Why Is Melon Soda Popular in Japan?

What is Melon Soda?

Melon soda is a popular soft drink in 2026, most commonly associated with Japan and Japanese culture. It is a bright green and carbonated soft-drink with a distinct but non-overpowering flavour of Yubari melon, comparable to the more commonly found variety, honeydew melon. It is most often made by combining a pre-made melon syrup or concentrate with carbonated water. This drink is especially popular in many family restaurants and cafes in Japan, where it is often served as a melon cream soda – a nostalgic treat made by topping melon soda with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Melon soda first skyrocketed in popularity in the 1970s, exploding with the growth of kissaten culture in Japan and now has expanded throughout the country, being sold in convenience stores, such as Lawson’s, Family Mart and 7-Eleven.

Melon Soda: Everything You Need to Know About Japan’s Nostalgic Soft D

So, what brands of Melon soda are the most well known?

Typically, the most popular brands of Melon soda in Japan are:

• Suntory Melon soda
• Ramune Melon soda
• Sangria Melon soda

Why isn’t Melon soda more popular worldwide?

This is a question that is difficult to answer in 2026. Whilst flavours of melon soda have expanded to countries such as China and South Korea, the drink remains almost impossible to find throughout most of the western world. There are many reasons one can speculate that this is.

1. Compared to Japan, most other countries drink manufactures are more reserved when it comes to testing new flavours of products. In the same vein, consumers in the west have been known to stick more to what their pallets are familiar with, hence, introducing melon soda into the market would be seen as a risk.
2. Melon soda culture has not spread so far outside of Japan, so many manufacturers are unaware of the popularity of the flavour itself.
3. For homebrewers, it can be quite difficult to order melon syrup used for melon soda, without having a supplier from Japan willing to ship the product.

So, how can you make Melon soda at home?

Luckily for you, Melon soda is deceptively easy to make, even at home! Even without an industrial kitchen or access to ideal supplies, you can make batches yourself for incredibly cheap. Great for gatherings, house parties or just to save money!

Simple Melon soda recipe:

Ingredients:

• 125ml Captain Melon Syrup (Or any other similar Japanese Melon Syrup)
• 375ml Carbonated Water (The Fizzier, the better).
• 2 Large Ice Cubes
• A Scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream (Optional for Melon Cream Soda)

First pour the Melon Syrup into a glass. After this, add in the Ice Cubes, then, tilting the glass at a slight angle, pour in the carbonated water slowly. Once finished, you can optionally add a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream on top for a drink reminiscent of a coke float.

Have you ever tried Melon soda? If you have, let us know your favourite brand in the comments!