What's The Deal With The Marbles In Ramune Bottles?

Japan's food culture is known for many things, including both sushi and sashimi (which are different from one another), bowls of perfect ramen, and the innovative way Japanese restaurants display their menu. Japanese culture is also built upon an array of unique food products, including ramune. In a nutshell, ramune is a type of Japanese soda, packaged in a distinctly shaped bottle that features two compartments and contains a glass marble. This marble sits on the underside of the lid against a rubber ring, acting as a seal and maintaining the drink's carbonation until it is opened. (You do this by using a little plastic plunger to push the marble down into the drink, breaking the seal.)

Although ramune is a distinctly Japanese product (like Kewpie mayo), this technology — the Codd-neck bottle — was invented in England during 1872. At this time, it was the most effective way of keeping a beverage carbonated, and was thus widely used both in England and abroad; Codd-neck bottles were used to package ramune from as early as 1888.

The invention of the crown bottle cap in 1892 meant that Codd-neck bottles (and their associated glass marbles) became an increasingly rare sight around the world. However, manufacturers of ramune have continued to utilize the eye-catching Codd-neck bottle up to the modern day (albeit the bottle is now made from plastic instead of glass). Now, this quirky design is an integral part of the drink's identity.

Although it is impossible to say for certain, most people agree that ramune was invented in 1884 by a Scottish man called Alexander Sim while he was living in Japan. The carbonated drink was soon touted as a preventive medicine for cholera and gained popularity, especially during the hot summer months when the disease was most prevalent. Although the drink is no longer viewed as a medicinal beverage, it remains a popular summertime drink and is most often sold at Japanese fairs.

The original drink created by Sim had a distinct lemon and lime flavor that is still the standard taste of ramune today. However, there are now countless other ramune flavors, including everything from lychee to wasabi — a spicy ingredient which can also upgrade a martini.

One of the main reasons why there are so many flavors is because there are numerous companies making their own version of ramune. (At its peak, the industry boasted 2,300 manufacturers.) All of the companies that make ramune are only of a small or middling size because Japan introduced a law in 1978 that made it very difficult for large companies to enter the ramune market. This prevents consolidation and ensures that small ramune manufacturers continue to come up with innovative flavors in an attempt to increase their market share.