Heat and humidity are as much a part of a Japanese summer as festivals and fireworks. With the threat of dehydration always looming, it’s a smart idea to always carry a cool, rehydrating beverage with you, but if you’re sweating profusely, you can bet the plastic bottle your drink is in is doing likewise.
To keep the rest of the contents of your bag from getting damp, you could wrap the bottle in a hand towel. A more effective alternative, though, is to slip a specially designed cover over it, and if you’re going that route, why not use one of these cool Sailor Moon costume covers that you can get for free with a bottle of Japanese tea at Mini Stop convenience stores?
Mini Stop may not have as many locations as Lawson, the international recognition of 7-Eleven, or the iconic door chime of Family Mart. However, right now the chain does have one thing its rivals don’t, and that’s a series of Sailor Senshi covers designed to slip over a 500-mililiter (16.9-ounce) plastic bottle. With six designs in the lineup, it was a given that Sailors Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus would all be represented. The sixth slot goes not to Chibi Moon or Tuxedo Mask, though, but to the group’s feline mentor, Luna.
There’s no need to mail in proofs of purchase and wait for delivery to get one of the covers, either. Just head to a Mini Stop and grab a bottle of maker Itoen’s Oi Ocha green tea, and you’ll find the cover inside a plastic pouch attached to the cap.
If you’re after even more instant gratification, the first 32 customers at each branch to buy two or more packages from a selection of eligible candies will receive one of four Sailor Moon Crystal plastic files. Finally, if you buy both a package of one of the selected candies and a participating drink, plus your total purchase is more than 500 yen (US$4), you can mail in the receipt or register it online here to be entered in a drawing to win one of 50 Luna cushions measuring roughly 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) in diameter.
While you can enter to win the Luna cushion anytime between now and July 13, once the inventory of bottles of Oi Oicha with the Sailor Senshi covers are all sold, Mini Stop isn’t planning to make more, so thirsty anime fans should make their tea run right away.
Source: Entabe
Images: Mini Stop