Founded in the early 2000s, Yūbari Sparkling Water was started by Haruki Murakami. In his early 20s, Haruki helped his father harvest melons in Hokkaido, Japan. His favorite part of it all was never the harvest, but when his mom would turn the delicious melon into a light, nectar-sweet juice that was perfect for the summer. The only reason it was so perfect was because she added a “secret ingredient.” After his mother passed away in 1998, her letter had the secret ingredient, “手を使って,” which loosely translates to “use your hands.” This is when he found out that his mother used her hands to press the juice, allowing the soft, tender melon flesh to compress at a much more even rate that brought out the sweet nectar in a balanced manner. Now, Haruki Murakami makes sure every melon is hand-pressed so every sparkling drop of Yūbari Sparkling Water is balanced, refreshing, and perfect.