Japan - 27 Reviews

You, over there with the bad hair! Bring that wheelbarrow of sugar to me. You, with the floral sundress, bring that 50-gallon drum of cherry syrup. You two kids with the hair that's too long for your own good. Yeah, you. What, are you parents some sort of hipsters? Get a haircut but before that, bring those two buckets of corn syrup to me. Don't get your stupid long hair in it, either. This is a sterile environment.

Excuse me, sir. I work for Ito En and I was wondering what you were doing with all these additives. Adding them to this drink? No sir, I don't think so. We won't need any of this. Here, let me take care of this crowd-based assembly line. Pardon me, the little madame with the mini skirt and argyle sweater, could you bring over those green tea leaves? Thank you. That's all. That's all we need to make such choice tea. Put it on ice and you've got a nice drink. It's suitable for all occasions and all ages: All sexes, creeds, religions, colors, and so on and so forth.

So sir, as you can see, those fixins might be necessary elsewhere, but not here. Ito En Oi Ocha needs nothing but water and green tea. It's refreshing, quenching and a wonderful all around drink. I do have a question for you though, sir. Where are we that everyone looks this ridiculous? Aside from the people we've hired to help us make this drink, there is a man over there wearing a Cosby sweater, cargo shorts, and boots. Over there are twins both wearing shell toes, carpenter pants with accompanying hammers, and mesh football shirts. Where are we?

You know what? As I may have previously mentioned, Jay and I go out every Tuesday and either make a pizza or get tacos. We got tacos this last Tuesday and we were talking about how we can't find any melon-flavored drinks: Watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, etc. I did a review for a watermelon juice from Trader Joe's but it had gone bad so it wasn't the best review. I've done melon Ramune from Japan, and I don't know if I've personally done anything honeydew flavored. We decided that we were going to start searching for flavors we liked and find companies that make these drinks, rather than just haphazardly finding companies.

So we had that whole discussion, and I overlooked the fact that I had a cantaloupe pop at home. No, it's not from these United States. It's from Japan, but who cares? Seriously. If I can get what I need and America doesn't make it, I don't really have a choice but to shop externally? I'm not the bad guy. It's not my fault that I didn't know that one day I would want a watermelon pop so I would change my career path to juicer or soda pop artist. No. I made the same mistake millions of people did and went to college for music, and then went and made another mistake and went to school to become an under-appreciated web developer. Oh, yeah. I'm right where I want to be at 28.

This drink wanted to be something, too, but it didn't do well in school and also didn't try to make friends and as a result, it turned out pretty mediocre. This drink is not the social equivalent of a murderer or a stamp collector, just something like a gift wrapper. It had a "melon" taste but was just kind of...adequate. It didn't taste like any particular fruit, just like a melon flavored Ramune, which also was just kind of "melon" flavored.

If you're dying to try a melon pop, here you go, but you might be disappointed. You can cross it off you bucket list. Jack Nicholson did. Morgan Freeman did not.

I'm going to need seven and a half boxes of creamsicles. Could you be so kind as to open them all up and put them in that pot over there. I've got the burner on low, so we shouldn't have any problems. *Cut to five minutes later* Okay let me fish those popsicle sticks out of that sludge. Now time to add some more sugar and mix it up properly. Can you hold that funnel while I pour this into those bottles. Okay now let's put those all in the fridge and let them chill. First you cook. Then you chill.

That my friends is how Yogu Time makes this drink. It's creamy. It's orangey. It's unfortunately not as thick and yogurty as I want it to be. None of these drinks ever are. It would probably have the shelf life of a week or two if it was how I want it to be, but can't a man dream?

I came across this gem at an Asian market. With a name like "Gettin' Cool! Strawberry Soda", how can you not give it a try? I can just imagine the Japanese television commercial for this. Sadly I could not find a commercial for it, but I'm sure it would be amazing.

This is the same company that makes Ramune, so it's no surprise that the bottle is unique. Unlike most bottles, which are made of plastic or glass, this is aluminum. I wonder if two R&D people at Sangaria sat in a boardroom for hours arguing the pros and cons of cans vs. bottles. Then around hour number five, the new guy comes up with the idea of an aluminum bottle to make both of them happy. They rejoice, shake his hand, and give the design team a call.

As far as taste goes, this was the first strawberry soda I've ever had. It was okay. It was sweet and smooth, with a decent strawberry taste. I probably wouldn't pick it up again because it wasn't that amazing.

Well well well. What do we have here? Is it a good kiwi pop? You betcha. I was surprised. I like the flavor of kiwi, but as a fruit, it's not my favorite. I don't like how soft it is. I want it to be firmer. I can't have everything I want, but I can have an opinion on things. This was very sweet, but who cares. Like I said, I feel that a good kiwi drink is few and far between. This is pure kiwi, too, so your argument of "This company makes a kiwi strawberry drink that is to die for!" is not only lame and melodramatic, it's also now what I'm talking about as it's a mix.

Grab a bottle, have a little kid open it because I think that they would get more enjoyment out of it than you, and drink it. It's good. Really. Also, I just discovered they make an octopus Ramune so now I've got to put that on my list.

Did I think this was going to be gross? You bet'cha. Was it? Not entirely. I thought it was going to taste like the White Cow Dairy drinks I had a few months back. Lucky for me it didn't. It did taste like melon, but it didn't taste like a natural melon by any means. It tastes like if Bubblicious made a melon gum. The yogurt makes it smooth, but the immense amount of sugar sharpens it back up.

It starts out pretty good, punches you in the mouth, and then leaves you out to dry, which is actually a nice, calm, melon-y taste. These little bottles are only 10oz but it's way too much for me. I shared a good third of it with some one, let everyone have some and I've got about a third left and I don't know if I can/will/want to do it.

Even still, it's not terrible and I might be apt to buy another one. I know they have different flavors out there. I bet the strawberry would be awesome.

When I lived in Boston for the summer of 2000, I found a little Asian market. This was my first experience with international markets and it was wonderful. There is a whole other world of candies, snacks, meat, and most importantly fun drinks. As soon as I got back home, I bought a case of the stuff because I didn't know that you could get it around me.

I had a friend from the Far East named Miki who guided me through the wonderful drink, Ramune.

Oh, you've never had it? It's essentially the most fun bottled drink in existence. Better than cork, bottle cap, or even swing top. The beverage is sealed with a marble and it come with a little plastic popper that you slam over the top and it drops the marble into the drink. Then, there are two little indentions that hold the marble while you take sips than ensure that you don't plug up the hole.

The drink is great too. It's a citrus soda, but it's pretty indescribable when it comes to flavor. It's kind of like a Sprite/7-Up but not really. It's good, though.

If you have never had Ramune before, please get it. I can get it at my local supermarket in the "Asian" section so it might be easier to find than you think.