PicoBlog

Dear readers.

This is the second post.

A friend of mine who lives in Canada read my first post and pointed out that there were a few grammar mistakes.

I'm not good at English, but I'm trying to learn little by little and reduce my grammar mistakes.

I hope you read through to the end.

On March 22, The State of Emergency has been officially lifted for all of Japanthough COVID-19 is not over yet.

I couldn’t wait to go on a trip to enjoy the beautiful spring time in Japan. I will be very happy if you chose Japan as the next destination of your trip.

Tokyo is the first stop for many people who come to Japan on vacation. So this time, I would like to introduce Iyoshi Cola, a craft cola that is now very popular in Tokyo.

＜A cola shop with a long line.＞

Iyoshi Cola's shop is located in a town called Shimo-Ochiai in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. It is only one stop away from Takadanobaba Station on the JR Yamanote Line by taking the Seibu Shinjuku Line.

As you walk along the side street of the park in front of the station, you will see the Kanda River. After crossing the bridge and walking along the river line, you will see a small shop.

That is the main shop of Iyoshi Cola, which opened on February 28, 2020. The shop is open from 13:00 to 17:00 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

When I visited the shop,  there were several people stand in line waiting for the open already.

 I had an image of Coke as something that we can buy anytime, anywhere from vending machines or convenience stores. So I was surprised that there were people lining up to buy one.

Even after the store opened at 1:00 p.m., customers came in without a break. There were young couples, business people in suits, and even an old lady who obviously lived in the neighborhood.

＜Owner's Story＞

The owner of Iyoshi Cola is Mr. Takahide Kobayashi from Shimo-Ochiai.

He has loved Coke since he was a university student. When he was traveling around the world as a backpacker, he drank cola in many places. At that time, he never dreamed that he would start making his own cola.

After graduating from graduate school, he got a job at a major advertising agency in Tokyo.

In his first year, while surfing the Internet at home, he found an article. There, he happened to find a recipe for Coca-Cola syrup. It seems the syrup was developed by Dr. John S. Pemberton, a pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 8, 1886. He was the developer of Coca-Cola.

It is well-known that the recipe for Coca-Cola is kept in a special facility at the company's headquarters and is not available to the public. It is said that there are only a few people in the world who know the recipe.

He was not sure if the recipe he saw on the Internet was authentic. The recipe was not complicated, and he thought, "I can make this by myself!".

And he tried to make cola immediately. While it "tasted like cola,", it didn't taste good. He began to think, "I want to make something better" and making cola became his hobby.

＜Grandfather's methods＞

However, after two years, he was still unable to make a "good cola" and almost gave up. At that time, his grandfather, who worked as a herbal medicine preparer, passed away, and the family decided to clean up his studio.

As they cleaned up, they all talked about their memories of their grandfather. While they were talking about grandfather's work, Mr. Kobayashi had a flash of inspiration.

Maybe I can apply my grandfather's methods to making colas!

Iyoshikora's shop was renovated from his grandfather's studio.

Indeed he applied the method and a new cola syrup was born. When he added soda water to this syrup and drank it, it tasted dramatically better. A colleague at work who drank his new Coke said, "It's so good! I'd pay money to drink it! ".

＜His big goal＞

Mr. Kobayashi gained courage from his colleague's words. He started selling Iyoshi Cola at events on his days off. Then, a glass of cola, the 500 yen (about $4.5), was sold well. By the end of the day,  250 glasses were sold.

Iyoji Cola is sold in plastic small pouch like this.

Feeling very confident about his cola, he quit his job in December 2018. It was only five months after selling the first cola at an event. The following month, he officially launched “Iyoshi Cola”.

He set a goal: "By 2025, I will be one of the three major cola brands, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Iyoshi"

He continued to improve the recipe while selling Coke at events.

He added more than 15 different spices, including cloves, cardamom, and lavender, which were not in the recipe he had seen on the Internet. The result was a cola that tasted completely different from Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola.

Iyoshi Cola can be ready to drink by pouring soda water over original syrup. It has a spicy and refreshing taste. It is a very an addictive taste and I have had it many times already. It is moderately sweet and very healthy.

Iyoshi Cola quickly became popular. After the first store opened in February last year, people started to queue up in front of the store. By today It has many fans among women and the elderly. My wife, who doesn't usually drink cola, also loves Iyoshi Cola.

＜Aggressive investments＞

Last July, he developed a bottled version of Iyoshi Cola. By developing the bottled cola, he was able to wholesale it anywhere in Japan and received more than 20,000 reservations.

He will invest more this year for open a flagship store in Shibuya, Tokyo at the end of April.

It's been two years since he started his business. He continues to run towards his big goal.

Mr. Kobayashi's quest for cola is on-going. He has also developed "THE JAPAN EDITION" made with botanicals from all over Japan, such as yuzu (citron), Lindera umbellata (species of spicebush), and honey from Japanese honeybees.

Milk Cola" which should be prepared with milk, is also available in stores.

Milk Cola (left) and "THE JAPAN EDITION" (right)

When you come to Japan, please try Iyoshi Cola. It will surely overturn your image of cola!

The journey of the Mare Bito hunter continues…

Iyoshi Cola shop

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