HOPPY SERIES

STORY OF HOPPY

HOPPY is a unique beverage first crafted in Akasaka district in Tokyo on July 15, 1948. The impetus for its development by founder Hide Ishiwatari was a non-alcoholic beer boom during the end of the Taisei era (1912-1936). During this period, he established Chikuma & Co., Ltd. in the town of Nozawa (currently located in Saku City) in Nagano Prefecture to manufacture the carbonated soft drink Ramune. This provided Hide the chance to acquire hops manufactured in Nagano Prefecture which a small business would normally have difficulty accessing, and opened the door to his fate. Non-alcoholic beer’s development had for the most part concluded prewar, and with the Showa era (1926-1989) Japan entered a period of war. The Ramune production plant in Akasaka was converted into a factory making flight instruments for fighter planes, and the non-alcoholic beer that Hide had created was also put on hold. At the end of the war in 1945 Akasaka had become a burned-out area, and it was once again Nagano Prefecture that came to the company’s rescue. Hide’s Ramune production plant in Nagano Prefecture had escaped wartime damage, and was relocated to Akasaka at war’s end. Here manufacturing of the already-developed HOPPY began at once. They considered calling the product “HOBBY” as this name encompassed the meaning of “a true non-alcoholic beer using actual hops,” something unprecedented at the time. However, because pronunciation was thought to be hard, it was christened “HOPPY” instead. Sales started with a focus on black markets in places like Shinbashi and Ikebukuro. At a time when beer was beyond the reach of ordinary people and only inferior alcohol was available, HOPPY exploded in popularity. It was used to cut this crude, smelly alcohol and enable it to be enjoyed, and it also allowed people to get drunk more quickly and cheaply than with beer. HOPPY is said to be a drink that aided in emotionally supporting the Japanese in their attempt to recover quickly from defeat. The style of drinking it mixed with shochu (Japanese distilled liquor) emerged from this social context. HOPPY has always remained close to the hearts of the Japanese people over the last 70 years, and it grew up alongside Japanese culture during this period. Via the creation of an original market, HOPPY has become the most unique beverage that is indispensable when telling the story of Japan’s mixer drink and alcohol history.