OK: Where did you get the name 'Gokkun'?

MT: It means the width of the bottle's opening. When we were thinking of a name we just couldn't come up with anything. Then, when we decided on the bottle...the width of the opening and the feeling of drinking it... that's 'Gokkun'. However, 'Gokkun' alone doesn't tell where it's from, so we added 'Umaji-mura' to the end.

OK: How long did it take for you to perfect Gokkun?

MT: We had to work on the taste, the bottle, the label...it took about a year to create the image we wanted and how we wanted the final product to turn out. Of course it took quite a bit of time particularly to get the taste we wanted.

OK: Does the Gokkun Character have a name?

MT: The boy on the bottle's name is Gokkun Bouya. He's pretty much the basis of our product.

OK: Is the person who created him from Umaji?

MT: No, he's from Kagami Village in Kochi prefecture, but he does rent out a house in Umaji. He uses Gokkun Bouya for his work in design and illustration.

OK: Is the character used anywhere outside of Umaji?

MT: The character has a strong association with Umaji and its image, so if someone used it, our brand and image would suffer.