Do the De Yu!
Mountain Dew occupies a strange place in the soft drink landscape of Japan. It doesn’t have the divisive flavor profile of drinks like root beer or Dr. Pepper, but in the over-40 years that it’s been sold in Japan, it’s always seemed to exist on the periphery of the market.
This is especially strange since the very name “Mountain Dew” feels almost plucked straight from an 18th century haiku and ought to have decent brand awareness. It’s just too bad that most Japanese people probably don’t notice it because the name’s in English, and “dew” is a pretty uncommon word to learn either in school or on the street.
▼ A dewy Mountain Dew
Luckily, someone at Mountain Dew’s Japanese bottler Suntory has finally keyed into this in the best way possible and created a Mountain Dew bath house for a limited time in Tokyo. The name of the bath house uses the kanji characters for “mountain,” “dew,” and “hot water” but takes some liberties with how they’re read to arrive at “Mountain De Yu.”
▼ The name of the bath house in kanji is written in Mountain Dew font in the wash buckets
Mountain De Yu will be held at the Hotta Yu Sento in Adachi, Tokyo from 11 to 16 August. This is also auspicious because 11 August is a public holiday known as Mountain Day which serves as a focal point for the summer Obon vacation season.
▼ How Hotta Yu normally looks
And holding true to the theme of mountain dew, the entire facility will be draped in lush greenery to make it look just like a dewy mountain paradise.
There will also be murals to whisk you away to an idyllic bathing spot nestled deep in the mountains, all shaded in the hues of Mountain Dew’s brand colors.
And here to celebrate the opening of Mountain De Yu is none other than Hangyodon, the fish-man made by Sanrio who has been skyrocketing in popularity recently.
Hangyodon is known as a big lover of bathing and wouldn’t miss this opportunity for the world. He even released a statement leading up to the opening:
“I love public baths, but Mountain De Yu is my favorite bath where you can bathe in the dew of a mountain. Whenever I visit, I’m healed by the feeling of the forest and afterward I drink some Mountain Dew, which is exceptional! Everyone, please come to Mountain De Yu and feel healed! You might just find me there too!”
You heard the fish-man. This is about as rare a public bath as they come, so don’t hesitate and head down to Mountain De Yu to get a cool Mountain Dew on Mountain Day!
Bath House Information
Mountain De Yu / 山雫湯
Located at Hotta Yu / 堀田湯
Address: Tokyo-to, Adachi-ku, Sekibara 3-20-14
東京都足立区関原３丁目２０−１４
Open August 11-16
Hours: 11 a.m.-Midnight (weekdays), 8 a.m. – Midnight (weekends, holidays)
Source, images: PR Times
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