Food and Drink

Most of Japan’s bewildering selection of beverages sit comfortably in a certain category, but Asahi’s Vegesh is as nonconformist as its name, happily striding various varieties. You see, not only does it contain 21 vegetables and 5 different kinds of fruit, but rather cannily, it is also a cocktail, packing a fairly respectable 4 percent of alcohol.

A unique combination that allows one to stay healthy while at the same time getting happily hammered, which, judging by the quality of the video below, is exactly what this YouTube user was doing when they uploaded this woefully crap copy of the current commercial.

Oh, and as far as taste goes, it’s surprisingly pleasing — almost Fanta-esque in its fizzy freshness. Plus, after feeling especially thirsty and firing down five, all that fruit and fibre has left me feeling in fine fettle.

For those on the look-out for a coffee that is enticingly full bodied or even a bit fruity, then this release from the Roots line is probably best left alone, as although its container is a little curvaceous, the drink itself is decidedly demure.

There again, what’s a brief bit of fieriness compared to the offer of a fine life?

That said, technology boasts aside, it doesn’t taste much different from the myriad of other canned coffees on the market, except for perhaps being a tad less tart.

When it comes to lemon-based beverages, Japanese vending machines have a veritable glut of such goods, with even Pepsi recently succumbing to a splash of citrus with its slightly sickly summer special.

But for the leader in all things lemon, it has to be Lemon’s Lemon. A drink that supposedly contains a staggering 50 of the oval offerings, which is a considerable amount for such a tiny container.

This concentration apparently making it good for all manner of maladies,

with a quick slurp,

quickly sorting one out.

Oh, and as far as taste goes, it’s not too bad, although it is somewhat citrusy.

For Japanese youngsters looking to emulate their father by swilling down a few swift ones, there’s a veritable cornucopia of kids’ beer to choose from. Or at least a couple of big brands anyway, along with some seasonal specials for added selection.

But far from being just a cynical attempt to give young tots a longing for the odd lager, it is in fact an essential introduction into the occasionally convoluted conventions of alcohol consumption. This poster in particular offering practical advice on pouring, as well as the essential purr of pleasure after the initial slurp has passed one’s lips.

Then, once mastered, the temptation of any tipple’s perfect partner, tobacco, can be tentatively introduced.

Japanese beverage giant, Calpis, is best known for, erm, Calpis, but the company has also opted to diversify its drinks range somewhat, and now offers more nutritional — although equally memorably named — merchandise.

Like Gun Gun Gurt for example.

A yoghurty, almost Yakult-like concoction, that, while not exactly reaching the dizzy heights of g-g-great, is nonetheless still good.

And, if its creamy and pleasant nature wasn’t enough of a sales point, it is also crammed full of calcium, which apparently makes it ideal for those not terribly tall.

Or, in rapidly ageing Japan, it could well be the perfect potion for pensioners hoping to impede osteoporosis.

Perhaps.