Kirin recalls 570,000 Volvic bottles of water after paint ingredients found

Wednesday 29th October, 03:21 PM JST

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some14some at 07:25 PM JST - 29th October

The tapwater in most cities in Japan is fine to drink, and the quality standards are higher than for bottled water

may be, but imported stuff brings more profits, so they dont mind whether France made or Made in China.
lurker at 07:36 PM JST - 29th October

Good point, Nessie. I actually have three bottles of Volvic that I keep in my frig, and I refill them from my tap in turn. It keeps many of my friends (both Japanese and non-Japanese) from freaking out at the thought of drinking tapwater. None has complained about the smell or taste to date, and several have actually commented that "Volvic tastes good".
gonemad at 07:51 PM JST - 29th October

Usually the water is shipped in large tanks and then bottled in Japan. So it's not the outside of the bottles which is affected here, but the water itself.

Importing drinking water from France is an environmental disaster to begin with, for CO2 emissions and ocean water pollution.

It all depends where the water comes from. Transport by ship is much more efficient in terms of emissions than transport on the road. So a transport of the water from France is probably more ecological than transport by road from Tohoku to Tokyo.

The tapwater in most cities in Japan is fine to drink, and the quality standards are higher than for bottled water. For the slow learners: Tapwater is safer than bottled water.

Safer, yes. But in all larger cities I have been to in Japan the tap water simply contains too much chlorine for me to drink.
CavemanLawyer at 08:00 PM JST - 29th October

the quality standards are higher than for bottled water. For the slow learners: Tapwater is safer than bottled water.

Government minimum allowable standards are not always the minimum standards of the company making the product. For slow learners: Bottled water might be safer than tap water, but it depends on the company. --Cirroc
browny1 at 08:37 PM JST - 29th October

Buying bottled water in advanced countries like Japan is so laughable.

For specific instances where it might be required for taste(eg.certain natural sparkling mineral waters)one can understand, but for daily guzzling???

Many of these companies markups are in the 1,000's of percent range for such products.

So many folks with so much money.
MeanRingo at 08:42 PM JST - 29th October

I never really understood why ANYONE would buy a bottle of water. I just don't get it. Never did.

And Lurker, I'd watch out. Those bottles you keep refilling are probably giving you and the people you water cancer. I've heard the plastic starts leeching toxins into the contents after 3 or so uses. Poppycock? Who knows.
notimpressed at 10:05 PM JST - 29th October

mean ringo, your right. The best is to store water inglass bottles. Also, the water where I am is touted as the cleanest in Japan ( you gotta convince people your prefecture is cool somehow I guess) but it tastes nasty.
OgieDoggie at 12:46 AM JST - 30th October

believes that the bottles were probably affected by the paint from the inner walls of the shipping containers during shipment from France earlier this year.

Now that is the MOST laim excuse I have ever heard. How does paint go thru plastic and into the water? Something stinks more than the water here!
ca1ic0cat at 03:04 AM JST - 30th October

Nessie, don't forget about the benzene in the Perrier scandal as well. Or the ethylene glycol in Italian wine.

I'm really starting to wonder where this is going to end. China is now recalling eggs because of melamine contamination. It appears that melamine is in the Chinese chicken feed. That probably means melamine is in the chicken meat products as well.

If you don't like the chlorine in Japanese water get a Brita sent over from a relative or let the water sit in the sun for a while. With a cover on. But definately avoid the swimming pools!

Too bad I can't grow all my own food myself.
kenchan at 06:10 AM JST - 30th October

there really should be a campaign to stop the production of all bottled water...it is ridiculous that such a natural resource has been packaged and marketed to the financially able whilst millions around the world can't even get clean tap water. Lurker's comments are spot on...I reckon the large majority of people who spout self-serving comments like "too much chlorine" etc would not spot the difference in a blind test.
Hotbox08 at 12:34 PM JST - 30th October

I agree. We should not trust any bottled water. Especially after this report came out this past month:

http://yubanet.com/california/Harmful-Chemicals-Found-in-Bottled-Water.php

It seems that ten popular U.S. brands of bottled water were found to contain 38 different pollutants, like fertilizer and other industrial chemicals. Furthermore, some of them were found to be no cleaner than regular tap water. Frightening to say the least.
Nessie at 04:35 PM JST - 30th October

Nessie, don't forget about the benzene in the Perrier scandal as well.

How could I forget? I was tangentially involved in the relaunch.

Forunately, Sapporo has outstanding drinking water. (The problem is paying among the highest water rates in Japan, despite the great abundance of water within the city limits.)
gonemad at 01:58 AM JST - 31st October

I reckon the large majority of people who spout self-serving comments like "too much chlorine" etc would not spot the difference in a blind test.

All my visitors have passed the blind test when we went out eating and got served some water or tea or coffee made with tap water. Nobody ever failed to reject it after taking the first sip. And I can tell you the difference not just from taste. Taking a shower in Japan is a pain with my eyes hurting for hours after. I'd love to use bottled water for the shower, if I could just afford it...

This is mainly referring to Kanto area, but from my experience the water in other Japanese cities isn't (much) better.
browny1 at 06:27 PM JST - 31st October

A simple, relatively inexpensive filter on the mains supply taps and good water can be had. No excuse.
cwhite at 08:18 PM JST - 2nd November

a water filter is a must + boiling the water which you would do for a cup of tea anyway. Once you have used filtered water for a while you can never go back to tap water as before you even get to sip the smell of the water repels you back.