Kokoro Care Packages Unboxing

Hapa Mag - December 9, 2020

By Alison Lea Bender, Alex Chester, & Sam Tanabe

Kokoro Care Packages are incredible boxes, curated with impeccable detail and love. Kokoro hand-selects each of the quality, all-natural Japanese foods, and they ship worldwide. One of the co-founders, Lillian Rowlatt, also happens to be Hapa! Check out our Q&A with Lillian, as well as an unboxing video with some of the Hapa Mag girls.

Both one-time purchase and monthly subscriptions boxes are available at the Kokoro Care Packages website! 

What was your inspiration for creating the Kokoro Care Packages?

Our idea began as a way of sharing authentic foods from Japan. As someone who is half-Japanese, I grew up enjoying my mother’s home-cooked Japanese meals but noticed that a lot of the Japanese food available outside of Japan is of lower quality or that we tend to see only the same common items. We wanted to share the true authentic flavors of Japan while introducing people to foods they may not have tried before. We also wanted to share the traditions and the stories behind the local farmers and producers we partner with, while supporting their local businesses. For us, food is more than what’s on your plate but an experience that can connect you to the people around your table as well as the people, land, and philosophies that created it.

“Kokoro” (心) means heart in English. Why did you choose this name, and what significance does it hold for you?

Kokoro translates to heart, but also represents spirit, soul, and emotion. We want each of our products and care packages to deliver this deeper meaning of kokoro.

Have your experiences varied being a mixed-Japanese and English, woman living in Canada, Japan, and the United States?

It’s certainly been interesting and eye opening, especially when speaking with other half-Japanese people in these different places. I was born in Toronto, arguably the most multicultural city in the world. Most of my friends growing up had different cultural backgrounds and parents that came from all over the world. Being half-Japanese was always a source of pride and something I cherished.

Living in Japan I felt a strong connection to the country and the culture. It felt like a second home to me. But it came as a bit of a surprise when I spoke to other half-Japanese people who grew up in Japan. Many said they were treated like outsiders and that they never felt like they fit in — some even said they were bullied for being half. I think it was easier for me to live there as a foreigner because I was first and foremost a Canadian that happens to be half-Japanese. Living there felt very natural to me as many of the traditions and mannerisms had already been instilled in me from my mother.

Moving to L.A. was another unique experience. I wanted to find a place with strong Japanese connections and being so close to Torrance, the second-largest Japanese community in America outside of Honolulu, I encountered more half-Japanese people than I ever thought I would! It’s more rare to be half-Japanese on the east coast, but I’ll always remember the feeling of attending my first half-Japanese meetup in L.A. I was shocked by how many others there were! We all looked somewhat similar and shared common stories of how we grew up. I immediately felt a connection but was sometimes saddened to hear the flip side of the half-Japanese experiences in Japan. Here, people had been teased for their Japanese half while growing up. I honestly feel lucky to have grown up in Toronto where I never felt anything but pride and joy about being half-Japanese.

How have you, and also your co-founder in Japan, been dealing with the COVID-19 crisis?

When we launched Kokoro Care Packages about two years ago, we never imagined being in the situation we are now. We had been shipping all of our Care Packages directly to our community members via Japan Post. So when Japan Post stopped shipping to many countries, including our biggest market in the U.S., we had a huge obstacle to overcome. We now import our packages through L.A. in order to ensure that our community members can continue to receive the packages they love while now also paying higher shipping costs for the countries to which Japan Post continues to ship. It’s been a squeeze on our margins and a logistical challenge, but we consider ourselves lucky in that we’re still able to continue delivering our packages. We’ve also noticed some silver linings as more people are cooking at home, looking to try new foods, and for many who wanted to travel to Japan, our Care Packages bring Japan to their door through our authentic products. We received so many compliments from people thanking us for helping them stay connected to Japan during these times!

Do you have a favorite item or theme from previous packages?

It’s honestly so hard to choose! I feel like I fall in love with each of our packages and products every month. Our co-founder, Aki Sugiyama, does an incredible job of finding unique artisanal products, many of which are hard to find even within Japan! Lately I’ve been enjoying our regional themes, Okinawa, Tohoku, Kyoto, and Kanagawa, to name a few, as they help people explore a region they may not have visited before. I also really enjoyed our Sustainability theme as it showcased what the regional Japanese farmers and producers are doing to preserve traditions and the land that nourishes the foods we share.

Some of my specific favorites have been our awamori chili paste from Okinawa, our kurozu black vinegar paste, our organic umeboshi from Wakayama where only 1% of the umeboshi are organic (you can really taste the difference!), our brown rice jam made by a local family-run farm, our yuzu miso from Tokushima (which is made by a 66-year-old woman who started her own yuzu company to help the local aging farmers with their harvest, ensuring that their pesticide-free yuzu doesn’t go to waste), our natto koji paste made from rare domestic tsukui soybeans. I could go on and on!

Are there any dream brands/sellers you would like to work with for future packages or endeavors?

It’s honestly an honor for us to share these local products with anyone who appreciates the quality and authenticity. Building a trusting community is the most important part of our partnerships and we’re always open to collaborating with others who share our love and passion for authentic Japanese food and for protecting the traditions of Japan. In the end, we want as many people as possible to have access to our special products and to help support as many local farmers and producers as possible by giving them access to an international market. We are truly focused on building a Kokoro Community!