Guide to Japanese drinks

A taste of something new… maybe?

By Jerrison Oracion, Senior Columnist

Last month I went to Japan. During my trip, it was very hot. When I wanted to keep myself cool, I chose from a variety of Japanese drinks from either the many vending machines throughout the country or convenience stores. Here is my guide to Japanese drinks—including drinks that you can get in your local Asian supermarket!

Mitsuya Cider

This one is my favourite Japanese drink. Mitsuya Cider is like the Japanese version of Sprite. It has a refreshing lemon taste but is tarter than Sprite, and it is best to drink it when it is cold. They also have other flavours including grapefruit and apple, though they are hard to find.

Pocari Sweat

A lot of people know about this drink, and its name explains what it is—kind of. It is an “ion supply drink” that tastes like Gatorade, except that it is less sweet. It cools you down when you drink it during a very sunny day, and it is foggy in appearance, which makes the drink look like sweat. It is available in a very big bottle and in a pouch so that you can drink it when you are on the go. The pouch is so small that you can squeeze it to drink the entire thing in one shot.

Calpis

This is a drink made of milk mixed with water. The drink has a very creamy taste and a watery texture. Also, there is a sparkling version of Calpis and it has more bubbles than the Korean version of the drink, Milkis. If you’d like to have a soft drink that is creamy, have a Calpis.

Match and C.C. Lemon

There are a lot of lemon drinks in Japan. Some of them have nutrients that could help you get through the day. Two of these drinks are Match and C.C. Lemon. Both drinks have a very flavourful lemon taste and C.C. Lemon has bubbles to make it even more flavourful.

Canned Coffee

Coffee is one of the drinks that many people need to get through their day. In Japan, they have coffee in cans and bottles—similar to what Starbucks has tried to do here—but because they are sold in vending machines, they are easy to get and convenient to carry. You can get canned coffee from several companies including Boss, Georgia, and Tully’s Coffee, which is like their version of Starbucks.