For weary male commuters riding the Tokyo Metro subway system in the morning, there are times when some need a little pick-me-up, a jolt to the system that will rouse “the Goddess.”
At least that has been the case with a new energy drink called Ojo-sama Seisui, which can loosely be translated to “the holy water of another’s daughter.”
On April 1, the system’s Metro’s kiosks began selling the product, whose can is graced with an illustration of a naked woman — and, according to weekly tabloid Shukan Post (April 24), the holy water has proved to be a huge hit.
“Every morning, salarymen in their 30s and 40s buy up the stuff,” a woman running one such a kiosk tells the magazine. “Some will even buy two or three cans. In one day, I’ll sell about 30 — and that’s good. For comparison, bottled tea is our biggest seller, and we’ll move about 40 in a day.”
A representative of Tokyo Metro confirms the findings of aforementioned kiosk staff member. “Sales have been favorable,” says the representative. “If one location is sold out, we’ve had inquiries as to where it is available elsewhere.” (Shukan Post’s reporter was required to visit three stations before he was able to locate a can.)
Selling for 210 yen, the carbonated beverage by all accounts is intended for women: Each can of Ojo-sama Seisui includes the catchy phrase “The Goddess is awakened inside me,” and also claims to contain 117 condensed “natural graces sought by the body.”
That is not exactly the imagery one associates with the millions of suited and necktie-wearing males shuffling underground through Tokyo each morning and evening.
A check of the Web site of Rivaland, the manufacturer of the drink, only furthers the conjecture: “For when you want to demonstrate the power of beauty, this drink offers a new sensation for women, one that supports the descended goddess.”
For the record, Shukan Post wasn’t born yesterday. The magazine routinely reports on the latest developments in perversion, and knows very well that seisui is code for an SM activity that appeals to those with a urine fetish.
Then, after emptying a can of the drink’s distinctly golden liquid into a glass, the magazine wonders: Is this some kind of joke?
“At the same time that the drink appeared at the kiosks, we started orders by Internet,” says a Rivaland representative. “The sales have been by men. One guy bought cases (300 cans).”
In coming up with the name, the representative says: “By not misleading anyone, any disturbance caused was unintentional.”
Rivaland also makes a number of Ojo-sama-branded drink and food products marketed under a similar motif. The representative says that a soda product is promoted by the word koso (enzyme) to convey its drinkability.
“So you want to know about urine?” continues the representative. “That is most certainly not our aim!” (K.N.)
Source: “‘Ojo-sama Seisui’ wo nonde mita,” Shukan Post (April 24, page 43)