If you’ve watched any anime at all, you’ve surely seen characters flamboyantly enjoying a bottle of milk after a bath, usually with one hand perched on their hip. Sadly, you won’t be able to enjoy a glass bottle of milk on your next visit to Japan, because the Morinaga glass milk bottles are going out of production this month. It’s the end of a famous anime bath tradition!
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The End of Morinaga Glass Milk Bottles! Why Are They Stopping Production?
Even if you’ve never been to Japan, you probably know that Japanese bathers love to drink a bottle of milk after taking a bath in an onsen hot springs or public bath. This is thanks to these scenes becoming a major on-screen gag in anime over the past 20 years.
But this grand anime bath tradition is going away forever. This is because Japanese milk producer Morinaga has announced that it’s ending the distribution of milk in glass bottles, in favor of PET bottles or paper-based packs. Glass bottles must be recovered and sterilized for re-use and are difficult to transport and are being phased out after a century of use. It’s the end of an era!
In the 1920s the Morinaga milk company was trying to find a way to increase sales, and it hit on a great idea, creating sweetened “coffee milk.” Since most Japanese didn’t have refrigerators yet, the sento public baths were the perfect place to sell this product. Drinking milk after a bath quickly became a hallowed tradition, with regular milk, coffee milk and delicious fruit-flavored milk on offer.
But time marches on, and apparently it’s no longer profitable for the company to continue distributing milk in glass bottles.
Where Did the Trope of Anime Girls Drinking Milk after a Bath Come From?
There are many fun tropes that show up regularly in anime. Some of these include:
- Girls rushing off to school with a slice of toast in their mouths.
- An arch-rival gets defeated in episode two and becomes a staunch ally by episode three.
- Parents who are conveniently dead, or live abroad for some reason.
- A male character catches a view of a girl’s panties and gets a nosebleed.
- All characters suddenly drop what they’re doing to have a beach or hot springs episode with lots of fan service.
- Someone will suggest everyone play a game of Twister, with predictably sexy results.
Having anime characters enjoy a cold bottle of milk after taking a bath together is another common trope in anime today. Will the tradition live on even though milk in glass bottles is going away, the same way that the “old-style school swimsuit” is still popular, despite having been retired by schools two decades ago? We’ll see!
Why Do Anime Girls Drink Milk after a Bath? Let’s Find Out!
Drinking milk after a hot bath is great because it restores needed liquids in your body. [Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions.]
There’s nothing quite like the happy feeling you get when you pop the seal off a bottle of coffee milk and prepare to drink it down. [Onii-chan wa Oshimai.]
According to the modern trope, you’re supposed to put one hand on your hip while you swallow the milk, striking the classic pose. [Today’s Asuka Show.]
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Apparently, you’re supposed to drink the milk in one gulp to get maximum refreshment. [Shugo-Chara.]
One of the best gags related to the anime bath tradition is the belief that drinking milk makes your breasts bigger. When the girls notice Konori’s large breasts…
…you can bet they waste no time finishing their own milk. [A Certain Scientific Railgun.]
Miyuri is another character who proves that drinking milk gives you big boobs. [Seikon no Qwaser.]
Onsen Milk Brings Us Together
Drinking fruit milk after taking a bath together is a fun way to bring a group of friends together. [Kobayashi Dragon Maid.]
Or, if you want to visit a public bath with co-workers to build team spirit, make sure to drink milk together after you’re done! [Senpai ga Uzai.]
Drinking milk after a bath can bring work colleagues together and make working together fun. [New Game!]
Who are the best anime lesbians? Read our ranking here!
If you’re worried about someone looking at your naked body while you drink your milk, there are ways of protecting against that! [Daily Life with Monster Girls.]
Thanks for reading this blog post about the ending of the anime bath tradition of drinking milk after a bath. What do you think of this anime trope? Tell us in the comments below!
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Happy New Year from your Friend in Japan, J-List! We hope 2026 is a year of happiness and peace for you. To get things off right, we’re having a huge site-wide New Year’s Sale through Jan. 6, giving you $15 off all in-stock products. Start browsing now!
