What do you think these bottles have in them? At first glance, it might seem like water.
Look twice before purchasing
When you're really thirsty and hit the convenience store or a vending machine, you are likely to pull out something that looks like water without thinking twice. But this is Japan!
Many foreigners have purchased what looks like a bottle of mineral water but have been either highly amused or disappointed! From peach to tea and yogurt, water comes in all flavors in Japan, and it actually take a few seconds to pick water that is actually just plain water.
Yogurt-flavored water, a bestseller
This drink has been on the shelves since 2015 and there have been times when it has been sold out! Clearly some people prefer yogurt-flavored water over plain boring water.
Reactions of foreigners
In 2017, "Morning-tea" flavored water was trending on social media. Why would someone want to have water that tastes like tea? According to those who tried it, the taste was undoubtedly that of tea and there was a range of opinions but most were in favor of it and found it surprisingly delicious.
Reactions of Japanese
Apparently the labeling on this water says tea and milk. Japanese are known to be health conscious world over and the fact that the labeling says milk but the content has no color of it puts most at an unease. Everyone wonders what kind of chemicals have gone into the water to make it look transparent?
Of course, these are just opinions and barely have any truth to them.
So why is there an obsession with flavored water in Japan?
According to Suntory, putting drinks like coffee, juices or tea can be considered immature or irresponsible at the work place. Apparently, colleagues tend to look down on those drinking anything other than water. Some people even mentioned that their seniors complained about them drinking a juice or coffee during a meeting.
So the packaging has intentionally been made similar to bottles of mineral water and you can easily sip of your favorite drink without any piercing looks. Plus if you're one of those who dislikes water or has a sweet tooth, this can be your savior.
The fact that most people use bookcovers to hide what they are reading suggests that people dislike showing any aspect of their personal life in public.
No one wants other to know what they are drinking and probably more so at the workplace. So actually Suntory did a huge favor to those working in long-established companies with rigid rules. Who would've thought there was such an amazing reasoning to come up with these flavored waters!
