Twentythree

Lotte’s canned water makes its convenience store debut.

The first time you take a look at the drink section in a Japanese convenance store, you might be surprised by some of the packaging, specifically the things that you can buy in cans. Canned coffee and cocktails can be found in pretty much every convenience store in the country, and while not as common, canned teas aren’t all that shocking to see here either.

But even we were surprised to find out that 7-Eleven Japan now sells canned water.

The Day is a brand of canned water from Lotte, who’s best known as a candy and snack food maker. They’re now in the water game too, though, and while the black-can The Day is carbonated, the red version isn’t.

▼ The Day went on sale through online shops and discount retailers in September, but just made its convenience store debut at 7-Eleven on May 5.

The visual design looks more like something you’d see for an energy drink or beer, and the contrast feels even more pronounced when you see The Day next to other brands of water, which tend to go with nature imagery and transparencies as their main visual motifs.

Lotte says they chose The Day’s name to symbolize its concept as “a water that lifts your spirts” and will give you a great day. There are no additional energy boosting chemicals or supplements added, though. The Day is simply canned natural mineral water, sourced from the town of Yaizu in Shizuoka Prefecture, according to the can’s text.

▼ And yes, we did accidentally drop this can on our way back from 7-Eleven, leading to the first time in our lives that we can say that we dented our water.

Once back in our taste-testing center, we cracked open the non-sparkling The Day for a comparison with Suntory’s Tennensui, one of Japan’s most popular bottled water brands.

Oddly enough, while the red-can The Day is supposed to be the non-sparkling variety, after we poured some into a glass we did still see some air bubbles. Not so many that we’d call it a full-on carbonated beverage, and this might just be a side-effect of the canning process, as opposed to an intentional design choice, but still, the water wasn’t completely still.

Taste-testing duties fell to our ace reporter Mr. Sato, and he says The Day’s mouthfeel is smooth, imparting a refreshing sensation as it glides down your throat. He reports no unpleasant metallic taste or aroma either, so while it feels unusual to be drinking water from a can, the flavor isn’t funny, and is perfectly satisfying.

But why has Lotte chosen to put The Day in cans, and not the plastic bottles that are the industry norm? In its press release, the company says it sees the day as “One answer to the needs of a new age of wellness,” and the choice of more easily recyclable aluminum seems to be an extension of that philosophy. The uniqueness factor probably doesn’t hurt either, as the packaging and design really do stand out against other brands of water. Lotte might also be hoping that the more substantial feel of a can helps position The Day as a premium product, and at a price of 158 yen (US$1) for a 480-mililiter (16.2-ounce) can, it is a little on the pricy side, as most other water brands are 140 yen or less for a 500-miiliter bottle.

There is one clear drawback to The Day being in a can, though, which is that once you pop the top, there’s no way to close it back up again. This isn’t an issue for coffee or alcoholic beverages, since they tend to be things where people drink the entire can shortly after opening it. Regardless of whether it started out hot or iced, coffee tends to taste significantly worse once it gets to room temperature, and beer and cocktails aren’t the kind of drinks most people go walking around with. A lot of people, though, buy a bottle of water while commuting to work or out on a walk, take a few sips, then put the cap back on so they can toss the bottle in their bag and have some more when they feel thirsty again a little later on.

By nature of being in a can, The Day doesn’t lend itself to that “I’ll have a little now, and then the rest later on” style of consumption, making it a much less convenient choice than its competitors. On the other hand, being locked into drinking the whole can once you’ve opened it does promote taking the time to mindfully hydrate, and with Japan’s cruelly hot kokushobi-level summer weather on the way, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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Plus some surprising extra requirements, like having to say “thank you” at least 10 times a day. 

Every school in Japan has its own set of rules, and while many of these guidelines are perfectly understandable, there are some that are baffling, to say the least.

This topic of nonsensical school rules was recently explored by Jukusen, one of Japan’s largest online directory and comparison platforms for cram schools, in a survey that targeted 104 high school students nationwide.

More than half (56.7 percent) of the respondents said there were rules at their school that they did not agree with, and out of these, about 70 percent said they hadn’t been given an explanation as to why those rules are necessary.

So what were the rules that made no sense to students? Let’s take a look at the top 12 responses below – totals exceed 100 percent as students were allowed to give multiple responses – starting with a brief rundown from 12 to six.

12. No stopping anywhere on the way home after school (27.9 percent)
11. Limits on the number of keychains students can carry (30.8 percent)
10. Ban on sunscreen and lip balm (31.7 percent)
9. Restrictions on winter clothing such as coats and scarves (34.6 percent)
8. Restrictions on sweaters and cardigans (34.6 percent)
7. Rules specifying the type and colour of school bags (34.6 percent)
6. Restrictions on underwear colour (36.5 percent)

▼ The question put to students for the survey was: “Which school rules honestly make no sense to you?“

Taking a closer look at the top five revealed the following results:

5. Restrictions on smartphones (36.5 percent)

Many respondents accepted bans during class but thought prohibitions during breaks or school events were unreasonable as students want to communicate and take photos at those times.

4. Restrictions on the colour, length, and design of socks (39.4 percent)

Students questioned why schools sought to regulate such a minor detail, saying it felt pointless to regulate tiny fashion issues.

3. Restrictions on how to wear the uniform (42.3 percent)

Students complained that uniform rules were excessively detailed and inconsistently enforced, with one student saying she was pulled up by teachers for folding up the waist of her skirt, even though she was only doing it as it was uncomfortably loose.

▼ Low socks and a high skirt is a no-no at schools.

2. Ban on eyebrow grooming (48.1 percent)

Students argued that not being allowed to care for your eyebrows actually makes people look less presentable. They also expressed concern for people who feel insecure about their brows, as they’re not allowed to tend to them.

1. Restrictions on hairstyles and hair colour (54.8 percent)

Students strongly questioned why schools regulate hair at all, with many saying they felt these rules weren’t in line with the times as they prioritise conformity over individuality.

The survey also revealed some unusual rules that exist at some schools:

• On graduation day, girls must wear tights of 80 denier or higher
• Students are required to say “thank you” at least 10 times a day within the school
• Bans on establishing a light music club

While “light music” originally referred to lighter orchestral pieces, it now involves popular music like punk, rock and J-Pop, and some schools fear these clubs might “increase the number of delinquent and misbehaving students”.

Though students are quick to complain about these “incomprehensible” school rules, saying they have little to do with academic performance, in the end, they mostly put up with them, with approximately 70 percent of current respondents indicating that they abide by the rules despite their dissatisfaction.

The remaining 30 percent are likely plucking an eyebrow hair every now and then, and holding out hope for their school to rethink some of its requirements. With some schools now easing up on black-only hair rules and abolishing underwear checks, change may very well be on the horizon.

Source: Press release
Featured image: Press release
Insert images: Press release, Pakutaso (1, 2, 3)
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A beautiful, highly customizable hike that’s an easy day-trip from Tokyo.

We’re finally in that not-too-cold, not-too-hot sweet spot of spring weather in Japan, providing a prime window for all sorts of outdoor activities. While “climb Mt. Fuji” might be the one that most quickly comes to mind for travelers in Japan, the country’s tallest mountain won’t be open to hikers until midsummer, but today we’re taking a look at a different great mountain to hike that’s doable as a day trip from Tokyo.

Mt. Tsukuba is located in the town of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. With a height of 877 meters (2,877 feet), it offers some great views from the top, but it can also be a safe, manageable hike even if you’re not a hard-core alpinist. As proof, our Japanese-language reporter Natsuno Futon, who readily admits to not doing a whole lot of exercise these days, recently headed out to Mt. Tsukuba with her two elementary school-age daughters to hike one of its trails.

There are a number of different routes you can take to the top of Mt. Tsukuba, but today we’ll be following along on Natsuno’s trek up the Otatsuishi Trail. You can get on the trail from the Tsutsujigaoka Parking Area, which itself can be reached in about two hours from downtown Tokyo, first by taking the Tsukuba Express train from Akihabara Station to TX Tsukuba Station, and from there a series of shuttle buses to the Numata, Tsukubasan-jinja Iriguchi, and finally Tsutsujigaoka bus stops, with 45 minutes spent on the train and a total of about 50 minutes on the buses (alternatively, if you’re arriving by car, you can just drive to the Tsutsujigaoka Parking Area and pay to park in the lot).

Natsuno rolled up at around 11:40 a.m. on a holiday. The parking area is already at an altitude of about 500 meters, so you’re starting off part-way to the top.

The early section of the trail is a series of paved steps, and less than five minutes after they’d started the hike, they were already being rewarded with beautiful scenery like this.

After about 15 minutes of walking, the paved steps had stopped and the course had turned into a genuine trail. Natsuno’s youngest, a first-grader, said “I’m tired” for the first time since they’d set out, so they stopped for short break, then continued on after she’d recharged.

Mt. Tsukuba has a reputation as being a beginner-friendly hike, but you’ll still want to wear proper hiking shoes and watch your step. At around 12:20, Natsuno passed through this section of trees with exposed roots stretching across the path…

…and this rocky section felt as much like an obstacle course as it did a hiking trail.

At 12:30, they reached a rest area at on overlook beside the trail. Long ago, this used to be the site of a teahouse, called the Benkei Chaya, and it’s still a place for those walking the trail to stop and rest their feet, though you’ll need to bring your own snacks or drinks to enjoy.

After a 10-minute breather and some munchies, Natsuno was on the move again.

Mt. Tsukuba has a unique shape, with essentially two peaks with a recessed plateau between them. The Nyotaisan, or “Female Peak,” is the higher of the two (877 meters versus the Nantaisan/”Male Peak’s” 871 meters), so when Natsuno’s group came to a fork in the trail, they took the path headed for the Nyotaisan.

▼ 女体山頂 = Nyotaisan peak

One of the cool things about the Otatsuishi Trail is how many different scenic spots there are along the way. For example, there’s the Benkei Nanamodori.

A narrow section of the trail where a large boulder wedged between the tops of two other creates a tunnel-like structure, this was once said to be a gateway between the world of the gods and the world of humans, and Natsuno felt a spark of adventurous excitement as they passed through it.

At 12:43, they reached a section of the trail called Takamagahara, after the “high plain of the heavens” where the sun goddess Amaterasu and other Shinto deities reside.

▼ There’s a shrine dedicated to Amaterasu here (you can see part of its roof in this photo).

10 minutes later they came upon the Kuniwari Ishi, or “Kingdom-splitting Rock,” where legend has it the gods drew lines upon the stone to determine who would have dominion over which parts of the realm.

And at 12:55, they found themselves at Debune Irebuni, “Ships Coming and Going,” a rock formation that resembles two boats passing by each other, and so a place of worship of Funadama no Kami, the patron deity of ships and sailors.

It had been an hour-plus of consistent ascents up to this point, but from here Natsuno got a slight reprieve as the trail sloped back down for a section. However, while she wasn’t having to work herself up and over rocks for a while, she still had to be mindful of her footing, since a slip here would mean a nasty tumble.

Up until now, Natsuno and her group hadn’t encountered many other people on the trail, but a posted sign said that as they got closer to the peak, things might get more crowded. From the point where they were now, it was usually only another 20 minutes or so to get to the top, but during congested times, it could take as much as four times as long.

Luckily, things that nearly so severe on this day. As the terrain got super rocky, though, almost like the mountain was giving Natsuno a final test, the slower speed at which hikers could progress did end up causing a bit of a traffic jam right before the peak.

Another part of the reason for this line, though is that people were waiting patiently to take photos at the top of the mountain, which Natsuno’s group got to at 1:24 p.m., about an hour and 40 minutes after they’d started hiking.

Taking in the breathtaking view and caressed by the cool breeze, Natsuno felt a sense of accomplishment, and her kids had managed the hike pretty well too, even if the youngest had said along the way, more than once, “I’m tired.”

Now, from here you could get back down simply by turning around and waking back the same way you came, or by taking one of the other trails to the bottom. There is, however, a third option, which is to take the ropeway gondolas that run between the peak and the Tsutsujigaoka Parking Area, and in deference to her younger daughter’s sagging energy level (and maybe her own), Natsuno made the decision to ride the ropeway back.

The ropeway station is next to a lookout area with tables and benches, where Natsuno spotted a few well-prepared groups having picnic lunches.

The view from here is amazing too, whether you’re appreciating it with the naked eye or using the coin-operated binoculars.

▼ You can also see the slightly lower Nantaisan peak from here.

The ropeway runs between 9:20 a.m. and 5 p.m., and the ride takes a little under 10 minutes.

At 2:23, Natsuno’s group was back at the Tsutsujigaoka Parking Area, where they rewarded themselves for their hike to the summit with some meat-wrapped rice balls on a stick and fried chicken cutlets.

▼ Mountain climbing is hungry work, after all.

Though Natsuno’s group took around an hour and 40 minutes to hike their way up, serious adult hikers can do the Otatsuishi Trail ascent in about 40 minutes, so walking it both ways, up and down, is still a very doable day trip. There are also longer trails that start lower on the mountain, plus one that connects the mountain’s two peaks, which are about 35 minutes apart on foot. All of that makes Mt. Tsukuba a very customizable hike, and a great way to get a taste of mountain trekking in Japan.

Related: Mt. Tsukuba official website, Mt. Tsukuba Cable Car and Ropeway official website
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