Blow away tired mood! Dodecamin: how a miss click turned into my energy addiction!

Asahi is a brand that many people are familiar with, even in the West, as it is known for its leading line of beers. However, today I want to focus on a drink that you cannot find in the West, one that I accidentally became addicted to.

On a hot day in Oita, I was chatting with a new friend when I selected a drink from a vending machine. Not fully paying attention, I accidentally pressed the wrong number and out popped an orange bottle. The artwork featured striking red and orange flame designs that adorned the bottle. Still feeling very hot, I shrugged and decided to embrace the fate that the kami had chosen for me. That was the day I discovered a drink that changed my life: Dodecamin.

Dodecamins jingle or catchphrase is "Blow away tired mood" or "Fight heatstroke!" This drink is marketed as an energy drink that can help prevent heatstroke, making it a perfect choice for the long Japanese summers. It is very popular among teens, and I've found it in all three of my school vending machines.  You could think of Dodecamin as a Japanese energy drink without high levels of caffeine and sugar.

Dodecamin is a strong, carbonated beverage with a refreshing taste. It contains electrolytes to help combat heatstroke, and some variants have added vitamins or are sugar-free. I'm also on the lookout for Dodecamin ramune candy. The name dodeca comes from the Greek work for 12. As the drink contains 12 ingredients believed to fight the heat and provide energy.

I found myself increasingly reaching for the orange bottle of fizzy goodness. One not-so-hot day, as I sat at my desk, I grabbed a bottle and noticed a story written on the back. It was labelled as a lesson, and if I remember correctly, it featured an airline hostess offering a customer the usual choice of tea or coffee… or Dodecamin? The story was simple yet humorous, and I enjoyed reading the lessons on the backs of the bottles I purchased. I started looking for new stories or ones I hadn’t read yet.

As I write this blog, I’ve come across Lesson 12, one I hadn’t seen before. It reads: “In the Heian period, it was said that Dodecamin was an imaginary beverage!” The accompanying image depicted a Chinese-style dragon and some priests standing in awe of the drink, which certainly brought a smile to my face.

The drink has its charm that remind me of Dad joke style humour and the drink itself tastes pretty good. Reminding me of a fruity blend of monster and red bull. My mission in life now is to collect all the lessons. Dodecamin is another example of fun marketing in Japan.