You’ve tried Pocky, now try Ramune! Ramune (ラムネ)–not to be confused with the Eroge turned anime series of the same name–is a carbonated soft drink from Japan. That’s right…Japanese Soda! The one seen in this picture is Strawberry flavored Ramune. There’s also Melon, Peach, Orange, Mango and regular Ramune (I have yet to try the regular flavor, but it could taste just like 7UP).

I bought this from a local oriental food market in East Ridge, TN. If you’re on a budget and can only afford one issue of your favorite manga, you better decide on which one to get: the cost of this case is $9. One bottle alone, however, is around $2-$3. It could be worth it if you’re tired of the extra sugar put into everyday American soft drinks, like Mountain Dew or Sprite. Ramune doesn’t have much sugar (26g for the Strawberry Ramune).

The bad thing about it is that it’s so good, it goes away fast! Drinking one bottle takes approximately 3 minutes to consume. One more thing about Ramune that everybody should keep in mind is the unique way it opens. To open a bottle, the plastic plunger must be used to push the marble in. Yep, a marble. Don’t worry about swallowing it, thanks to the narrow opening. If you’re interested in giving Ramune a try, go down to your local oriental food store, or purchase them online from your favorite anime retailer!