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By TOM BARRY -- Every serviceman and woman ever stationed in Japan has heard of the milk-laced drink "Calpis" and how it got its name. Most of the stories have become urban legends.
Calpis is no doubt the oddest consumer brand name in Japan (and there are many). It is a line of soft drinks and beverages that's been around since 1919. The company's slogan is "Drink Calpis for health of body and mind." On one of its product labels the consumer is encouraged to "Try Happy!" I, for one, wouldn't have it any other way.
From pro ball players to famous sumo wrestlers, Calpis is a celebrity-driven brand and its name appears on everything from sweatbands to race cars. Who can forget Jimmy Osmond (yes, Donny's little brother) pitching it in Japanese TV commercials in the '70s? Even Mark Wahlberg shucked his Calvin Kleins to get in on the endorsement act in the '80s (which I'm certain he'd sooner not have you know about).
One of the best-sellers is Calpis Water, the Japanese equivalent of Gatorade. But be very careful in enunciating the name in mixed company: "Excuse me, miss. May I have some of that Cal-piswater?" (Reminds me of Horses--t cigarettes in Mexico, an actual brand!)
Needless to say, don't expect to see it on American store shelves anytime soon, unless of course the company considers an entirely new image makeover here in the States.
But in Japan, Calpis is one of the strongest brand names around. Truth is, it's not that bad. Over the years, the brand has expanded to include a wide assortment of products, from carbonated sodas and latte to Calpis yogurt and sorbet.
The name ought to give you a clue as to its principal ingredient. Yes, as disturbing as it may sound Calpis is dairy-based! The company bills it as the "world's first cultured milk product" with origins in ancient Mongolia. It is produced through a fermentation process.
Although the name "Calpis" sounds a lot like a synonym for "bovine urine" the company assures that there is no relationship whatsoever. The real story is that Calpis is acompound of cal (short for calcium because milk is one of the main
ingredients) and pis (short for sarupisu, a word describing one of the "five tastes" in Buddhism).
Quite simply, the company's president, Kaiun Mishima, thought the compounded name sounded good. Obviously, no English-speaking individuals were invited to that particular meeting.
As disturbing as the name may sound, one of Calpis' advertising icons is a caricature of a black man sipping the milky beverage. And you thought the blackface image -- long ago considered an offensive stereotype -- went by way of the Sambo's restaurant chain and Jim Crow. Welcome to Japan, folks, a land rich in stereotypes.
You may be interested in visiting the Calpis homepage to get the definitive story. It's a very sobering treatise on the company's history and the origin of its signature product. Evidently, Calpis find little humor in any of the foregoing.
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See this story in its original context, including photos, on Trivia Page 5 of Japan Brats.
By TOM BARRY
As with most U.S. air bases, Ashiya was a former Japanese air base during World War II. Located on the far northern tip of the island of Kyushu, it was an American installation for 15 years, from 1945-1960.
It's most important role was during the Korean War, from 1951-53. Because of its close proximity to the Korean peninsula across the Korean Straits in the Sea of Japan, the Air Force assigned several fighter and transport squadrons at Ashiya.
"In 1948 when I was first ordered to the 80th Fighter squadron at Ashiya Air Base, I thought at the time that we were neither liked or disliked (by the Japanese)," recalled Louis Miksits. "What I mean by that is the Japanese were just coming off the war and were more interested in making the best of it. They were short of everything; food, clothing, jobs, etc. The black market was booming."
"The Japanese people frowned on their women going with GIs, but he in turn fed her and her family. I am sure many of them got married and brought them back to the states. As the years went by, the relations between our two countries did improve," he added.
As Ashiya High alumni Bill Burton recalls, Ashiya in the 1950s was "just a sleepy little fishing village with some interesting shops and not much else."
The town itself hasn't grown much. It remains a rural, community with a population of about 16,125. But in 1995, it was devastated by a massive earthquake, The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. It killed 400 Ashiya residents and destroyed or damaged 95 percent of its homes. But townfolk quickly rebuilt Ashiya, now a modern, middle-class bedroom community to Kita-Kyushu, a large city to the north.
After the U.S. Air Force left in 1960, much of Ashiya AB was privatized and developed. Some remnants still exist, including the base chapel (the steeple was removed), officers club, hangars and warehouses, and some of the old base housing quarters. What remains of the air base is now occupied by the Japanese Air Self Defense Force, which uses it as one of its primary fighter training bases.
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See this story in its original context with photos and additional information by clicking on Ashiya Air Base under External Links in the upper right.
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