Part of our Japanese snack explainer series - written by the CRUNCH STASH team in Melbourne, last updated July 2026.
Every Japanese summer festival has the same soundtrack: cicadas, taiko drums, and the glassy rattle of ramune bottles. Ramune is Japan's iconic marble-sealed soda - a drink you have to physically defeat before you can enjoy it, which is exactly why kids (and adults) have loved it since the 1880s.
So what exactly is ramune?
Ramune is a carbonated soft drink sold in a distinctive glass bottle called a Codd-neck bottle, sealed not with a cap but with a glass marble. The name comes from the English word "lemonade" - say it with Japanese pronunciation and you land on ramune. The original flavour is a light, crisp lemon-lime soda: think lemonade's gentler, less syrupy cousin.
The drink arrived in Japan in the late 1800s and the marble bottle stuck around long after the rest of the world moved on to crown caps. Today the bottle IS the brand: the marble, the rattle, and the little ritual of opening it are inseparable from the taste.
Why the marble?
It is not decoration - it is the seal. The carbonation inside the bottle pushes the glass marble up against a rubber gasket in the neck, and the pressure holds it there airtight. To open the bottle, you push the marble down into the drink with the plunger that comes under the wrapper. The marble then rattles around a chamber in the neck while you drink.
How to open a ramune bottle (without wearing it)
First, peel the wrapper and pop out the green plastic plunger. Second, sit the plunger on the marble and press straight down with the heel of your palm - one firm push, no hesitation. Third, keep the plunger pressed for a couple of seconds while the initial fizz settles. Finally, look for the two small dents in the glass neck: hold the bottle so they face upward and they will catch the marble, stopping it from blocking the flow as you drink. That is it - you have earned your soda.
The flavours go far beyond lemonade
Original is the classic, but Japanese makers treat ramune as a canvas. At any given time our shelves in Melbourne carry flavours like strawberry, melon, grape, blueberry, peach and pineapple, plus seasonal and novelty runs that exist purely for the story. Hata Kosen, the best-known maker, has produced everything from yuzu to curiosities like takoyaki flavour - the kind of bottle you buy to watch a friend's face.
Ramune is also a flavour in its own right: ramune candy, ramune gummies and ramune-flavoured sweets recreate that crisp soda taste in solid form, the same way cola sweets capture cola.
Where to buy ramune in Australia
You no longer need to wait for a Japanese festival. Our ramune collection is stocked year-round in our Melbourne warehouse and shipped Australia-wide with Australia Post - most orders arrive in days. Buying for a party or a shop counter? Stash by the Box sells drinks by the carton at 5% off, which is the cheapest way to keep a fridge full of marble sodas.
Not sure where ramune fits in the bigger picture of buying Japanese snacks locally? Our 2026 guide to buying Japanese snacks online in Australia compares the main stores honestly, including what others do better than us.
FAQ
Why is there a marble in ramune bottles?
The glass marble is the bottle's seal. Carbonation pressure pushes the marble up against a rubber ring in the neck, keeping the drink fizzy without a cap. This Codd-neck design dates back to the 1870s and survives in Japan largely because it is half the fun of drinking ramune.
How do you open a ramune bottle?
Peel off the top wrapper, take out the plastic plunger, place it over the marble, and press down firmly with your palm until the marble drops. Keep pressing for a second or two so the fizz settles, then drink with the two small dents in the neck facing up - they hold the marble out of the way.
What does ramune taste like?
Original ramune tastes like a light, crisp lemon-lime soda - similar to lemonade but gentler and less sweet. Flavoured versions range from strawberry, melon and grape to novelty flavours like takoyaki that exist mostly for the story.
Is ramune the same as Japanese lemonade?
Essentially yes - the name ramune comes from the English word lemonade as heard in Japanese. Over time it came to mean this specific marble-bottle soda rather than still lemonade.
Can you buy ramune in Australia?
Yes. Australian specialists stock it year-round in many flavours - CRUNCH STASH ships Hata and other ramune brands Australia-wide from a Melbourne warehouse, individually or by the carton at 5% off.
What do you do with the marble afterwards?
Modern bottles are designed so the marble stays inside for safety and recycling. In Japan, kids traditionally rattled the empty bottle - the name of the game was keeping the marble, but the bottle usually went back for deposit.
