Hida Sarubobo

  • 2025年03月26日
#Regional Collective Trademark #trademark

Last month, I went to Takayama City in Gifu Prefecture with some friends.
We took the JR Hida train from Nagoya and arrived after about 2 hours and 20 minutes.

We enjoyed taking photos, eating our way around the city, and sightseeing.
One thing I saw a lot in Takayama was the “Hida Sarubobo”. These dolls, which are called “Sarubobo” because they look like baby monkeys, are popular as good luck charms. The “Hida Sarubobo” is also registered as a regional collective trademark (Japanese Trademark Registration no. 5087585).

Hida Sarubobo

As a memory of this visit, we made Sarubobo beanbags. It took about 30 minutes to make them, and was a simple activity that could be enjoyed by both adults and children, involving sewing the cloth and attaching the Sarubobo head with glue.

Our firm has experience supporting intellectual property in the Tokai region, including Aichi, Gifu and Mie prefectures. We can also handle clients from outside the Tokai region, so please feel free to contact us. (Rabbit)

Unchanging taste, unchanging name

  • 2025年03月19日
#trademark

I bought Yoguret because I saw it on sale in a shop and it brought back memories. It was not the old-fashioned tablet type in a box, but the sugar-coated type in a pouch, and Yoguret had evolved! The shop I happened to visit only sold the sugar-coated type, but looking at the website, it seems that the old-fashioned Yoguret and Hi-lemon in a box are still going strong.

Yoguret

While looking at the packaging with the intention of eating it, I suddenly wondered, “I think Yoguret was made by Meiji Seika, wasn’t it?”, so I looked into it and found that Meiji Seika, the company that used to make Yoguret and High Lemon, became a subsidiary of Marubeni in 2023 and changed its name to ATRION Co., Ltd.
The original trademark rights for Yoguret belonged to Meiji Seika, and the current trademark rights holder is ATRION Co., Ltd. Looking at the progress information, it seems that the rights were transferred in 2023. The same is true for Hi-lemon, and the current trademark rights holder is ATRION Co., Ltd.

Even if the same quality product was on sale, I don’t think I would have picked it up if the name or packaging had changed. This was an event that made me realize once again that even if the company changes with the times, we can still enjoy the same taste, protected by trademark rights. If I find the boxed type on sale, I’ll buy it. (Marron)

Cat Day

  • 2025年03月12日
#trademark

The other day, February 22nd, was Cat Day.
As a cat lover, Cat Day is a very special day for me, when I can see lots of cats in photos and videos from morning to night.

This year, I bought some sweets to celebrate Cat Day.

Shofuku Neko Manju (blessed cat manju) from Tohoen

Shofuku Neko Manju (blessed cat manju) from Tohoen

They are “Shofuku Neko Manju” (blessed cat manju) from Tohoen, a shop in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture.

Shofuku Neko Manju (blessed cat manju) from Tohoen

Shofuku Neko Manju (blessed cat manju) from Tohoen

The impact of this appearance.
Once you’ve seen it, you’re unlikely to forget it, aren’t you?
As the name “Shofuku” suggests, it seems to bring good luck.

Incidentally, there is also a cat drawn on the paper bag.

Shofuku Neko Manju (blessed cat manju) from Tohoen

Shofuku Neko Manju (blessed cat manju) from Tohoen

It was a very satisfying Cat Day in 2025, as I was able to eat the manjuu I’d been wanting to try ever since I first heard about them a few years ago.

The word “猫子(Neko)” in “Shofuku Neko Manju” was registered as a Japanese trademark on June 15, 2022 for “Japanese sweets” and other designated products (Registration No. 6572445).

Why not register your important product or service name as a trademark?
For consultations and requests regarding trademark registration, please feel free to contact us here.
Of course, we also welcome individual customers. (Sakuramochi)

YOINED

  • 2025年03月05日
#trademark

 I would like to introduce a trademark that we see every day without thinking about it. This time, I will be introducing YOINED, an ‘edible’ coffee from UCC UESHIMA COFFEE Co.

 A while ago, an article introducing this product was also published in the Japan Patent Office’s public relations magazine ‘Tokkyo’ Vol. 63. I have also included another article for reference. It seems that this time, the product has been relaunched.

 The price is a little high (2,700 yen (including tax) for 6 pieces → 450 yen per piece!), so I hesitated for a while (lol), but I decided to give it a try because I use a UCC capsule coffee machine at home.

YOINED, edible coffee from UCC UESHIMA COFFEE

 The packaging looks like a bar of chocolate. When I opened the package and took a bite, the inside also felt like a single bar of chocolate. The one on the left is MELLOW BROWN (15% coffee bean content), and the one on the right is CRAZY BLACK (40%).

YOINED, edible coffee from UCC UESHIMA COFFEE

 I didn’t really notice the coffee bean taste in the MELLOW BROWN, but the CRAZY BLACK had a strong coffee bean flavor. The pamphlet that came with it says “The name YOINED comes from the aftertaste (aftertaste in Japanese is “Yoin”)”, and I could certainly enjoy the aftertaste of coffee for a while.

 Incidentally, it may be obvious because it is mentioned in the Japan Patent Office’s public relations magazine, but YOINED makes use of patented technology (Japanese Patent Registration No. 6849552). It is said that 20 years were spent to bring to the world “food products that use coffee to allow people to easily enjoy the aroma and taste of coffee”. Why not try a different sensation to your usual cup of coffee?
(blink)

Nagoya souvenirs

  • 2025年02月21日
#trademark

The other day, a theater company I know was going to put on a performance in my hometown, and as the performance date drew near and all the members gathered in my hometown, I wanted to give them a gift, and after some thought, I decided on Nagoya souvenirs in the form of sweets.
As many of the members live in the Kansai region, I thought that they would be happy to receive Nagoya souvenirs that they could also enjoy looking at, so I went to a shop in Nagoya Station, where there were so many different kinds of souvenir sweets on display that it was hard to choose just one.
I chose these three types because I thought they were individually wrapped, so they would keep for a long time and could be stored at room temperature, and they were also easy to eat without getting your hands dirty.

Nagoya souvenirs

Nagoya-jo, Shachi Sable, and Three Great Warlords Okaki.

NAGOYA JO (logo) and SANDAIBUSYO OKAKI (standard characters) are registered trademarks.
The entire package of SHACHI SABLE is being applied for a trademark, and as of February 5th, a decision of grant registration has been issued. (Japanese Trademark Application No. 2024-067295)
Shachi Sablé was originally applied for in Class 30 (sablés), but a notice of reasons for refusal was issued, and the application was amended to “sablés manufactured or sold in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture”, and was approved for registration.

Incidentally, the original Shachi Monaka of the company that makes Shachi Sablé, Ganso Shachi Monaka Honten, was chosen as the “Shobu Oyatsu (game snack)”of the seven-crown winner Souta Fujii in 2022.
It’s not often that you get the chance to try local souvenirs, but I’d like to try them again under the pretext of tasting them to give as a gift or to take as a souvenir♪ (Cacao)

Nama Senbei

  • 2025年02月05日
#trademark

The other day, I had the opportunity to visit Handa City in Aichi Prefecture, and on the way there I saw a sign for “Nama Senbei”. My imagination ran wild: “Nama” means “raw”, so I wondered if it was a rice cracker that had not yet been baked, or if it was a soft, raw-looking rice cracker with a soft filling. When I discovered and bought some at a souvenir shop, I found that they looked unexpectedly square and were like thin yokan (sweet bean jelly) in black and white.

Nama Senbei

When I tried it, it was chewy and filling, and the white one had a subtle sweetness from the sugar and honey, while the black one had a savory flavor from the brown sugar and honey, and it was a nostalgic-tasting snack that even children would enjoy. I thought it was similar to the “uirou” that you often see in Nagoya.

After doing some research, I found out that it is a specialty confectionary from the Chita Peninsula in Aichi Prefecture, and that it is a semi-dry confectionary with a chewy texture similar to rice cakes, and a rich flavor with a subtle sweetness from the brown sugar and honey that spreads in the mouth.
According to the story behind the origin of “Nama Senbei”, the seller says, “When Tokugawa Ieyasu helped Imagawa Yoshimoto in the Battle of Okehazama, he arrived in Handa City on his way to the Chita Peninsula and asked for some fresh senbei that were hanging to dry in a peasant’s house. He then happily gobbled them up.

The mark on the top of the packaging for the rice crackers was applied for trademark registration on October 12th, 1957, and the rights to it are still in effect (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 523200).

Nama Senbei

It’s a good product with a long history, so why not try it when you visit Handa City? (Chamomile)
Nama Senbei webisite (only in Japanese)

Vermicular – Ingenuity in Communicating the Goodness of the Product

  • 2025年01月21日
#patent #trademark

The other day, I went to the Vermicular Restaurant The Foundry, which is located along the Nakagawa Canal.

Vermicular Restaurant The Foundry

The Vermicular Restaurant The Foundry is located within the Vermicular Village, which is run by Aichi Dobie Co., Ltd., a long-established casting manufacturer that was established in 1936.

Vermicular Village is always busy, so it was difficult to get a table, but I made a reservation for lunch to coincide with the 5th anniversary renewal.
At this restaurant, which has a relaxed atmosphere, you can enjoy dishes cooked using the Vermicular brand of cast-iron enamel pots. These pots are characterized by their airtightness and the fact that they can be used for anhydrous cooking, which involves heating food without using water.

On this day, we had a set meal of rice cooked in a Vermicular rice cooker and seven side dishes, as well as a soup curry cooked without water. The rice was served in a Vermicular rice container.

Vermicular

Vermicular

We could really understand how delicious the rice cooked in the “Vermicular Rice Cooker”, which aims to be the world’s best rice cooker, was by actually eating it.
I was impressed that the Vermicular pot stand has a built-in magnet, so that even if you lift up the Vermicular, it will move together with the pot stand, but when I looked into it, I found that the technology that makes it easy to remove the pot stand from the Vermicular, which is attached to the Vermicular pot stand with a magnet, has been patented.

In addition to the product exhibition and sales space and restaurant, the Vermicular Village also has a bakery cafe that serves bread baked in Vermicular, as well as cooking classes, and I felt that the company had made efforts to ensure that visitors could understand the quality of the product by actually using Vermicular to cook and eat food. I also think that this is a sign of the company’s confidence in its own products.

VERMICULAR, VERMICULAR VILLAGE, and VERMICULAR RESTAURANT THE FOUNDRY are registered trademarks.
Aichi Doby is also certified as an “Aichi Brand Company”, a mark of excellence in manufacturing.

Trademark registration for brand-name products and services is an important process in business. If you have any questions or requests regarding trademark registration, please contact us here.

The Nakagawa Canal was developed as a waterway to connect the Sasashima area (the former site of the Sasashima Freight Station) with Nagoya Port, but in recent years, the city of Nagoya has been working on a project to develop the area and hold events there, so why not go and take a look? (Syszo)

abien HOME DRYER

  • 2025年01月15日
#trademark

Happy New Year! Thank you for your continued support.

Although it’s a little bit of a time-travel, I bought a product called the “abien HOME DRYER” from our client, abien Co., Ltd., as a Christmas present for my family last year.

abien HOME DRYER

It’s very stylish, with a shape like an ammonite.
It also has seven modes!

abien HOME DRYER

  • SPEED mode: Quickly warms bedding and the room, high air volume x medium temperature
  • DRY mode: Warms bedding thoroughly, medium air volume x medium temperature
  • MITE mode: Can be used to combat mites that hide in bedding, etc.
  • WARM mode: Can be used for spot heating, such as under the feet, with low air volume and high air temperature
  • CIRCULATE mode: Suitable for circulating the air in the room or using a fan, with low air volume and low air temperature
  • CLOTHING mode: For drying clothes and shoes indoors, with high air volume and high air temperature
  • PET mode: Can blow air at a frequency and low noise that animals don’t mind, with low air volume and low air temperature

At my house, we mainly use the WARM and CIRCULATE modes.
The WARM mode is very useful in the living room and bathroom in the cold winter, and the airflow is strong and very warm. The CIRCULATE mode is used by installing it under the air conditioner or in a corner of the room to improve the air quality.
We don’t have any pets, so we don’t get to use the PET mode, but we still have four other modes left to try, so we’re looking forward to using them all.

The trademarks “abien HOMEDRYER (standard characters)” (Japanese Trademark Registration no. 6835200) and “アビエン ホームドライヤー (standard characters)” (Japanese Trademark Registration no. 6835201) were registered at our firm.
If you are considering registering a trademark or other intellectual property for your company’s products, please contact us. (Rabbit)

Nagoya’s famous sweets

  • 2024年12月25日
#trademark

It’s that time of year when you start to see strawberries in the grocery stores and supermarkets.
When I see strawberries, I get excited thinking “I can eat those again”.

There is a Japanese confectionery that makes me feel that way, and that is “Ichigo Habutae” from Kitagawa Co, which is located in Kita-ku, Nagoya, Aichi prefecture.
As it is only available during the strawberry season, the specific date of its release is announced on the official website every year. I heard that it had gone on sale this year, so I went out and bought some straight away.

Ichigo Habutae

According to the official website (https://www.owarigashi-kitagawa.jp/ichigohabutae) of Kitagawa Co, the strawberry covered in a haubutae blanket from above is the official image.

The fluffy habutae rice cake, the elegant sweetness of the red bean paste filling, and the juicy strawberries are the perfect combination. In particular, the smooth, fluffy texture of the habutae rice cake is has an impact every time.

Another of Kitagawa’s signature sweets is the “Hesokuri Mochi”.
This is a product that is sold all year round, and a kumquat preserved in syrup is hidden inside the soft, fluffy habutae rice cake.

Hesokuri Mochi
I forgot to take a photo of the filling…

Hesokuri Mochi is very popular all over Japan, and it seems to sell like hotcakes at events all over the country.
Hesokuri Mochi is a registered trademark (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 4774453) for “sweets and bread” and other designated products, as of May 28, 2004.

Why not register your important product or service names as trademarks?
For consultations and requests regarding trademark registration, please feel free to contact us here.
Of course, we also welcome individual customers. (Sakuramochi)

STONE ROLLS

  • 2024年12月18日
#trademark

The other day, I received a can of mackerel.
It had a label with the mark ‘STONE ROLLS’.

Kinka mackerel

…STONE ROLLS?
It’s a strange-looking mark, and it seems strange as English too.
I was intrigued, so I did a little research.

The label also says “Kinka mackerel, landed in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture”.
I realized when I looked up this information that Kinka mackerel is a local brand product of Ishinomaki, and is being promoted together with Kinka gin and Kinka bonito…

STONE ROLLS

Is STONE ROLLS a pun on the direct translation of Ishinomaki?
When I searched for STONE ROLLS itself, it came up!

According to the can label and this website, it seems that STONE ROLLS is read as “stonroruzu”. However, it is registered as “stone rolls” in the standard characters on J-PlatPat.

The waters around Kinkasan Island, a small island off the coast of Ishinomaki City in Miyagi Prefecture, are rich in fish,
The mackerel that live in the reefs around Kinkasan Island and do not migrate are shipped under the Kinkasan Mackerel brand. Originally, they were called the ‘reef mackerel’ that come up to Ishinomaki Port.
Although ‘Kinkasan Mackerel’ is not a regional collective trademark, it seems to be expected as a regional brand. ‘Large-sized mackerel that are caught off the coast of Kinkasan Island and landed at Ishinomaki Port in season’. I’m looking forward to tasting them now. (blink)