Fresh and Fruity at Cochill Juice
Published: March 2, 2020
The Kameido district of Koto-ku is widely known for its temples, traditional restaurants, Funabashi-ya shops, and retro-feel, but south of the station it’s home to a burgeoning scene of interesting restaurants, cafes, confectioners, and the like. The latest addition to the area is Cochill Juice, a purveyor of mixed fruit and vegetable drinks, and much more besides. On a recent chilly morning, we dropped in for a chat with the proprietor, Ms. Miki So.
Located a brisk six-minute walk from Kameido Station, bang on the corner of the extremely busy Keiyo road and Maruhachi street, Cochill opened on January 24th this year. The laid-back and charming Ms. So explained the origins of her new venture. “I’m from Sakura in Chiba and was a company employee for many years, working for a real estate agency and a systems company. I live in Edogawa-ku, the next ward over from Koto-ku, so I drove to work along Keiyo Road here every day and got to know and like the area,” she said.
“The real estate job was very busy and I was outside a lot in all weather. I really came to appreciate being able to take a break for a few minutes and enjoy some fresh, revitalizing fruit juice when we worked near somewhere that sold it. Sometimes when you’re really busy it can be hard to eat properly, to get your fruit and vegetables. It tastes great, it’s healthy and it cheers you up, especially in the heat of summer,” she added. “After I decided that I wanted to open my own place, I began by visiting juice shops for research and then started practicing at home.” All Cochill drinks are additive and sugar free. Ms. So visits the fruit and vegetable growers herself, or is introduced to farmers by an acquaintance. All ingredients are carefully selected by Ms. So herself.
“At the moment we have 10 different flavours. On the regular menu are Green Mix, which contains Japanese mustard spinach (komatsuna), Japanese mustard greens (mizuna) and pineapple. Banana milk is our most popular juice.” On the right here is the fruit mix, which changes ingredients depending on the season and fruit availability. When we visited it was apple, orange, and pineapple. A small costs 350 yen each while a large is 450 yen.
Like all Japanese businesses worth their salt, Cochill has a logo. It’s Ms. So’s favourite, a stoat (okojo in Japanese), renowned for its beautiful white ermine coat in winter.
You can even pick up a Cochill coaster with your drink. Cochill, as Ms. So explains, is “a combination of the English word chill, as in chill out, and the Japanese “ko” meaning small.”
Enjoying a break with a fruit juice was her little chill out time, hence the name!
Cochill offers two kinds of banana milk. “It’s the new tapioca,” explains Ms. So, as the lengthy bubble tea boom in Japan seems to have finally passed its peak. Bananas are hot right now, none more so than these Okinawa shima (island) bananas, commonly called monkey bananas in some countries. “We get them delivered when they’re green, ripen them in the shop so that we can juice them at their peak of maturity. They’re a little sour but also sweeter than regular bananas and make really good juice.” Special Banana Milk is 550 yen for a small one.
I drank a regular banana milk and it was very good indeed; creamy and rich, sweet but not cloying. It definitely refreshed me for the walk back to Kameido station. It’s easy to imagine that on a baking hot and humid summer day these probably feel like lifesavers.
Cochill also has three 100% juice drinks: kiwi, pineapple and mango. All are 500 yen for a small or 600 yen for a large.
February’s menu also features a yuzu soda drink, hot lemonade and hot amazake. The yuzu soda is made with 100% Oita Prefecture fruit, with a non-carbonated version also available. Hot amazake, the traditional drink made from fermented rice, is mixed with seasonal fruit for extra healthiness. There’s a hot yuzu and ginger drink as well, which sounds perfect for cold winter days.
“Some of our customers who work in offices around here suggested it would be a good idea if we had something to eat for lunch,” said Ms. So. The result was this Genova sandwich, all yours for 450 yen.
The Genovese sauce is made with 100% Japanese sweet basil, the pork ham is domestic too, the cream cheese is French, and the bread is from a local bakery frequented by Ms. So. It takes just a couple of minutes to cook on the special grill.
Paired with a vegetable juice, fruit juice or a hot drink, it makes a very appealing (and healthy) lunch.
For those with a sweet tooth there are gluten-free cookies made without eggs or dairy products.
These muffins are sourced from another bakery favoured by Ms. So. Costing 200 yen each, they are available in four flavours: choco chunk, fromage, tea and apple, and banana and nuts.
In spring Cochill will start with limited editions of berry-based juices, while summer will bring soft cream. Sounds great!
Cochill juices and smoothies can also be purchased at a kitchen car. The location schedule can be found here:
Story and photographs by Stephen Spencer
