“Natural” bottled water fetches highest price

It takes a thirsty person to keep up with all the new bottled water products here. Most, like the Elements of Water from Irom Products we covered a couple months ago, compete to be the most high-tech water on the market. Not this decidedly low-tech Water from a gourd from Kinki Partners, which is collected and bottled at the foot of the mountains in Amakawa Village (in Nara) after passing through “mysterious limestone grottos” (says the product website)

This premium water comes in bottles modeled after the dried gourds used traditionally as drinking vessels. There are a variety of bottle designs, mostly inspired by traditional Japanese textile prints, like those found on kimonos (except of course for the special Christmas versions).

Apparently the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture have awarded the highest accolades to mineral water from Nara, which accounts for the high price—a hefty 330¥—I assume. The product campaign evokes images of ancient mountains and untouched natural landscapes. I wonder if the bottled water industry has felt a hit since the recent rise in popularity of the reusable eco-bottle and is trying to fight back.

How does this water measure up to other bottled waters? I compared the mineral content of Water from a Gourd with that of Crystal Geyser, the cheapest bottled water on the market at 110¥ (although the flimsy bottled is certainly not inspiring).

Water from a Gourd has an impressive 3.38mg of calcium versus Crystal Geyser’s paltry 0.64mg. On the other hand, Crystal Geyer has 0.54mg of magnesium while Water from a Gourd has only 0.12mg. Which is more important? If you are relying on your water to get essential minerals, please stop reading this and go eat some vegetables.

As for taste, Water from a Gourd does seem to taste more of minerals (although that could just be my imagination) and of course the bottle is much cuter.