DEEPTOKYO
magazine
EN
DEEPTOKYO
magazine
EN
2026.02.18
Born in Tokyo, Japan’s First Craft Cola Specialty Shop
Nearest Station
With the mission of “sharing the appeal of Tokyo with the world through cola“ ,IYOSHI COLA creates handcrafted craft cola using a secret family recipe. Drawing on the philosophy of wakampo—traditional Japanese herbal medicine—passed down from his grandfather, founder Cola Kobayashi carefully selects and blends spices to craft each batch. What began as mobile sales from a kitchen car has since grown into a brand with four brick-and-mortar locations in Japan and abroad. Beginning with the Asakusa Rokku shop, which opened in 2025, each space is designed to allow visitors to physically experience Tokyo’s history and traditional culture—an expression of the founder’s strong personal commitment.
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IYOSHI COLA is Japan’s first craft cola manufacturer and specialty shop, born in Tokyo. Founder Cola Kobayashi is an avid cola enthusiast who spent many years traveling the world, tasting locally produced colas from different regions as a personal hobby. At one point, he learned that cola originally had its own distinct recipes. This discovery led him to wonder whether he could make cola himself. If he was going to do it, he decided, he wanted to pursue the ultimate cola—crafted entirely by hand from whole spices. That determination became the starting point for IYOSHI COLA.
“Cola was originally developed by American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton as a tonic to restore vitality. By returning to that origin and making it by hand, I wanted to overturn the modern stereotype that ‘cola is bad for you,’” Kobayashi explains.
What Kobayashi set out to create was a cola that goes beyond simply being “delicious”—one that truly resonates with people’s hearts. He also found deep fascination in the fact that, despite being a drink consumed worldwide, little attention had been paid to its ingredients or production methods.
Recipe development began with researching and selecting ingredients, including kola nuts, and experimenting with their combinations. During this long period of trial and error, a turning point came when Kobayashi encountered blending notes left behind by his grandfather, who had been a wakampo artisan. As he studied the notebook, Kobayashi gained many insights essential to creating something truly delicious: the importance of using high-quality ingredients, processing methods that bring out each ingredient’s natural character, and carefully considering compatibility and balance in blending. Through further refinements—particularly in heating techniques—the flavor improved dramatically. After approximately two and a half years, he finally arrived at a craft cola he could fully stand behind.
The brand name originates from the wakampo workshop once run by Kobayashi’s grandfather, called Iyoshi Yakko. The original sign from that workshop is displayed behind the counter.
Kobayashi grew up watching his grandfather at work. His grandfather’s craftsmanship—often expressed through the phrase, “This is something only I can do”—lives on today in the form of IYOSHI COLA.
Sales began in 2018 with a kitchen car named Kawasemi-go. The challenge of overturning assumptions such as “cola can’t be handmade” and “cola is unhealthy” was likened to the kingfisher (kawasemi), which dives into unfamiliar waters to catch fish. Word spread through word of mouth, eventually leading to the opening of four physical shops.
To select ingredients, Kobayashi traveled all the way to Ghana, the birthplace of kola nuts. Photographs taken during that trip are displayed inside the Asakusa Rokku shop.
Natural spices used in craft cola, such as cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. While cola is often seen as a Western beverage, IYOSHI COLA incorporates wakampo principles, carefully evaluating the characteristics of each ingredient while crafting everything by hand.
The Asakusa Rokku shop is a new location that opened in 2025. Based on IYOSHI COLA’s philosophy of “honoring original ingredients and weaving the culture and history of Tokyo through cola,” the building was created with minimal renovation, preserving its existing character.
Rokku is an area within Asakusa that flourished as a center of popular entertainment from the Showa era onward, retaining deep traces of everyday local life. Kobayashi’s strong desire to open a shop where visitors could experience the cultural depth and distinctive appeal unique to Tokyo led him to choose this area—one that evokes the richness of Japanese culture passed down since the Edo and Tokugawa periods.
Rokku has a history of thriving as an entertainment district from the Meiji through Showa eras. Its appeal lies not only in its surface as a tourist destination, but also in the ability to experience its cultural background.
The location once housed a shop selling adult-oriented toys. To preserve that past as part of the site’s history, the roof has been painted so the former shop name faintly emerges.
Traces of the previous tenant can also be seen on the sign in front of the shop.
At the storefront hangs a noren curtain featuring the kingfisher, a symbol carried over unchanged since the kitchen car days.
The interior concept is inspired by a traditional herbal medicine workshop. Behind the counter, spices used as craft cola ingredients are neatly lined up.
A playful space design featuring partitions labeled “Blending Room” and traditional medicine chests.
IYOSHI COLA craft cola is made with natural spices and fruits, carefully crafted through time-intensive processes. Currently, two varieties are offered: the standard THE DREAMY FLAVOR, which combines spices with lemon and lime, and THE JAPAN EDITION, which uses distinctly Japanese ingredients such as yuzu citrus and sansho pepper. THE DREAMY FLAVOR delivers a well-balanced taste, with spice aromas spreading fully across the palate. In contrast, THE JAPAN EDITION stands out for its refreshing character; alongside the gentle sweetness of honey, the aromas of yuzu and sansho pass lightly through the nose.
Left: THE DREAMY FLAVOR (700 yen) Right: THE JAPAN EDITION, made with yuzu and sansho (800 yen) Center: IYOSHI MILKOLA (800 yen), made by mixing THE DREAMY FLAVOR with milk and soda—a highly popular repeat-order item.
At the counter, freshly prepared cola made by mixing syrup with soda is served. The shop-exclusive strong carbonation creates a crisp, refreshing mouthfeel. THE DREAMY FLAVOR is topped with black pepper, while THE JAPAN EDITION is finished with sansho, releasing a gentle aroma at the moment of drinking.
During colder seasons, HOT COLA (700 yen), mixed with hot water to enhance the aroma of spices, is also popular. Additionally, the Asakusa Rokku shop exclusively offers IYOSHI RUM COLA (1,000 yen), an adult-oriented drink blended with dark rum.
The shop also sells concentrated syrup. Both THE DREAMY FLAVOR (1,200 yen) and THE JAPAN EDITION(1,400 yen) are made using kola nuts and more than ten types of spices.
Originally created as IYOSHI COLA’s signature product, craft cola has now become recognized as a distinct drink category within Japan. Today, a new mission has emerged: to share with the world that craft cola is a beverage born in Tokyo—and furthermore, a culture originating in Japan. Looking ahead, the brand is considering expansion into other Asian countries, with Tokyo as its base. By increasing the number of places where freshly made cola can be enjoyed, IYOSHI COLA hopes to convey Japan’s approach to craftsmanship and the unique appeal of Tokyo to an even wider audience. With this vision in mind, the brand continues to move forward.
There are no plans to expand the recipe lineup; the brand remains committed solely to craft cola. “While preserving the quality of the two original flavors, I want to continue refining them without wavering,” says Kobayashi.
Surprisingly, craft cola is still not a common beverage overseas. As a result, many visitors from Asia, Europe, and the United States come specifically out of interest. Through English-speaking staff, the appeal of IYOSHI COLA is gradually spreading around the world.
The information contained this article was correct as of 02/18/2026 (the time of publication)
