How to Open a Ramune Bottle (And Why Is There a Marble Inside?)

Got a Ramune bottle in front of you and can't work out how to open it? Don't throw away the plastic piece from the top. That small piece is usually the opener you need to push the marble down and release the drink.

Ramune bottles look unusual if you've never opened one before, but once you know what each part does, the process is simple. This guide shows you how to open one, how to stop the marble blocking the drink, what to do if it starts foaming, and why there is a glass marble in the bottle in the first place.

Quick answer: how do you open a Ramune bottle?

For most traditional Ramune bottles:

1. Chill the bottle first.
2. Keep it upright on a flat, stable surface.
3. Remove the plastic wrapping or cap from the top.
4. Take out the small plastic opener or plunger.
5. Place it directly over the marble.
6. Push straight down firmly until the marble drops.
7. Keep the bottle upright for a few seconds while the fizz settles.
8. Remove the opener and drink.

The marble dropping into the neck is normal. That's how the bottle opens.

Step 1: Chill the Ramune

Ramune is best enjoyed chilled anyway, but there's another reason to cool it before opening. It is a carbonated drink, so if the bottle is warm or has been shaken around, it is more likely to foam when the marble seal is released.

If your bottle has just arrived in a parcel or has been carried around in a bag, give it time to settle and cool before opening. And don't shake it.

Step 2: Put the bottle on a flat surface

Don't try to open your first Ramune while holding the bottle in mid-air. Put it upright on a kitchen counter, sturdy table or another flat surface.

You'll need to push down firmly, so having the bottle properly supported makes the whole process easier.

Step 3: Remove the top packaging

Take off the plastic wrapping or cap around the top of the bottle. Now pay attention before putting anything in the bin.

There should normally be a small plastic piece designed to act as the opener. This is the part first-time Ramune drinkers sometimes accidentally throw away.

Step 4: Place the opener over the marble

Look at the top of the bottle. You should be able to see the glass marble sitting against the seal.

Place the plastic opener directly over it and try to keep it centred. You want your pressure going straight down onto the marble, rather than pushing the opener sideways.

Step 5: Push firmly

Now press down firmly. You may need more pressure than you expected.

Once the seal releases, the marble will drop into the chamber in the neck of the bottle. You'll usually hear a pop and some fizz. That's exactly what is supposed to happen.

Step 6: Give the fizz a moment to settle

Don't immediately tilt the bottle towards yourself after the marble drops. Leave it upright for a few seconds.

This gives the carbonation a chance to settle and reduces the chance of Ramune bubbling over the top. Then remove the plastic opener and your Ramune is ready.

Why does Ramune have a marble inside?

The marble isn't decoration. It is actually part of the bottle's sealing system.

The design is known as a Codd-neck bottle, named after British inventor Hiram Codd. Carbonation pressure inside the bottle pushes the glass marble against a sealing ring in the neck, helping keep the bottle closed. To open it, you push the marble away from that seal and into the chamber below.

So before opening, pressure pushes the marble up. After opening, you push the marble down.

That's why an unopened Ramune bottle can look as though somebody somehow trapped a marble in the top. They did, but for a practical reason.

Why doesn't the marble fall into the bottom?

Look closely at the shape of the bottle neck. The marble is trapped inside a specially shaped chamber.

It can move around inside that area, but the narrow sections of the bottle prevent it from simply falling into the main body of the bottle.

Why does the marble keep blocking the drink?

This is probably the second Ramune problem after getting the bottle open.

You've successfully pushed the marble down, you tilt the bottle, and suddenly nothing comes out. The marble has rolled back towards the opening.

Don't try to shake it out of the way. Instead, look at the neck of the bottle. The shaped sections or indentations are designed to help hold the marble away from the opening while you drink.

Tilt the bottle so the marble settles into that part of the neck. Once you get the angle right, the drink should flow much more easily.

It can feel awkward on the first bottle. By the second one, you'll probably wonder why it seemed difficult.

My Ramune is foaming everywhere. What do I do?

First, put it back upright and give the carbonation time to settle.

Foaming usually becomes more of a problem when the bottle is warm, shaken, tilted immediately after opening, or opened slowly and unevenly.

For the next bottle, keep it chilled, leave it upright and push the marble straight down in one controlled movement. A little fizz when the marble drops is normal. Half the bottle trying to leave at once is less ideal.

What if the marble won't go down?

Check the simple things first. Make sure the bottle is on a firm surface, the opener is centred, and you're pressing directly down.

The seal can feel surprisingly strong the first time, so use steady downward pressure while keeping the bottle upright.

If your particular bottle has instructions printed on the packaging, follow those first because opener designs can vary.

What if I threw away the Ramune opener?

This is one situation where we would not recommend getting inventive with knives, screwdrivers or other sharp objects.

You're dealing with a pressurised carbonated drink in a glass bottle.

Check the packaging carefully first because the opening piece may still be attached or tucked inside the top. If it genuinely isn't available, follow the bottle manufacturer's instructions rather than forcing the marble down with something sharp or trying to damage the glass.

Saving one bottle of soda isn't worth an injured hand.

Can you take the marble out of a Ramune bottle?

Normally, the marble is intended to stay trapped inside the bottle.

Once you've finished the drink, you may be tempted to get it out, but don't break the glass bottle just to retrieve the marble.

Enjoy the marble through the glass and recycle or dispose of the bottle according to the guidance where you live.

Is the marble glass?

In the traditional Codd-style design, yes, it is a glass marble.

It forms part of the seal while also moving freely inside the bottle neck. That's also why you can hear it knocking around after you've opened and finished the drink.

What actually is Ramune?

Ramune is a Japanese carbonated soft drink closely associated with its distinctive marble bottle.

Today it comes in many flavours rather than one single taste. The bottle has become such a recognisable part of the experience that for many people, opening their first Ramune is almost as memorable as drinking it.

At Asian Larder, we currently stock Kimura Ramune Strawberry 200ml and Kimura Ramune Lychee 200ml, both in the traditional marble-stop bottle.

Strawberry has a sweet, familiar fruit flavour, while Lychee is lighter and more floral. Both are best enjoyed chilled.

Which Ramune flavour should you try first?

That depends much more on what you normally enjoy than on which flavour somebody on the internet calls "best".

If you like familiar, sweet fruit flavours, Strawberry is an easy place to start. If you enjoy a lighter, more floral fruit flavour, Lychee may suit you better.

And if you're mainly curious about the bottle, either one gives you the same marble-opening experience.

First Ramune? Remember these five things

Keep the plastic opener. Chill the bottle. Open it on a flat surface. Push the marble straight down. Let the fizz settle before drinking.

That's really all there is to it.

The bottle looks complicated because most of us grew up with screw caps and ring pulls. Once you understand what the marble is doing, the design actually makes a lot more sense.

The marble is part of the experience

Ramune could have been sold in an ordinary bottle, but then opening one wouldn't be nearly as memorable.

That little moment of figuring out the cap, pushing the marble down and hearing it rattle around the neck is part of what makes Ramune different from an ordinary fizzy drink.

If your first reaction was "How on earth do I open this?", you weren't doing anything wrong. You just met a bottle design that's much older than the screw cap you're probably used to.

And now you know how it works.

Packaging and opening mechanisms can vary. Always follow the instructions supplied with the individual bottle. Handle glass bottles carefully and do not use sharp tools or break the bottle to access the marble.