JAPAN RETAIL NEWS - Inside consuming Japan: Japan retail, Japan market, Japan economy, Japan trends, Japanese people, Japan brands, Japan tech
 
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Sales of alcohol-free beverages that taste like beer and wine remain on an upward trajectory as an increasing number of people are abstaining from drinking for health reasons or forgoing purchases of alcoholic drinks amid weakening consumer sentiment since the March 11 disasters. Beverage makers have introduced a number of new products, while also seeking to expand into overseas markets.
 
 
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Japan vending machines are offering Diet Cokes with a side of good deeds. Helping the calamity-hit Japan isn’t all that difficult now, with Coca Cola and Japanese Red Cross teaming up to bring a few tweaks to vending machines. Japan currently is one of the world’s largest users of vending machines, with a machine for every 23 people according to statistics. 
 
 
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The country that brought us vending machines for hamburgers and adult videos, as well as ones that use facial-recognition technology, now introduces a solar-powered variety. Though Japan's population is declining, its numbers are holding steady when it comes to vending machines. Over five million are plugged into the grid, about one for every 23 citizens -- the most anywhere.
 
 
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It wasn't too long ago that Owen Westman's customers at Rickhouse Bar didn't even know there were Japanese whiskies available, let alone ask for them by name. "They certainly do now," he says. Although best known for sake, Japan has a whisky tradition stretching back more than a century. It's not widely available in the U.S., but that's changing as companies like major producer Suntory work to boost overseas sales.
 
 
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How hot is it? So hot the heat has a name. In 2007, the Japanese Meteorological Agency started calling days that got over 35 degrees C moushobi, which means “extremely hot day.” (Manatsubi and natsubi, respectively, are 30-34 and 25-29 degrees. Impress your friends!) Turn on the TV or browse a few Japanese blogs, and you’ll see the word moushobi has been getting a workout in the past weeks, with many parts of Japan experiencing day after day of extreme heat. 
 
 
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Learning to taste and appreciate a new spirit is like trying to speak a new language. Sure, you can jump in with a few basic words and expressions and manage for a while. To reach true understanding, however, you're going to have to learn the grammar.