Lemon by Motojiro Kajii
A brilliant poetic storyteller with a tragically short life, Motojiro Kajii lived and wrote in the early 20th century. He studied English literature at the prestigious Tokyo Imperial College and his work was praised by the likes of Yukio Mishima and Yasunari Kawabata. Lemon is one of Kajii’s best-known short stories and has been translated into English. It’s also a meta-story in which the protagonist suffers from tuberculosis, just like Kajii, and leaves a lemon in the Maruzen store. The Motojiro Kajii lemon cream soda is surprisingly not yellow, but blue. The color transforms with a squirt of lemon, which is the main role of the citrus fruit here.
Bitter Honey by Saisei Muro
A court clerk taught haiku by his bosses as a hobby, Saisei Muro went on to become a well-known novelist later in life. This cream soda is based on his novel Mitsu no Aware. The English title according to the movie adaptation is Bitter Honey (the book hasn’t been translated). It’s the story of a dying poet who fantasizes about gorgeous women, love and sex. There’s a central female character dressed in red, so this cream soda uses warm colors to represent her. The flavors range from orange to pomegranate.
Schoolgirl by Osamu Dazai
A hugely controversial figure who dropped out of university, was disowned by his family and attempted to take his own life on multiple occasions, Osamu Dazai had his issues, but was also a literary giant. His most popular novel translated abroad is No Longer Human, but that’s not the basis of this drink. That role was given to the novella titled Schoolgirl, one of his breakthrough works (perhaps his other work was too dark for a fun drink project). The story describes a day in the life of a schoolgirl, so the color of this drink is a color gradient from sunrise pink to twilight blue. The marshmallows on top represent clouds.
In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom by Ango Sakaguchi
An outspoken writer of short stories, novels and essays, Ango Sakaguchi fought a lot of hardship until he was recognized later in life. This drink is based on one of his works that’s been translated into English, In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom, hence the cherry blossoms in it. They’re dancing freely in a drink flavored with vanilla and salt, to show a contrast of flavors and a chaotic movement. This is because, in the story, the protagonist is a bandit who’s afraid of cherry blossoms. He kidnaps a woman to be his wife. She then teaches him about horror and beauty.
Night on the Galactic Railroad by Kenji Miyazawa
A children’s literature writer with a deep belief in a utopian society, Kenji Miyazawa’s life read like a tragic novel. He relinquished his wealthy inheritance, converted to Nichiren Buddhism and then died young and unknown. He became famous posthumously and is still loved by readers today. This drink is based on his most popular book, Night on the Galactic Railroad. It shows the sky, ranging from deep blue to light blue. A round slice of lemon represents money, while the silver sprinkles on top are there to remind us of the stars.
