has released an addition to its Boss brand of canned coffee drinks with Boss Begin. As the name suggests, this drink is to be consumed in the morning. Not a revolutionary concept maybe, but as Suntory has been trying for some time now to brand its coffee drinks not by flavor, but other criteria such as the time when the drink is consumed, this seems to be a logical addition.

Suntory

2006-09-10T08:51:00.000+09:00

Suntory has added a new flavor to its -196 brand of chu-hi drinks. Taking into account not only the season but also the recent trend towards Japanese ingredients, the new drink contains peaches from Yamanashi prefecture.

GDP Presentation

2006-09-09T08:50:00.000+09:00

This year's Good Design Presentation took place two weeks ago in Tokyo and presented the several hundred products nominated the G-Mark, Japan's most prestigious award for design.

Most products were by one of the large Japanese manufacturing companies such as Panasonic, but a section of the exhibition titled Japan Old & New" concentrated on small companies from rural Japan who use traditional techniques and incorporate them into modern products.

A nice idea were these branded water bottles (above left), which were handed out to all visitors free of charge.

Schick goes gangster

2006-09-06T08:05:00.000+09:00

The manufacturer of disposable razors Schick has launched a campaign featuring the Gang Club - six guys who look like they stepped out of an early Tarrantino movie - in order to infuse its rather boring brand with some outlaw cool.

R25 Cafe

2006-09-05T11:44:00.000+09:00

Outside view of the R25 Cafe , cleverly located across the road from Dentsu's offices in Ginza.

Ichikami

2006-09-04T08:56:00.000+09:00

Kanebo is the latest Japanese manufacturer to release a haircare brand inspired by traditional Japan. Ichikami contains ingredients that were used during the Heian period (794-1185).