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Hello Hello Ramune!
I always encounter Ramune in anime, japanese drama, and a lot of online Japanese product shopping sites. Presented as a symbol of Japanese summers, I had no idea what it was, other than it was a drink.
After seeing it in action, yet again in the Japanese drama Long Vacation (fine, I admit it. It was all because of Kimura Takuya), I made a conscious decision to find more info about this mysterious drink.
According to Wikipedia, Ramune (the Japanese phonetic pronounciation of Lemonade) is a lemon-lime softdrink that has been enjoyed in Japan since the 1800s. Packed in an unconventionally shaped bottle with a pinched neck, Ramune is sealed with a glass marble pushed to the surface by carbon dioxide. The glass marble bobbing around in the bottle piqued my interest; claims that the bottle started kids playing marbles in Japan made me even more curious. At this point, I made a conscious effort to seek out Ramune in my local groceries.
Sure enough, a trip to the Japanese grocery yielded Ramune. The price made me put off buying though, I always figured I could buy it the next time I was there. Or so I thought, until my first visit to Hatchin compelled me to buy…
HELLO KITTY RAMUNE!!!
Yes, the ubiquitous kitty cat has once again infiltrated the grocery, this time as a sassy soda. Drinking it wasn’t as easy as I thought. I had to ask for help from someone with a bit more strength to pop the marble. Because the first bottle was such an interesting experience for me (my boyfriend and I couldn’t stop talking about the drink and the bottle design), I decided to document my next bottle.
Beginning with Step 1:
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wow!! where can u buy it?
Ramune in general can be bought at most Japanese groceries, but the Hello Kitty Ramune in particular, I bought from Hatchin, a Japanese grocery in San Antonio Village in Makati.
XD ~ I love Ramune! They sell it all over the U.S. now, though I’ve never seen a Hello Kitty one. My personal favorite would have to be Orange flavor. It tastes just like orange soda, only a little fizzier.
Orange Ramune? I want to try! The only ones I’ve tried are the normal ones.
XD ~ I’ve never tried the regular one. They only sell the unique flavors here, like melon and grape.
Wow that looks so cool! Im looking forward to drinking one at my next anime con.
Hope you manage to find some. I agree, it’s quite nice.
Thanks so much for this info, I’ve been wondering what drink was Minami holding ‘coz it looked unique. ^^ Then today I saw a friend mention it at facebook and finally got the name of the drink: Ramuné! I was able to reach your site via google by typing Long Vacation and Ramuné… I’ve been looking for stuff in LV that can be bought and make into a collection of mine. *lol* I’m very addicted to Long Vacation. ^^V ciao~
Ooooh, you’ll love collecting it. It comes in a range of flavors and special editions (like this Hello Kitty one). I imagine it would be so much fun to collect. They even have Ramune flavored candy!
Hi hi! It’s a pity they don’t have other flavors at San Antonio’s Hatchin! Will try the other branches. I am collecting the bottles and it’s just so amusing just to hear the tinkling of marble while you drink.
Funny, I have to share this one… after I have finished my bottle of Ramune, I poured my C2 drink into the bottle while nobody’s around. I drank from the Ramune bottle and when i was about to finish, my bro and sis came in and laughed sooo hard! They were asking me if it would’ve made a difference if I drink the c2 using the ramune bottle. =))
I’m sure it does! It’s more fun at the very least, hwehwehwe!
best J-drama ever made!
http://www.japansugoi.com/wordpress/long-vacation-remembered/
I wouldn’t say best, but yes, it’s pretty fun to watch. My favorite Kimutaku drama’s still Good Luck but that’s cause he looks hot in uniform
Oh and Hero! How can I forget Hero!
I’ve Tried Mango, Melon, Watermelon, Orange, Strawberry, Raspberry, Yuzu, Blueberry, Peach, Kiwi, Pineapple, Lychee, and Hello Kitty. So far, Peach is my favorite. There are 26 flavors in all of Ramune, Including 4 VERY Unappealing flavors…. Curry, Wasabi, Kimchi, and wait for it… Octopus. Im not looking foreword at ALL to trying these flavors, but I’ve tried 13 out of 26… I aim to try them all. List of flavors:
Original(Lemon Lime), Banana, Blueberry, Blue Hawaii, Bubble Gum, Cherry, Cola, Curry, Disco Dance, Green Apple, Kimchi, Kiwi, Lemonade, Lychee, Mango, Melon, Muscat, Octopus, Orange, Peach, Pineapple, Raspberry, Strawberry, Wasabi (available at Tokyu Hands), Watermelon, Yuzu, Cookie dough, Root beer, Kool-aid, Chocolate, Vanilla, Coconut, & Water.
Other great japanese treats are Pocky, YanYans, Hello Panda’s, Hi-Chew, and Marukawa Gum (Melon and Grape flavor are the BEST!)
Heres a list of Japanese snacks as well:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Japanese_snacks
I’ve tried those other snacks you mentioned, except for the Marukawa Gum. Hi-Chew, I’m very much addicted to, while Yanyan and Hello Panda are childhood treats. Pocky of course, is love as well. I haven’t tried the Ramune flavors you mentioned but if I find them, I’ll be sure to do so. Thanks for your comment!