Why is iced coffee called "Reiko" in Osaka?

"Give me Reiko!"

Have you ever heard such an order at a coffee shop in Osaka?

"Reiko" means cold coffee = iced coffee.

But why did it come to be called this in Osaka?

In the first place, does it really work?

Even though it was out of season, I went into town to check it out.

(Osaka Broadcasting Station Director Yuki Takuma/Koki Mitamura)

Do Kansai people like to abbreviate?

First, we went out to the streets of Osaka and asked everyone about Reiko.

A woman in her 40s from Kanagawa

: "What about raincoats? I've never heard of them."

Tourists don't seem to know.

It seems to be a name unique to Kansai.

People from Kansai here.

A man in his 20s living in Wakayama

: "When I want an iced coffee at the convenience store where I work part-time, people sometimes say 'Reiko'. I didn't understand until they said it."

Some people order it at convenience stores.

But why do we call it that?

Woman in her 50s

: ``Nowadays, we have iced coffee in both winter and summer, but in the past, we didn't have it in winter, so there was a sign in the store that said ``chilled coffee.'' I think it became "Ko)".I like to abbreviate people from Kansai."

Man in his 60s

: “They said ``Osca'' for orange squash and ``Lesca'' for lemon squash, so I guess that's what they say.

It seems like they omit a variety of drinks, not just iced coffee.

I wonder if Kansai people's love of abbreviations had an influence on this.

Is it a sign of closeness in human relationships?

We asked someone who knows the origin of Reiko.

This is Keiichi Tanaka, a writer who knows the coffee situation in Kansai well.

The exact origin is unknown, but it seems that it may have spread from the abbreviation used by the staff when taking orders at a coffee shop.

Keiichi Tanaka, writer

: ``Customers could hear the clerk calling them ``Reiko'' when passing their order to the kitchen, and the customers began to imitate that, and it became more and more entrenched.The sense of distance between the clerk and the customer. I think it was born out of something like the closeness of our relationships."

Osaka has the highest number of coffee shops in Japan, and because they are all close together, the staff and regular customers are familiar to each other, and the word was born out of this sense of closeness.

The name "Reiko" seems to reflect the closeness of human relationships unique to Osaka.

Is Reiko already obsolete?

However, when I asked people around town, I heard the following opinions.

Man in his 60s

: "It's not used anymore. People laugh at me. If you were talking about an old coffee shop, people would say 'Reiko', but now you wouldn't be able to understand it if you said 'Starbucks'."

"I used to say that, but I don't say it anymore. There are probably fewer cafes in town. I don't know if that's the reason."

The people who used to call it "Reiko" were usually in their 60s or older, and they no longer use it.

If you look into it, it seems that in the 1980s and 1990s, cafe chains expanded across the country, and each store began to use a unified name, so the unique regional name ``Reiko'' was almost no longer used.

I ordered "Reiko" at a stylish cafe.

Does "Reiko" no longer work?

At a stylish cafe in Osaka, I decided to order ``Reiko'' and see if it would work.

First of all, this is a male clerk in his 50s.

Director

: ``One Reiko.''

50-year-old clerk

: ``Reiko, are you sure you want one?''

Director

: ``I'm trying to find out if it's compatible with my order with Reiko.''

50-year-old clerk

: ``If you're my age, I think it's about right.'' ”

So what about the young clerks?

20's clerk

: "I don't know Reiko. It seems like something tea-like. Cold... Oolong tea?"

20's clerk

: "It's coffee, isn't it? Something..."

I guess it doesn't make sense to young store clerks...

But if you keep going.

20-something clerk

: "Reiko, iced coffee. It's a word used by older people."

Store employee in his 30's

: ``I know Reiko because my father uses it too.Occasionally, older people say things like ``Give me Reiko'' to our regular customers.''

It seems that almost no one orders ``Reiko'' these days, but many of the people at the restaurant who are from Kansai knew the name.

As a result, I visited 9 stores and was able to successfully place orders at most of them.

I found out that "Reiko" is still surprisingly relevant.

Movement to revive Reiko

In fact, there is currently a movement to revive the name Reiko in the region.

In Shinsekai, Osaka, where there are many retro coffee shops, shop owners took the lead in creating posters that read ``We have cold coffee'' and putting them up in coffee shops in the area, which has now spread to about 10 shops. .

Cafe owner

: ``Some customers ask me what Reiko is.''People from other areas, especially the Kanto region, often ask me this question.''

The name, which is new to people outside of Kansai, seems to be a conversation starter.

Masataka Kondo, chairman of the Shinsekai Neighborhood Federation, who created the poster, said, ``I

started this poster because I wanted it to be a small opportunity for everyone to learn about Osaka's coffee shop culture by communicating what ``Reiko'' is. There's a visible response from young people taking pictures and talking about it.I don't think many people are taking on the challenge, but please come to Shinsekai and say ``Reiko.''

"Reiko" has a warm, nostalgic sound.

It may be just a name, but I felt it reflected Osaka's cafe culture and the sense of distance between people.

When you go to a coffee shop, why not ask for ``Give me a Reiko''?

(Broadcast on “Hotto Kansai” on December 12th)

nan in nan?

``Why is this happening?'' ``Is this only in Kansai?''

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