Wine now in cans for long train journeys

Written by: Rebecca Milner on October 20, 2008 at 4:46 am | In MARKETING IDEAS | 9 Comments

Any cultural survival guide for visitors to Japan will tell you many things one should refrain from doing in public places such as on the street or subway, including eating and blowing one’s nose. When it comes to eating however, there are two notable exceptions: ice cream is basically acceptable anytime and anywhere and significant train journeys, particularly on the shinkansen, call for a special train lunch box, the ekiben.

Now Japan Rail East is encouraging the breaking of another social taboo, public alcohol consumption, with the launch of “Premium Can Wine,” designed for exclusive sale on shinkansen and limited express trains. Available in white or red, the wine comes from Monde Vineyard in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan’s small wine producing region.

The product, developed by JR Group’s Nippon Restaurant Enterprise, draws on the Japanese affinity for drinks in cans and the recent trend towards pairing wine appropriately matched for Japanese flavors with traditional food. Priced at ¥500 ($4.95), this 300ml “civilized” canned beverage includes a cup.

The same organization also reminds us that October 14th is Railway Day, in honor of which an Ekiben Fair was held at Tokyo station over the preceding three-day weekend. Visitors could choose from over 70 different lunch box sets specific to different regions and railways on the JR East map.

Many train stations are well-known for their ekibens, which have been drawing on the inclusion of famed local ingredients long before it was fashionable. Examples include the Ishikari salmon ekiben from Sapporo and the Masuno (trout) sushi ekiben from Toyama.

Update: I apologize for not making my point clearly. It is this: thanks to the ekiben, the Shinkansen has been a place exempt from the general taboo about eating in public. (The ekiben is noteworthy in that it appeals to all segments of the population, not just the salarymen who are typically the ones drinking on the train.) However, by marketing a drink specifically for sale on the trains (rather than just selling beer), JR has turned the Shinkansen into a more emphatic exemption and a niche market. I would also like to speculate that this product is targeting women, a segment of the Shikansen riding population that I don’t think you typically see downing beers.

Tags: alcohol, beverages, Localization, trains
Category: MARKETING IDEAS
Other categories: DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Late train mobile updates, toys for train lovers

Written by: Rebecca Milner on July 10, 2008 at 9:11 pm | In LIFESTYLE / FASHION | 2 Comments

Japan’s typically timely and efficient train service (imagine a time schedule for a train that runs every 2 minutes!) make the usual, “sorry late train” excuse for walking in late to a meeting pretty unbelievable. To give train commuters a valid excuse however, JR has been in the habit of passing out certificates of lateness when a train is actually and significantly (20 minutes or so) late.

Now JR East (the area into which the Kanto region falls) is announcing that from the end of the month this service will be available on mobile phones, through the company’s mobile website.

18 JR train lines will be covered by the free service and the certificate of lateness will be available for three days after the occurrence.

JR East is also offering a new Schedule Mail service for ¥210 a month that allows subscribers to enter their train commuting information and receive an email to their mobile phone letting them know if the train is running late and offering recommendations for alternative routes.

Perhaps because of the recognized speed and efficiency of their country’s rail system, many people in Japan have a particular soft spot for trains, which often appear as cute toys or on stylish fashion accessories.

The latest one we came across is also the newest item in the “Ofuro de Pon” (“pop in the bath”) series from Epoch. Inside this mint scented ball of bath gel is one of six Shinkansen figures that is revealed as the ball melts away in the bath.

Other cool train themed products we’ve come across lately are these original alarm clocks from Nippon Sharyo that come in Yamanote, Chuo, and the new Shinkansen N700 varieties and play authentic melodies and announcements from each of these famous train lines.

Considering how long many people spend each day on the train (longer then they spend with family or friends in cases), it is understandable that commuters would come to feel an affection for their train lines. This can be done in miniature form at home with Takara Tomy’s Q-Train series modeled after real train lines (Yamanote below)…

…or with their keys with the complete set of Yamanote Line station “song” keychains (each station has a song) from Epoch so they can relive the fun of getting on/off of their favorite train!

Tags: JR, Mobile phones, Shinkansen, Toys, trains
Category: LIFESTYLE / FASHION
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, DIGITAL LIFE, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Portable briefcase train set to ride the rails anywhere

Written by: Michael Keferl on July 2, 2007 at 4:09 am | In DIGITAL LIFE | No Comments

I don’t know why I didn’t find out who is making this, but I snagged some video of a train set that comes in a briefcase. I guess train otaku get bored at meetings like the rest of us, but sometimes ya just gotta wait till you get home. The price tag is a hefty ¥100,000 ($815), which is good for a whole lot of actual train rides.

Tags: trains
Category: DIGITAL LIFE
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS