How to Open a Ramune Drink: Easy Video Instructions

Pop open the famed Japanese soda with a marble inside

Co-authored by Sophie Burkholder, BA Reviewed by Sander Raav

Last Updated: October 3, 2025 Fact Checked

Ramune is a popular carbonated soft drink from Japan, but it’s best known for its unusually fun bottle shape and stopper. A glass marble acts as a unique cap for the drink (which comes in flavors like strawberry, peach, and lychee). The glass marble keeps the soda closed and the liquid inside carbonated. When the marble is released, it falls into a special chamber. While this process of opening a Ramune bottle can be very cool, it can be confusing for first-timers! That’s why we’ve put together this easy visual guide to open (and drink!) your Ramune soda in no time at all.

How to Open a Ramune Bottle: Quick Steps

Remove the plastic label around the bottle cap.
Take off the (usually pink) plunger and recycle the plastic outer ring around it.
Place the plunger into the hole on top of the cap.
Press down to release the marble into the bottle.
Hold the plunger down for ~5 seconds, then remove it.
Drink out of the top of the bottle!

1

Set the bottle on a flat, stable surface.

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Place your bottle on a flat surface that won’t move—like a table or counter. Preferably, choose a surface that won’t allow the bottle to slip out of your hands when you press down on it. If you just hold the bottle in one hand, you likely won’t have enough force to press the plunger down safely.

2

Remove the white plastic wrapper from the cap.

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The top of your bottle should be covered with a white piece of thin, removable plastic. This plastic is keeping the bottle cap sealed. Tear off this plastic and throw it into a trash bin.^{[1]
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3

Take the hard plastic piece off the top.

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Look for a small, hard plastic piece that’s sitting right on top of the bottle (where the hole would otherwise be). Usually, this plastic is pink. In some cases, however, it might be green or transparent. Whatever color you have, remove it from the top of the bottle.^{[2]
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4

Separate the plastic ring from the plunger.

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The plastic piece that you’ve just removed is actually two pieces of plastic stuck together. You should have an outer, circular ring and a plunger (which resembles a top hat). Use your fingers to pry out the center part (the plunger) and separate it from the outer ring. Recycle the outer ring and hold on to the plunger.^{[3]
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- If your plunger and ring are green or transparent: With this bottle type, the plunger and ring won’t come apart as easily. Forcefully press down on the plunger with your thumb in order to detach it from the outer ring.^{[4]
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5

Place the plunger into the drinking hole.

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Your plunger should look like a flat, round disc with a small cylinder sticking out of it. Stick the cylindrical part into the hole on the very top of your bottle. Use one hand to grip the bottle securely as you do this, and place the heel of your other hand onto the plunger.^{[5]
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6

Press down for 5 seconds.

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Use the heel of your palm to push forcefully on the plunger until the marble drops into the bottle. Even after the marble drops, keep pressing down for about 5 seconds, or until the bubbles in the soda have settled slightly. Make sure to concentrate pressure in a downward direction, and don’t release or change the direction of your pressure. Once 5 seconds have passed, remove and throw away the plunger.^{[6]
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7

Drink your Ramune!

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Now, your Ramune soda is ready to drink! When drinking the soda, hold the bottle so that the indentations in the neck are facing down to catch the marble. This will prevent it from stopping the flow of liquid.
- If your plunger was pink: You can keep your marble by unscrewing the blue cap AFTER you finish drinking and turning the bottle over to let the marble drop out.^{[7]
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- If your plunger was green or transparent: You cannot remove your cap to get the marble—trying to forcibly remove it could cause the glass bottle to break.^{[8]
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Community Q&A

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Question

How do I close the bottle if needed?

Community Answer

It doesn't have a cap, so the closest you can get to 'closing' it is saving the plunger and using that to plug it. You could also use a piece of saran wrap or tin foil to close the top.

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Question

How do I take the marble out of the bottle?

Community Answer

You don't. You just drink it with the marble in there; don't worry, you won't choke!

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Question

I accidentally threw out the opening thing so how am I supposed to open it?

Iona McIntyre

Community Answer

You may be able to put enough pressure on the marble with a digit to be able to release it. However, I would advise using a similarly shaped item (circular with a hollow centre) to replicate the bottle opener included with the pop.

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Warnings

Don't break open the bottle to remove the marble. You may cut yourself or someone else.

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Do not drink if the marble is broken.

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Don't shake the bottle before opening. This will cause excess fizzing.

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Don't accidentally throw out the opening widget!

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Don't stick your finger or tongue into the bottle to remove the marble. It may get stuck, and likely won’t work!

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