Every once in a while, it’s nice to look back at a developer or publisher to learn more about them and acknowledge the good they’ve done in bringing people worthwhile games to play. A major player in Japan is Marvelous Entertainment. Surprisingly, people may not realize that Marvelous may have even had a hand in getting games released in North America and Europe as well. So let’s take some time to relax and look briefly at Marvelous and some Marvelous games you should be playing.

Well, that’s just Marvelous!

The first thing you have to know about Marvelous has one of the best company names ever. I mean, it’s Marvelous Entertainment! You can’t beat that.

Next, you have to know that it’s involved in more than just the video game industry. It produces TV shows, movies, plays and also owns the Artland animation studio and Delfi Sound studio. So while we’re focusing on its gaming presence today, it’s good to know that the company creates lots of good things.

Also, Marvelous Entertainment is primarily a publisher. While it’s true that it has been involved in the development of some games, mainly entries in the Harvest Moon series, it mainly acts as a publisher for other developers’ games. It has worked quite frequently with Imageepoch, Neverland, Hudson Soft, ArtePiazza, Vanillaware and Grasshopper Manufacture. So while you may not see Marvelous’ name on the box of the game you’re playing, there’s still a good chance it had something to do with its creation.

Marvelous Entertainment also does a lot of work outside of Japan. It established Rising Star Games, its European branch, back in 2004 with Bergsala AB. That way, it could have an easier game of getting its games into Europe. It sold its part of Rising Star Games in 2010, though it still works with the company on occasion. Then, in 2005, Marvelous acquired AQ Interactive and turned it into Marvelous Entertainment USA. In addition, it has a co-publishing partnership with the U.S. based XSEED games that started back in 2008. The company also allows other companies, like Natsume and Atlus, to publish its games so a larger audience can enjoy them.

These are Marvelous games.

If there’s one series that is practically synonymous with Marvelous, it’s Harvest Moon. It’s the company’s hallmark series, including the Rune Factory spin-off, and is part of the reason why the company has become as successful as it is. It happened with good reason too. Despite the occasional small bug or glitch, the Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games are mostly solid, well made and entertaining adventures for people who want to play a farming-life sim or take part in an action RPG that occasionally asks you to farm or make friends.

Those aren’t the only games the company is responsible for, as it’s had a number of incredible games released throughout the years. Here are a few in particular that are available in English and deserve some love.

• Avalon Code (DS): The world is ending, and players must catalog everything in a massive book so it can be remade after the apocolypse and everything restored. It is an action RPG and was released in North America in 2008.
• Contact (DS): The player is using the DS to “control” a boy named Terry and make him help a mysterious Professor collect power cells while avoiding CosmoNOT terrorists. It is an action RPG and was released in North America in 2006.
• Fate/Extra (PSP): A young man or woman finds him or herself caught up in the Holy Grail War. Only with the help of a Servant can the new magus survive and perhaps have one wish granted. It is a turn-based RPG and was released in North America in 2011.
• Half-Minute Hero (PSP): Players control a hero, evil lord, princess or knight and get each of them through 30 second adventures to save the world. It has RPG, strategy, action and shooter modes and was released in North America in 2009. It was updated and ported to the Xbox 360 as an XBLA title in 2011.
• Little King’s Story (Wii): Corobo is the newly crowned king of Alpoko and it is up to him to get his followers to build up the kingdom to make it a wonderful place to live. It is a combination life sim and real time strategic RPG and was released in North America in 2009.
• Luminous Arc (DS): People in the Cardinal Kingdom and throughout the world are taught witches are bad, but a young knight named Leon and his friends learn there’s more to the story and the world is in danger. It is a strategic RPG with visual novel elements and was released in North America in 2007.
• Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii): Players travel across Japan either as the fugitive, amnesiac ninja Kisuke who’s trying to prove his innocence or as the possessed princess Momohime trying to flee to safety while completing the spirit of the man possessing her. It is an action RPG and was released in North America in 2009.
• No More Heroes (Wii): Travis Touchdown takes an assassination job to pay for a beam katana he bought online, ends up becoming the 11th ranked assassin by the United Assassins Association and has to keep killing and trying to be number 1 or all other wannabe assassins will hunt him down. It is an action RPG and was released in North America in 2008. An updated port was released on the PS3 in 2011.

If you are only going to try a few, then definitely go for Avalon Code, No More Heroes and Contact!

COMING NEXT WEEK: Hot Japanese Imports looks into the nD.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Hot Japanese Imports talked about the GP2X, Wiz and Caanoo.

Follow Jenni on Twitter for more import game updates and general fangirl enthusiasm!

If you haven’t been paying attention to the Ace Attorney live-action movie adaptation, you may want to start. It turns out it won’t be trapped in Japan. Takashi Miike, the director, was on hand when the movie was shown at the Netherlands International Film Festival Rotterdam and said that it will be released worldwide. Granted, it likely won’t be released in theaters worldwide, but that does mean everyone, everywhere will be able to see it.

Miike confirmed that there will be both subtitles and voice-over dubs for the Ace Attorney movie in different regions. This will include full localizations. So you don’t have to worry about hearing names like Ryuuichi Naruhodou and Reiji Mitsurugi and wonder who those people are. (Phoenix Wright and Edgeworth, in case you were wondering.) He didn’t have any kind of release schedule, but that’s to be expected since the release question came up during a question and answer segment after the film.

To help get you ready, here’s a trailer that Ash from the Ace Attorney Court Records fansite translated.

If you’ve played the first Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney game, then you know what will happen in the movie. It’s loosely based on the major cases from that entry, in particular the cases Turnabout Sisters and Rise from the Ashes.

The Ace Attorney movie will begin its Japanese theater run on February 11, 2012. The three main stars are Hiroki Narimiya as Phoenix Wright, Takumi Saitou as Miles Edgeworth and Mirei Kiritani as Maya Fey.

Read [Twitch Film] Site [Gyakuten Saiban (Japanese)]

Good news for Type Moon fans, it’s time to test out A Magician’s Night: Witch on the Holy Night! That’s the latest Type Moon visual novel. An updated version of the demo has just been released and is waiting to be sampled

A Magician’s Night is a visual novel, but it’s a little different than ones to which people in North America have grown accustomed. It isn’t like a choose-your-own-adventure, where you get to make decisions as you play. It’s a kinetic visual novel. That means you make no choices. You just read along with the story while watching the characters interact on screen. It’s more similar to a graphic novel.

Playing may provide a sense of deja vu for some people. A Magician’s Night goes into the backstory of Aoki Aozaki, from Tsukihime. Many details about this particular VN haven’t been released yet, despite it having an April 12, 2012 release date. Aoki is a magus, and this visual novel will look at what her life was like back when she was in high school and how she became Alice Kuonji’s friend, her relationship with a normal man named Shizuki and show more about how she relates to her older sister Touko.

You can head off and download the A Magician’s Night: Witch on the Holy Night demo right now, provided you have a Windows PC. It’s in the “Special” section and is about a 600mb download. Just bare in mind that it is an unvoiced game and will be very text heavy with some advanced kanji. Don’t worry about adult content, as this is an all ages game. Even if you have trouble understanding it, I guess you could just enjoy the artwork.

Read [4Gamer.net (Japanese)] Site [Witch on the Holy Night (Japanese)]

The Summer 2012 arcade release of Gunslinger Stratos is getting close, which means more details about the game’s abilities and development process are trickling out. Square Enix and Byking just revealed a pretty interesting tidbit today, in fact. It turns out this arcade shooter was made using the Orochi Engine developed by Silicon Studio. It was used to speed up development and make the game generally look better.

Gunslinger Stratos should feel familiar for people who play light gun games. You battle various things, shooting like crazy in the hopes you’re the last one standing. The twist is that here, you have two guns. You can then arrange them to use both at once, use a side-arm style gun or use a huge rocket launcher. Those are just general ideas though, as there will be tons of guns and each playable character has different armory options.

Not to mention it will have tons of multiplayer options. You can team up for cooperative play against the computer or other groups of players. You could also go for one on one versus matches. There are also single player missions, for people who prefer to play alone or who want to battle with people around the nation.

The Orochi Engine was used to make 3D Dot Game Heroes for the PS3. It is also going to be put to work on the Vita. Most notably, the engine is designed to make it easy to port arcade games to consoles. So if Square Enix is going to be using it for arcade games, then it could make it much easier to create home versions of said games.

Odds are, we’ll never see this in North America, but you never know. Gameworks and other arcades sometimes will import Japanese machines. Or, Gunslinger Stratos could be a surprise hit and Square Enix could decide to make a console port. For now, just look on in envy.

Read [Andriasang] Also Read [4Gamer.net (Japanese)]

Japan is getting a really awesome 3DS eShop game on February 8, 2012 and I think it’s exactly what the North American and European eShops need. It’s Denpa Ningen RPG (Radio Wave People RPG), an AR game that makes good use of the 3DS cameras and is also an RPG. Intrigued? It gets better. It’s being made by Genius Sonority, a company that developed Pokemon Colosseum, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness and Dragon Quest Swords.

In Denpa Ningen RPG, players control a special camera (the 3DS) that allows people to see the Denpa Ningen inhabiting their world. If you see one you need, you can zoom in and recruit it. That character then becomes a member of your party in a quest to fight against a demon king and his monster minions. The demon king and his monsters have kidnapped innocent people and are engaging in the usual villainous deeds. Only the party you form can stop him.

Here’s a general trailer showing Denpa Ningen catching and dungeon crawling.

As you can see, the RPG part has a standard turn-based RPG vibe. Your party explores dungeons, finds treasures and rescues people. You can even find different buildings to unlock areas of the island that’s fallen under the demon king’s rule. Do well, and you’ll restore it to its former glory.

It’ll probably be another year or so before a 3DS Pokemon game is released and a game like Denpa Ningen RPG would do a great job of filling the void. I mean, it uses the 3DS’ unique abilities and offers a full RPG experience. The only thing better would be if there were StreetPass capabilities for swapping Denpa Ningen or SpotPass to allow for coop or versus battles.

If you have a Japanese 3DS, you can download the Ningen Denpa RPG demo on February 1, 2012. Then, a week later, you can pay ¥800 (~$10.50) for the full game.

Read [4Gamer.net (Japanese)] Also Read [Siliconera]

Gamepark Holdings had an idea. It wanted to create a handheld device that could be used for gaming and other means, but also had no restrictions. The company was made up of workers from GamePark who had originally developed a handheld device of that nature called the GP32, and GamePark Holdings wanted to continue that legacy. So, it decided to create a whole new product line, the GP2X. While I’m sure many of you may have never heard of it, it was an admirable series of open source devices that managed to survive for 10 years before finally going out of business.

Since the three models released, the GP2X, Wiz and Caanoo, all relied on user-created software and games rather than commercially developed apps, all three devices can still be quite useful and viable today. So let’s learn about the devices and see if any are something you’d be interested in acquiring.

What’s a GP2X?

Simply put, the GP2X series are the Korean take on a portable game console. Except it does a lot more than one would expect for a handheld, as it contained a Linux-based operating system, was open-source to allow homebrew apps and supported a number of different media types, including Flash. So while most GP2X units looked like a cross between a Game Boy Advance and a Neo Geo Pocket, it was far more advanced and was capable of things even the DS couldn’t do.

The first unit in the series was the GP2X, which came out in 2005. It played games, apps and media off of an SD card, had a TV output and later models even had a touch screen. It was mainly a homebrew and indie device, with very few commercial games sold for it. Instead, users were encouraged to develop their own software and share it. As you can guess, there are tons of emulators available to allow it to play other, older console and handheld games. It also could play AVI, DixX, MPG, WMA and Xvid video files, as well as MP3 and OGG audio files.

The next system was the GP2X Wiz, which was first released in 2009. It improved upon the prior hardware by adding in a OLED screen, a microphone and built-in flash memory, as well as being smaller than the original device. It lost the TV output ability in the process though. However, it also had 1gb flash memory compared to the GP2X’s 64mb, which helped make up for it. Also, it had a Flash Player 8 functionality included, as well as support for AVI, flv, DivX, mkv, mp4, MPEG4 and Xvid videos, MP3, OGG and WAV audio files and BMP, GIF, JPG and PNG images. The Wiz’s price dropped down to $100 after the next model was released.

That model would be the GP2X Caanoo, which had a relatively short lifespan. It was released in 2010 and production ended in September 2011. The company folded soon after, leaving not even a trace online as its website disappeared from the internet. It’s a shame, because the $149.99 Caanoo was an impressive little device. It could handle 3D visuals, had a microphone built into it, had an OLED resistive touchscreen, has WiFi capabilities if you have the external piece, can have an addtional controller attached, had an accelerometer and vibration effects and, of course, ran a Linux OS. Like the GP2X Wiz, it could play AVI, DivX, MPEG4 and XviD media files, MP3, OGG and WAV audio files and display BMP, GIF, JPG and PNG images. In addition, it had some rudimentary eReader functions and could open TXT and PDF files. It also had AV output. It had no onboard memory for apps though, relying on SD cards to save data and isn’t out-of-the-box compatible with GP2X and GP2X Wiz apps, requiring upgrading users to find a work around or get a new version of the old app.

The GP2X Caanoo can still be found quite easily online for around $150. Play-Asia is even still selling new units. You can probably even find it for less than that, if you’re willing to do some searching. The GP2X and GP2X Wiz will be a bit harder to find. If you’re willing to take to eBay, you should be fine and should easily find a Wiz or Caanoo.

So what can you play on your GP2X handheld?

While there is an online game store called FunGP, which is still online despite the demise of the GP2X Wiz and Caanoo, the beauty of the GP2X line is that they’re open source. This means there are tons of free games available to download and enjoy. FunGP allows users access to both paid and free apps, so it’s a good place to start before searching the rest of the internet. You do have to buy FunGP G-Money cards in order to actually shop at the FunGP store. Play-Asia does sell 20,000G cards.

Here are a handful of games to initially consider:

• Deicide

• Frozen Bubble: It’s a Bust-a-Move clone where you launch colored bubbles up at matching bubbles to make them disappear. There’s no language barrier. It costs 3,000G.
• Herknights: It’s a side-scrolling action game where you choose a character and beat up enemies. It’s in Korean, but it’s also free so it wouldn’t hurt to test it out.
• Jelly Mahjong: It’s a puzzle game that requires you to match little jelly characters. It also appears to be in English. It costs 5,000G
• Jump to the Moon: It’s a Doodle Jump style game where you help an astronaut jump to the moon. There are no language barriers and it is free.
• Patissier: It’s a puzzle game where you help a young woman navigate a labyrinth, collecting ingredients for deserts, by rotating the area. While it is in Korean, it seems like you can play it without understanding the language. It costs 5,000G
• Puszion: It’s a matching puzzle game where you pair up similar figures. It’s free and in English.
• Redemption: It’s an action RPG. It’s also completely in Korean, which may cause trouble if you have to make any decisions. It costs 5,000G.
• Rhythmos: It’s a basic music game where you hit onscreen indicators to get a high score. It’s in both English and Korean, so you should have no problem playing and enjoying it. It costs 7,000G, but free demo versions are also available.

Just keep in mind that some of these games may not be in English, as these are Korean devices.

Another fantastic resource for games and apps is OpenHandhelds.org. It offers a wide assortment of games and apps for not only the GP2X, Wiz and Caanoo, but also for its competitors. All you do is click the icon for the handheld you own, and you’re taken to directory filled with free apps, games, emulators, magazines, firmware and also different programs to use your device with your computer. Screenshots are available for almost all apps and games as well, so you’ll know what you’re getting before you download it.

There’s one more thing to mention. Most people who purchase one of these particular open-source handhelds is to use it to emulate old consoles or computers. There are plenty of emulators available, covering arcade emulators, classic consoles like the NES and also more obscure emulator programs like ones for the TI-92 and Pokemon Mini. While piracy is wrong, these kinds of programs are out there.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Hot Japanese Imports talks about Marvelous Entertainment.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Hot Japanese Imports reviewed Katawa Shoujo.

Follow Jenni on Twitter for more import game updates and general fangirl enthusiasm!

]]> http://japanese-gamespot.com/important-importables-gp2x-handhelds/feed 0 http://japanese-gamespot.com/japan-import-kingdom-hearts-10th-anniversary-box-covers-ds-and-3ds-games http://japanese-gamespot.com/japan-import-kingdom-hearts-10th-anniversary-box-covers-ds-and-3ds-games#comments Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:00:06 +0000 admin http://japanese-gamespot.com/japan-import-kingdom-hearts-10th-anniversary-box-covers-ds-and-3ds-games Japan Import: Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Box covers DS and 3DS games

The Kingdom Hearts cash-in continues. Did you know it’s almost been 10 years since Kingdom Hearts was released on the PS2 on March 28, 2002? Square Enix did, and Square Enix isn’t a company that’s about to let an opportunity like that pass it by. Especially since Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance for the 3DS has the rather auspicious release date of March 29, 2012. It’s time for a Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Box!

The Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Box is a means of celebrating the series’ 10th birthday with portable games. If you grab it, you get the newest game, Kingdom Hearts 3D. You also get the two recent DS releases, Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts re:Coded. I guess Square Enix figured only 3DS and DS owners will want to celebrate.

But alas, the Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Box isn’t as shiny and happy as it seems. It means the 10th Anniversary of Kingdom Hearts is going to be celebrated and honored with two of the weakest games in the series. Kingdom Hearts re:Coded was just a pointless adventure and rehash with few redeeming qualities and, while I did like Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, it also didn’t add anything worthwhile to the overall storyline. Both came across as ways for Square Enix to keep the series in the public eye while it prepared Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep and, hopefully, started getting something done about Kingdom Hearts 3.

A more fitting Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Box would have included the games that actually mattered: Kingdom Hearts (PS2), Kingdom Hearts 2 (PS2) and Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (PSP). Square Enix could have done the HD remaster thing and put all three on the PS3. People would have gone nuts for it.

Anyways, if you’re really interested in this latest cash-in, you probably should just oogle it from the internet. The 3DS is region-locked so you wouldn’t be able to play the included copy of Kingdom Hearts 3D and the other two games are already available in English. You’d be paying a premium ¥15,000 (~$195) price for a game you can’t play, two games you either have played or wouldn’t want to play, a 3DS case and 12 post cards.

Read [4Gamer (Japanese)]

]]> http://japanese-gamespot.com/japan-import-kingdom-hearts-10th-anniversary-box-covers-ds-and-3ds-games/feed 0 http://japanese-gamespot.com/jtt-3ds-battery-may-be-worth-importing http://japanese-gamespot.com/jtt-3ds-battery-may-be-worth-importing#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:00:05 +0000 admin http://japanese-gamespot.com/jtt-3ds-battery-may-be-worth-importing JTT 3DS battery may be worth importing

There’s one consistent problem that plagues 3DS owners. No, it isn’t lack of worthwhile games, as that was remedied in the second half of 2011. It’s the battery life. If you’re still playing with the stock battery, you’re probably feeling lucky if you’re able to play for four hours without recharging. It’s disgraceful. Thankfully, third party peripheral developers have stepped up to help, and Japan Trust Technology’s latest battery is the best of the bunch, and has a crazy price tag to prove it.

The JTT 3DS battery is pretty much just referred to as a large capacity internal battery, extended life battery or even just big battery. All three monikers don’t do it justice. After you’ve unscrewed the button battery cover and removed the stock battery, the JTT battery does more for you than the original ever could. It’s a 5,800mAh battery that’s almost four and a half times more powerful than the existing 3DS battery.

That’s a very good thing, trust me. JTT’s guarantee is that it’s 3DS battery will boost the battery life up to at least 10 hours. So it’ll be about on par with the original DS lite battery life.

Now, while the JTT 3DS big battery will make your 3DS 9mm thicker, the company still wants to keep it fashionable. There are two packs to choose from and each comes with battery colors that match the stock 3DS colors. Just be aware that these batteries are quite expensive, so you’re paying for that extra power and fashion statement. The ¥9,480 (~$122) set comes with black and blue covers and the ¥9,980 ($129) set comes with pink, red and white covers.

Read [Andriasang] Product Page [JTT Online Shop]

]]> http://japanese-gamespot.com/jtt-3ds-battery-may-be-worth-importing/feed 0 http://japanese-gamespot.com/japan-import-kingdom-hearts-3d-gets-a-custom-3ds-bundle http://japanese-gamespot.com/japan-import-kingdom-hearts-3d-gets-a-custom-3ds-bundle#comments Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:00:04 +0000 admin http://japanese-gamespot.com/japan-import-kingdom-hearts-3d-gets-a-custom-3ds-bundle Japan Import: Kingdom Hearts 3D gets a custom 3DS bundle


Prepare yourself, as the march of limited edition 3DS units is about to begin. The DS was known for all of its assorted incarnations in Japan, since many major game releases also had custom, limited edition bundles released alongside them. It seems the 3DS will see a similar situation. The first custom 3DS units included limited edition Club Nintendo models with Mario, Toad and Peach designs. Then, there was the Monster Hunter 3G 3DS. Now, it seems the Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3DS won’t be the only special release of March 2012. The Kingdom Hearts 3D 3DS shown above will be joining it.

As you can see from the image above, the Kingdom Hearts 3D 3DS has a rather subtle design. It’s a Cosmo Black 3DS, with a subtle pattern etched into the lid of various Disney and Kingdom Hearts logos. A general Kingdom Hearts logo, complete with pink crown, appears in the bottom left corner. There could very well be some kind of design inside as well, but Square Enix and Nintendo didn’t release any pictures of it. It will only be available in a bundle that will include a copy of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance and a limited edition Dream Eater AR card for an exclusive Dream Eater character. If you can’t afford a whole bundle or already own a Japanese 3DS, that AR card will also be included with first-run copies of KH 3D.

As usual, know what you’re getting into before importing any 3DS or 3DS game. This handheld is region-locked. So if you import the Kingdom Hearts 3D 3DS bundle from Japan, you’ll only be able to play Japanese games on the system. The price for it hasn’t been announced yet, but it will be out on March 29, 2012. I’d say expect to pay $350 or more for it.

Read [4Gamer (Japanese)]

]]> http://japanese-gamespot.com/japan-import-kingdom-hearts-3d-gets-a-custom-3ds-bundle/feed 0 http://japanese-gamespot.com/important-importables-finding-nifty-japanese-drinks http://japanese-gamespot.com/important-importables-finding-nifty-japanese-drinks#comments Sun, 15 Jan 2012 08:00:06 +0000 admin http://japanese-gamespot.com/important-importables-finding-nifty-japanese-drinks Hot Japanese Imports: Finding nifty Japanese drinks


January’s a great month to sit at home and relax, enjoying the various presents you received back in December and staying in out of the cold. Granted, winter this year has been pretty mild, but the sentiment is still the same. It’s a month to kick back and start planning what you want to do over the next year or recover after gathering with family and friends last month. It also would be a great time to try something new while enjoying your new games. You know, have a little adventure without leaving the house.

Japanese snacks are always a good way to experiment and try something new without worrying about the whole endeavor going too badly. Since we looked back at some Japanese candy back around Halloween, today we’ll go through some assorted Japanese, non-alcoholic drinks. All of them are relatively easy to find here, either in a local store or online, so you won’t have to



The novelty of Japanese drinks

It’s easy to develop a fascination with Japanese snacks, or even with the way said snacks are provided. Vending machine culture and unusual flavor combinations are typical in the country. It’s unique. People get to experience another culture and feel a little adventurous at the same time, without doing anything too unorthodox.

Vending machines are everywhere in Japan and you can get all kinds of drinks in a hurry, be they hot or cold. Of course there are standard soda machines and hot coffee dispensers with coffee, tea or other hot drinks. Beer machines can also be found in some areas though. Also, the hot drink dispensers are different in that some provide a warm can of coffee or perhaps even a drink like Calpis rather than just giving the buyer a paper cup filled with liquid.

The unexpected flavors are even more common though. Milk flavored drinks and usual tea combinations are everywhere. Coca-Cola and Pepsi are great examples, as both companies have special kinds sold only in Japan. Sometimes they’re even limited editions. Some of the most notable varieties include Coca-Cola Citra (Citrus flavored), Green Tea Coca-Cola Plus, Pepsi Pink (strawberry milk flavored), Pepsi Baobab and Pepsi White (yogurt flavored). Right now, Green Tea Coca-Cola Plus, Pepsi White Sapote (fruit and ginger-flavored) and Pepsi Pink are available in Japan.

Now, finding these Japanese drinks is surprisingly easy in most cases. If there’s an Asian or ethnic grocery store in your neighborhood, odds are you’ll find one or two varieties of Japanese colas, coffees or drinks there. Amazon also carries quite a few as well, or has other vendors selling them there. Or, you can always turn to specialized websites like Asian Snack Time or JBox, which focus on importing snacks from Japan. If you want an unusual Pepsi or Coke variety, you’ll probably have to import, as they rarely appear in stores outside of the country. napaJapan is a good store for picking up the assorted Pepsi and Coca-Cola drinks, and even occasionally carries old varieties for those rare people who collect Pepsi and Coke products.



Drink up!

So, after reading all about how it’s cool to get some foreign drink, possibly in an awesome can featuring iconic characters or unusual designs, you probably want to get one for yourself. Don’t worry, they really aren’t that hard to find. This is especially true if you have an Asian grocery store near your home. Keep an eye out for the following drinks.

Calpis (Calpico)
Price: ~$2 per can, ~5 per bottle
Flavor: Avoid this if you can’t handle dairy, as Calpis, known as Calpico outside Japan, is a drink made of water, dry milk and lactic acid. Depending on the variety you can get Calpis Water or Calpis Soda, with the water version being the standard variety and the soda version being carbonated. There are fruit flavor varieties and people have been known to mix it with liquor to make cocktails. It’s considered a health drink.
Best Served: Cold. Only cold. I can’t imagine drinking it warm. Though, surprisingly, some Japanese vending machines sell Hot Calpis. I shudder at the thought.

Mitsuya Cider
Price: ~$2 per bottle
Flavor: Pretend the “cider” part of Mitsuya Cider isn’t even there. It doesn’t matter. This is just a plain old soft drink, with the original flavor being similar to 7Up or Sprite. It’s supposed to be fizzy and refreshing, and it is. There are also varieties that add in hints of fruit flavor, like lemon or orange. Actually, as good as the drink is, the Mitsuya Cider hard candies are actually better because they not only have the same flavor, they also have the same fizzy feeling when you eat them.
Best Served: Cold

Pocari Sweat
Price: ~$3 per bottle
Flavor: Think of Pocari Sweat as being similar to Gatorade. It’s a non-carbonated sports drink designed to rehydrate people and boost energy with sugar and electrolytes. As far as taste, it’s rather bland and mildly fruity. Unlike health drinks we’re familiar with, Pocari Sweat is only available in a grapefruit variety.
Best Served: Cold

Ramune
Price: ~$2 per bottle
Flavor: Ramune is just a carbonated soft drink. The taste isn’t all that phenomenal, no matter which variety you get. (The standard flavor is lemon-lime, but there are various fruit and cola flavored Ramune as well.) It’s good, but the real appeal comes from the bottle. It’s a Codd-neck bottle with a marble keeping the drink fresh and sealed. It’s held in place with pressure and you have to use a little piece of plastic, included on the top of the bottle, to push the marble into the bottle so you can drink. You even have to drink it in just the right way so the marble doesn’t slip back into place. It’s more about novelty than taste.
Best Served: Cold

UCC Milk Coffee
Price: ~$2 per can, $18 if you get the can and Evangelion figure set.
Flavor: The product description actually does a pretty good job of describing the UCC Milk Coffee taste. It’s coffee that’s flavored with milk and sugar. It’s reminiscent of the kind of coffee you’d get from a vending machine or gas station, actually. Which figures, because it’s sold in vending machines in Japan. It’s particularly notable for anime fans as there have been multiple promotions with UCC and Evangelion, with either the cans featuring characters on them or coming in a pack that includes a figurine.
Best Served: Warm or cold. Remember to pour it into a glass or mug before heading it up in a microwave.

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