What Is Ramune? Inside Japan's Iconic Marble Soda

Ramune is a Japanese lemon-lime soda sold in a Codd-neck glass bottle that is sealed by a glass marble instead of a cap. Ramune is a famous Japanese carbonated soft drink known for its crisp, sweet taste. You open it by pushing the marble down into the neck, where it rattles around as you drink. The name is a Japanese rendering of the English word "lemonade," and the drink has been a fixture of Japanese summers for more than a century. Ramune is a nostalgic summer treat in Japan and a cultural staple at Japanese summer festivals known as matsuri. Keep reading to learn why ramune has a marble, how to open it without spilling, which flavors to try, how it compares to regular soda, and where to buy it.

What Is Ramune?

Ramune is a carbonated soft drink defined less by its flavor than by its bottle. The original ramune soda tastes like a sweet, lightly tart lemon-lime, but the marble-sealed Codd-neck bottle is what makes it ramune and not just another soda. The name "ramune" comes from the English word "lemonade".

Ramune is a product category, not a brand. Sangaria, Hata Kosen, Kimura and Shirakiku all make their own versions, in flavors from melon and lychee to novelty curry and wasabi. Japanese law has reserved ramune production for small and medium-sized companies since 1977, which is part of why so many regional makers still exist.

Where Did Ramune Come From?

Carbonated lemonade reached Japan in 1853 aboard Commodore Perry's ships, and by the 1870s Japanese producers were making their own. On May 4, 1872, Tokyo businessman Chiba Shogoro petitioned for a license to manufacture it, which is why Japan celebrates May 4 as Ramune Day.

The drink took off in the 1880s. In 1884, Scottish pharmacist Alexander Cameron Sim began selling a lemonade-style soda in Kobe, and newspaper advertising pitched it as a defense against cholera during an outbreak. Early drinkers nicknamed it mabu soda, from "marble soda," before "ramune" stuck.

Today ramune is one of the defining tastes of a Japanese summer. It is sold chilled in tubs of ice water at matsuri (summer festivals) and yatai (food stalls), and it turns up constantly in anime and manga as visual shorthand for the season.

Why Does Ramune Have a Marble in It?

Ramune bottles feature a glass marble that seals carbonation. The marble acts as an airtight seal, and ramune is served in a unique Codd-neck bottle. The marble is the seal. Ramune is bottled upside down, and the pressure of the carbonation pushes the marble up against a rubber washer in the neck, locking the fizz inside without a cap.

The design comes from the Codd-neck bottle, patented by London engineer Hiram Codd in 1872. When you push the marble down, it drops into a chamber pinched into the neck, where two small glass indentations catch it so it cannot slide back up and block the opening. Western soda makers abandoned Codd bottles long ago for cheaper caps, but Japanese ramune kept them, and the marble is now the whole identity of the drink.

How Do You Open a Ramune Bottle Without Spilling?

Open ramune on a flat surface, push the marble down hard with the plastic opener, and hold it in place for about five seconds until the fizz settles. Most first-time spills come from letting go too early.

1. Set the bottle on a table and peel off the plastic wrapper over the cap.

2. Lift off the cap. It is actually the opener: pop the small plunger out of its outer ring.

3. Place the plunger on top of the marble, flat side up.

4. Hold the bottle steady with one hand and push down firmly with the heel of your other palm until the marble drops into the neck.

5. Keep pressing for about five seconds while the foam settles, then remove the plunger.

6. To drink, turn the bottle so the indentations in the neck face down. The marble rests in them instead of rolling back and stopping the flow.

What Does Ramune Taste Like, and What Is the Best Flavor?

Original ramune tastes like a bright, sweet lemon-lime soda, close to a slightly sweeter Sprite with less bite. It is the classic flavor and the best place to start.

After the original, the flavors worth trying are melon, lychee, grape, strawberry, peach and orange. Melon is the standout for most first-timers, with a candy-like honeydew sweetness. Regional makers push much further, with limited runs in curry, wasabi, takoyaki and yogurt; the yogurt version tastes like a carbonated Calpis. Sangaria's lychee ramune and grape ramune are both good next steps after melon. We tested 27 brands for our ranking of the best ramune brands if you want to compare makers.

Ramune vs. Regular Soda: What Is the Difference?

The main differences are the bottle and the serving size. Ramune is not lower in sugar or more natural than a typical American soda; it just comes in a much smaller bottle.

Sugar and ingredients

A 200 ml (6.76 oz) bottle of Sangaria original ramune has about 80 calories and 20 grams of sugar. That works out to roughly the same sugar per ounce as a cola, which has about 39 grams in a 12 oz can. Ramune feels lighter because a bottle is just over half the size of a can, not because the recipe is lighter. Most ramune uses sugar or corn syrup, citric acid and flavorings, the same basic formula as other fruit sodas.

Carbonation

The marble keeps ramune sealed perfectly until you open it. After that, it goes flat at about the same rate as any other soda, since the marble cannot be pushed back up to reseal it.

Ramune vs. Japanese cider

In Japan, ramune and saida (Japanese "cider," a clear lemon-lime soda unrelated to apple cider) taste almost the same. What traditionally separates them is the container: ramune comes in the marble bottle, and cider comes in a regular capped bottle or can.

Is Ramune Safe for Kids?

Yes, standard ramune is non-alcoholic and caffeine-free, so it is fine for kids in the same moderation as any sugary soda. The only real safety concern is the marble.

On classic glass Codd bottles, the marble cannot come out without breaking the glass. Many modern ramune bottles, though, have a plastic top that can be unscrewed to retrieve the marble, and a loose marble is a choking hazard for young children. Supervise younger kids, and remove and dispose of the marble yourself if a child wants to keep the bottle.

Does Ramune Contain Alcohol?

No. Regular ramune soda is non-alcoholic. If you have seen ramune on a bar menu, it was almost certainly a cocktail made by mixing ramune with shochu (a Japanese distilled spirit), a common option at izakaya (Japanese pubs).

To make one at home, pour about 1.5 oz of shochu over ice and top with a bottle of original or citrus ramune. Lemon-lime is the most versatile base, and the same idea works with vodka. Fruit flavors like strawberry or lychee make a sweeter drink.

What Else Is Ramune-Flavored?

Ramune has become a flavor in its own right in Japan, used in candy, frozen treats and drinks that never touch a marble bottle.

Ramune candy

Ramune candy is a compressed tablet candy that melts on the tongue with a light, soda-like tang. Morinaga launched the best-known version in 1973, packaged in a plastic container shaped like a Codd-neck bottle. Some versions add baking soda and citric acid, which react in your mouth for a gentle fizz.

Ramune ice pops and shaved ice

Ramune-flavored ice pops are a convenience store staple in summer, and ramune syrup is a common topping for kakigori (Japanese shaved ice). Both lean on the same bright lemon-lime soda flavor.

Ramune floats and milk tea

At home, ramune makes an easy float: pour melon ramune over a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a version of Japanese kurimu soda (cream soda). For something stranger, top cold milk tea with a splash of ramune for a fizzy, creamy drink.

What Can You Use Instead of Ramune?

The closest substitute for ramune is Japanese cider, especially Mitsuya Cider, which is nearly the same lemon-lime flavor in a regular bottle. Swap it 1:1 in cocktails, floats and recipes.

• Mitsuya Cider: the best match. Asahi Mitsuya Soda: Cider comes in a 300 ml aluminum bottle. Our look at Asahi's sodas covers its history

• Sprite or 7UP: a fine stand-in for original ramune in mixed drinks, though sharper and less sweet

• Calpis Soda: the closest match for yogurt ramune; see our Calpico guide for how it is made

• Melon cream soda or Italian melon soda: the nearest swap for melon ramune

None of these replicate the marble, which is the part people actually buy ramune for.

How Do You Store Ramune and How Long Does It Last?

Unopened ramune typically keeps for up to a year stored upright in a cool, dark place. Check the date on the bottle carefully: many Japanese drinks print a production date rather than a best-by date.

Store bottles upright so the marble seal stays seated, and keep them out of direct sun and hot cars, where heat builds pressure in the glass. Chill before opening, since cold ramune foams far less. Never freeze it: expanding liquid can crack the glass. Once the marble is pushed down, the bottle cannot be resealed, so drink it within a few hours.

What Snacks Go With Ramune?

Ramune pairs best with salty and chocolate snacks that balance its sweetness. Pocky is the classic match: chocolate and lemon-lime soda is a combination Japanese kids have been eating for decades, and Pocky Day on November 11 is a good excuse to pair them.

Other pairings that work: salty potato chips or rice crackers with original ramune, spicy chips with melon or lychee to cool the heat, and mochi or daifuku (mochi with a sweet filling) with a fruit flavor for a festival-style spread.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you get the marble out of a ramune bottle?

It depends on the bottle. Classic all-glass Codd bottles have to be broken to free the marble. Many modern bottles have a plastic top that unscrews, which also lets you recycle the glass and plastic separately.

Why does ramune cost more than regular soda?

Glass Codd-neck bottles are expensive to make and fill, ramune production in Japan is limited to small and medium-sized companies, and the bottles are imported. A single bottle typically costs $3 to $5 in the US.

Is ramune the same as Japanese soda?

Ramune is one type of Japanese soda. The category also includes cider, melon soda, Calpis Soda and many more. Our guide to Japanese beverages covers the wider range.

Why does ramune have a marble instead of a cap?

Because the Codd-neck bottle, invented in 1872, used carbonation pressure and a marble to seal soda before metal caps were common. Japan kept the design out of tradition, and the marble is now the drink's signature.

Where To Buy Ramune Online

You can find every flavor we mentioned in the Bokksu Market ramune collection, shipped from inside the US so it arrives in days rather than weeks. Most bottles cost under $5, which makes it easy to build a mixed set of three or four flavors. The Asian soda collection adds Mitsuya Cider and other Japanese sodas, and orders over $75 ship free.