Excessive people, excessive sweating: Celebrity Sweating

Would you drink something that had “Sweat” in its name?  We didn’t think so.  Pocari Sweat is supposedly Japan’s most popular drink and we have no idea why…  Is it the minimal graphics?  It must taste refreshing and actually work to replenish what’s lost in extra sweating, we’ll have to go to Little Tokyo to see…

There’s nothing spectacularly unusual about Pocari Sweat besides the interesting name, however, the name came from some rather curious marketing theorizing.  The reference to perspiration certainly gives the beverage an unattractive aura for English speaking countries in an obvious sense, however it was made for Japan where for most things people do not translate names that appear in English.  Therefore the “Sweat” and bodily fluid connotation wouldn’t bother most Japanese.  Which then begs the question of why the makers didn’t just choose another English word?  From Wikipedia:

It was largely derived from the notion of what it is intended to supply to the drinker: all of the nutrients and electrolytes lost when sweating (the first part of the name, Pocari, means “like a cloud floating in the sky” or “a situation in which a cloud is floating in the sky” in Japanese, and has a connotation of lightness, buoyancy, and ease). “Sweat” was apparently intended to suggest diligence and its fruits—the idea intending to connote to the user that Pocari Sweat works to make one feel fresh and relaxed.

Again, the above makes no sense…  But a lot of stuff in Japan makes no sense.

In reality, people in Japan have dropped the “Sweat” part when referring to the drink, whether that’s due to convenience or taste, is yet to be decided.  Honestly, nothing will ever really surprise us about Japan. For example, notice exhibit A below:

Revenge of the sweaty dog!  Who’s gonna eat who now bitch?

Game shows in the United States offer you the chance to win cash and stuff.  Game shows in Japan do those things as well, but also throw in the risk of losing your dignity and soul.  Now that’s sweaty entertainment folks!

Popularity: 30% [?]

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