Ito-en Oolong-cha(Oolong Tea Drink)

About
Ito-en's Oolong Tea was first born in 1980, and sold soon after in March 1981 as a canned Oolong Tea drink. It was claimed by Ito-en to be the world's first Oolong tea drink. In 1986, the PET bottle version of the drink was sold, also a world first.

Taste
The taste is surprisingly good and makes for a good refreshment.

Kirin Tropicana Coconut Water

 

About
Kirin Tropicana Coconut Water is a non-carbonated sweetened drink that contains 15% coconut juice. This "renewed" version was first sold on April 21st of 2015, after the previous version was sold on July of 2014.
Kirin Tropicana is a joint venture between Kirin, a famous Japanese brewer and the famous PepsiCo of the United States.

Taste
The taste is smooth and velvety, just like what you would expect from coconut juice. It is a bit sour, compared to regular coconut juice, perhaps due to the citric acid.
Since I've tasted real, 100% coconut juice, I must say that this drink is a bit watery and sour in comparison. However, if you look at it as "coconut water", the wateriness can be justified.

Kirin Tropicana Squeeze - Valencia Orange

About
Tropicana Squeeze Valencia Orange is a carbonated soft drink sold by Kirin-Tropicana, a joint venture between Pepsico, Inc. and Kirin Holdings Company, Limited.
The drink contains 12% Valencia orange juice and uses only sugar as a sweetener.

Taste
The drink is not very sweet and the taste of the orange is not so strong either. It seems that the juice is a bit diluted by the carbonated water. However, this may be good on a hot summer's day where you would want to quench your thirst with something more watery than plain juice.
The carbonation is sufficient and not too strong or weak.

Overall, I would describe it as "orange-flavored carbonated water"; it's just short of being called "carbonated orange juice". See also : Tropicana Squeeze Key Lime.

Zeitaku Yogurina(Yogurt-flavored Water) - An Unexpected Hit! - Taste & Review

About
"Minami Alps Tennensui & Zeitaku Yogurina" (Translation: Southern Alps Natural Water & Gorgeous Yogurina)is a yogurt-flavored water which contains real whey inside. The drink was released on April 14, 2015 by Suntory, a Japanese brewer and beverage company. It is part of Suntory's lineup of "Minami Alps Tennensui"(Southern Alps Natural Water).
The drink contains whey from Hokkaido that is fermented to give it a yogurt-like taste, a hint of mint extract, and mineral water from the Southern Alps of Japan. The drink is sweetened with sugar and honey.

It's transparent but tastes of yogurt

An Unexpected Hit
Upon the release of the yogurt water, the drink instantly became a hit and distribution was promptly ceased 3 days after release because the supply could not keep up with the demand. Distribution was resumed on April 30th.

Taste
The taste, unsurprisingly, is that of yogurt. Despite its transparent appearance, the taste of yogurt is actually quite strong. It is not viscous at all, and feels just like plain water. The sweetness is a little on the excessive side, but just a little.
Overall, it's a nice, very unique drink, but due to the sweetness, I do not think I will buy it for a second time.

For another Suntory hit, visit our, "Lemongina - Does it taste like dirt? - Taste & Review" article.

Kishuu Ume Mix - Kagome Yasai Seikatsu 100

About
Kishuu Ume Mix is a vegetable and fruit juice made by Kagome and is part of their lineup of "Yasai Seikatsu 100" vegetable juices.
The drink uses "Ume"(Japanese apricot) harvested in "Kishuu", a former province that is now mostly Wakayama prefecture, hence the name "Kishuu Ume Mix". On the package it is claimed that they use Nankoubai, a brand of ume grown mainly in Wakayama prefecture. The drink also claims to contain 1000mg of citric acid.

Taste
Although "Kishuu Ume Mix" contains 21 different vegetables which make up 50% of the juice, it's not viscous at all and seems just like fruit juice. The other 50% of the juice is comprised of 3 types of fruit, apples, ume(Japanese apricot), and lemon. The taste of the ume is particularly strong and adds a nice, sour accent to the drink.

The drink is a seasonal drink sold for the summer so it's likely that it will be phased out after the season.

Fruit List
Apple, ume, lemon.

Vegetable List
Carrot, bell pepper, spinach, asparagus, komatsuna, cresson(watercress), pumpkin, red cabbagge, broccoli, petit vert(hybrid between brussel sprouts and kale), beet, red perilla, celery, lettuce, napa cabbage, kale, parsley, eggplant, onion, radish, cabbage.

Kirin Tropicana Squeeze - Key Lime

The drink recommends that you flip
it upside down once before drinking.

About
Tropicana Squeeze Key Lime is a carbonated soft drink sold by Kirin-Tropicana, a joint venture between Pepsico, Inc. and Kirin Holdings Company, Limited.
The drink contains 11% lime juice and uses only sugar as a sweetener.

Taste
The drink is not so sweet and the taste of the key lime is fragrant and strong. The slight bitterness of the zest can also be tasted as well. It tastes natural, and does not taste artificial at all.

Review
Overall, I got the impression of a gourmet drink, a drink you might find in a restaurant or bar, made with freshly squeezed lime. I think it's definitely worth buying for the price.

Ninjin 100

About
Ninjin 100(にんじん100) is a can of 100% carrot juice manufactured by Maruha Nichiro Kitanippon's Furano factory in Furano, Hokkaido. The drink uses carrots produced in Furano and has a bit of lemon inside as well.

Taste
The taste is rich, and is almost "creamy". I've tasted many brands of carrot juice but this one tastes the best.

Health
The drink is healthy as well; it contains 300-1200ug of vitamin A and also contains 4-11mg of beta-Carotene inside.

Note:"Ninjin" means carrot in Japanese.

Gokuri Grapefruit

About
Gokuri Grapefruit is a fruit drink sold by Japanese beverage company, Suntory, under their "Gokuri" lineup of fruit drinks. It is one of the most popular Gokuri flavors and has been a long-selling item.
The drink used to contain 30% grapefruit juice, but now contains 22% grapefruit juice.

Taste
The drink is sweet and bitter much like when you eat a real grapefruit. The drink also contains fibers from the fruit, which gives the impression like you are drinking a freshly-squeezed grapefruit. Overall, it's a very tasty drink.

Gokuri Rich Apple

About
Gokuri Rich Apple is a fruit beverage sold by Japanese brewer and bevrages company, Suntory. It is one of the products that make up their lineup of "Gokuri" drinks.
24% of the drink consists of apple juice, so what sets it apart from plain apple juice? 
The answer is the apple fibers that are inside the drink. The fibers give the impression that you are actually drinking freshly squeezed apple. These fibers are what all the Gokuri drinks share in common with each other.

Compared with the other Gokuri drinks, Rich Apple may not have as much impact, but it still is a good drink.

KIRIN World Kitchen - Salty Lime Soda

About
Salty Lime Soda is a carbonated drink sold on June 16 of this year by Japanese brewer and beverage company, KIRIN.
The drink draws its inspiration from Mexico, where lime and salt are often added to drinks and cuisine. The label's design is inspired from "papel picado", a type of decorative paper from Mexico.
Inside KIRIN's Salty Lime Soda is lime and grapefruit juice, with rock salt from Lorraine. The drink also claims to have 1700mg of Vitamin C inside.

Taste
The drink has a strong flavor of lime but is not very sour. You can taste a little salt inside, which adds a nice accent to the drink. Although the drink is sweetened, the sweetness is just right and not excessive at all.
Overall, it's a well-balanced and tasty drink.

KIRIN World Kitchen - Harecha

About
Kirin Harecha is an unsweetened tea drink sold by KIRIN under their "World Kitchen" brand. Inside Harecha are four herbs, lemongrass, mint, rosemary, and geranium, mixed with green tea.
On the label is a passage about how housewives in Greece include lots of herbs inside their cooking. This is supposedly where the inspiration of this drink came from.

Taste
The taste is slightly bitter and you can definitely taste the herbs that are inside the drink. I could clearly taste the mint and rosemary, while the lemongrass was quite subtle. I could not distinguish the taste of geranium since I do not know what it tastes like.
Although very unique as it is unsweet, the taste wasn't unexpected at all.　It tastes like what you would expect an herbal green tea to taste like.

Lemongina - Does it taste like dirt? - Taste & Review

Although it has the French national flag printed on the label, Lemongina is available only in Japan. It was sold on March 31st, 2015 by Japanese brewer and beverages company, Suntory, which also owns the Orangina brand of beverages. Suntory claims that its researchers, in association with Orangina Snapple, spent over two years in France developing a lemon peel extract suited to the tastes of the Japanese consumer.

Taste
Upon release, many consumers claimed that the taste of Lemongina resembled that of "dirt". However, I did not taste "dirt" in the drink; instead, I felt a strong lemon peel flavor, and a genuine lemon taste, much like that of homemade lemonade. My theory is that since lemons are not so widely used in Japan, many people may have associated the flavor of the lemon peel with their experiences of smelling "dirt".

Lemongina contains actual lemon juice, along with grapefruit juice and orange juice, and is not so sweet. Although many carbonated drinks taste artificial, Lemongina tastes very natural and does not have much fizz to it.

In conclusion, I would describe Lemongina as "carbonated homemade lemonade".

References
http://www.suntory.co.jp/softdrink/news/pr/d/sbf0228.html

KIRIN World Kitchen - Vitamina

KIRIN World Kitchen's Vitamina is a non-carbonated drink made with 5 types of berries, blackcurrant, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and cranberries. The drink also contains grape, grapefruit, and acelola juices and contains 450mg of vitamin C.
On the label of the drink, there is some text that describes how a mother in Sweden makes a syrup called "Saft" from berries picked during the summer. It goes on to say that Vitamina is made by mixing water and other fruit juices with Saft.


Taste
The drink is sufficiently sweet and has a very strong berry taste. Out of the berries, I found the raspberry to taste the strongest. Overall, it's an unusual and interesting drink to have.

HI-C Peach

HI-C Peach is a non-carbonated, sweetened, peach drink sold by Coca Cola Japan. The product was reintroduced in 2014.

The drink contains 20% peach juice, and is very fruity as a result. The sweetness of the drink is just shy of being too sweet, which makes for one nice drink to consume when chilled.

Gokuri Sweet Pineapple

Gokuri Sweet Pineapple is a fruit drink sold by Suntory in Japan, and is part of the "Gokuri" series. The drink contains 15% juice consisting of pineapple and lemon juice, sugar, fruit fibers, and fruit extract.

Taste
The fruit fibers give the drink an impression of freshly squeezed pineapple juice. However, since the drink is not 100% juice, it is not as viscous and is easier to drink than pure juice.
This makes the drink an excellent thirst-quencher during the hot Japanese summers.

Ramune Desuyo

"Ramune Desuyo" is a Ramune drink sold in PET bottle form.

What is Ramune?
The word "Ramune" comes from the English word, "lemonade", and in the past, Ramune actually used to taste like lemonade. Nowadays, "Ramune" is distinguished from "Lemonade" and has a unique taste of its own.
Ramune usually comes in a distinctive glass bottle where a marble must be pushed down to open it. The bottle for this drink however, is made from plastic whereas the marble is glass like it usually is.
Ramune is usually consumed in the summer and is often sold in matsuri and firework festivals.

The glass marble inside

Taste

The taste of "Ramune Desuyo" is what it is, Ramune. With a refreshing and somewhat-citrus taste, it goes well with the hot Japanese summers.

Mitsuya Fruit Cider Lychee

Introduced in June of this year, this drink is "Mitsuya Fruit Cider Lychee" sold by Asahi.

Taste
Despite the fact that the drink only contains 1% lychee juice, the taste of lychee is strong and goes well with the taste of Mitsuya Cider. The carbonation is not that strong, which makes for one easy-to-drink soft drink.
Overall, it's one fruity and tasty drink that I might consider buying again.

Spiral Grape Gold

Gold vs Red
This is the gold version of Spiral Grape and was introduced after the original "red"(Idk why it's red and not purple officially) Spiral Grape. Unlike the "red" one, the gold one does not contain salsify and dandelion, and does not taste like liquorice. It's light with a strong aroma and taste of grape. Not surprisingly, the drink does not contain any juice and the taste of the grape is somewhat artificial like Fanta.
According to the official website of Spiral Grape, it claims the drink has a strong fizz to it but I would have to say that the fizz is rather weak. Overall, it's not a bad drink and I would say the gold version is better than the "red" (or purple) Spiral Grape as I don't like liquorice-like taste of the red one.

Advertising
The advertising for Spiral Grape was aggressive and I still remember the numerous commercials that were broadcast almost every commercial break a few months ago.
You can view the commercials at the drink's official site.

WILKINSON MIXING Blood Orange

Taste
The taste is something in between grapefruit and orange. I can't say if it tastes like blood orange since I haven't tasted blood orange in its raw form. Surprisingly, the drink does not contain any natural juice so the taste is somewhat artificial and fanta-like.
It  also uses natural coloring to give it that blood orange color.

UCC Black Tea

UCC Black Tea is an unsweetened Darjeeling tea drink that has been sold by UCC from April 7th, 2009.

Taste
As expected, the taste is that of Darjeeling tea with a nice aroma. Nothing less, nothing more.

Travel Tip
In Japan, unsweetened coffee and tea is often labeled as "Black". If a tea drink or coffee is not labeled, "Black", it is likely sweetened and has milk in it.

Where To Find
I bought this at a local FamilyMart at around 140 yen.