About Kokoro Care
What is Kokoro Care?
Kokoro translates to “heart” in Japanese, but has a much deeper meaning. It represents spirit, soul and emotion, and is the foundation of Kokoro Care.
Founded by two friends living an ocean apart, Kokoro Care offers a curation of artisanal foods made locally in Japan. From sauces to seasonings, teas, snacks and more, each product has been carefully chosen for its quality, taste and tradition. We want everyone to enjoy the flavors of Japan, no matter your skill level, and are confident that any product you choose will become your next favorite!
Learn more about Our Values
What if I'm new to Japanese food?
We love welcoming people to Japanese food! We make enjoying Japanese food easy no matter your skill level and have a wide selection of beginner products to choose from.
What if I can't read or understand Japanese?
Not to worry! We include an in-depth English brochure of the products, ingredients, suggested uses & recipes in all of our packages as well as product descriptions on our site making it easy to enjoy our products.
What type of products do you offer?
All of our artisanal products are hand-crafted locally in Japan by regional farmers and producers. Learn more about Our Values.
You can purchase our products as curated monthly or seasonal subscription packages, gift packages or pick your favorite single items at our Market: Michi no Eki.
What is the difference between the Monthly Bites package and the Seasonal Tastes package?
The Monthly Bites package includes a curation of 7-10 locally-made, artisanal ready to eat snacks, sweets, pickles, teas, sauce/seasoning along with a colorful English brochure.
The Seasonal Tastes package is delivered once every three months and includes a curation of 6-9 locally-made, artisanal sauces, seasonings, teas, snacks, sweets and more, along with a colorful English brochure and recipes.
Products
What if I have allergies/dietary restrictions?
We provide English translation of ingredients and common allergens based on the packaging as a reference. Please consume with caution based on your own individual health concerns as we cannot guarantee the presence or lack of certain ingredients, allergens and/or animal products.
How will I know the ingredients of each item?
We provide English translation of ingredients and common allergens based on the packaging as a reference.
Please consume with caution based on your own individual health concerns as we cannot guarantee the presence or lack of certain ingredients, allergens and/or animal products.
How will I know the best before date?
All our products have a minimum three months shelf life and best before dates will be available as labeled by the producer of each product.
Please note that "best before" dates indicate when our producer recommends enjoying the product before to ensure the best quality/flavor. Our Japanese producers tend to be rather conservative when choosing these dates to ensure their products are enjoyed at the height of their freshness, and as such, the time until these dates can appear to be rather short. As long as the product has been properly stored, it likely can be enjoyed until there is evidence of spoilage.
As with all food however, we do not recommend eating anything that appears off.
Can I find these products in my local grocery store, Asian supermarket or online elsewhere?
All our locally-made products are not easily available outside of Japan. Some are so artisanal they're a rare find even within Japan!
Shipping
Which countries do you ship to?
We ship to 35+ countries worldwide including: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, USA and Vietnam.
Please contact us at info@kokorocares.com if you do not see your country listed and we can discuss adding it to our list if possible.
In all cases, we recommend that you check your individual country's import laws as we cannot guarantee delivery of all products into every country. In addition, we are not responsible for any duties and/or taxes upon delivery.
I don't see my country on the list of countries you ship to. Is it still possible to receive your products?
Yes! We are constantly updating the list of countries we deliver to. Please reach out to info@kokorocares.com and we can see if it's possible to add yours to our list.
Where do you ship from?
We proudly ship all of our products straight from Japan to your door.
What are your shipping cost and duties/taxes?
Single item orders over $99 (not including curated packages if in the same order) and all curated packages (subscription and gifts) ship for free.
In addition, we do our best to curate each Care Package to fall within the duty free allowance for most countries, but we recommend that you check your individual country's import laws including duties and taxes, as we are not responsible for any additional fees upon delivery.
How long will it take for my Kokoro Care Package to arrive?
We ship orders within the week they are placed and it usually take 3-5 days to arrive.
Please note however that it can take longer due to holiday scheduling in Japan or if there are any unforeseen issues (customs, post office issues, weather, etc.).
Which delivery service do you use?
We use DHL Express or Japan Post (which gets transferred to USPS or Canada Post) for the US and Canada based your location.
We use Japan Post (which gets transferred to your local country carrier) for all other countries aside from Japan which gets delivered by Sagawa Express.
Will I be able to track my shipment?
You will receive a confirmation email with your tracking number as soon as your order has been shipped.
Returns and refunds
Do you offer returns and/or refunds?
We do not offer returns and/or refunds once they have been delivered to a third party carrier.
However, we encourage you to contact us at info@kokorocares.com with your specific issue so we can ensure the best possible experience. Your satisfaction is our priority.
An item/items were damaged upon delivery. Can I return it or get a refund?
We do our best to pack items in such a way that they will not be damaged upon delivery. However, due to the nature of shipping packages, sometimes accidents can happen. Although we do not offer returns on any item/items, we encourage you to contact us at info@kokorocares.com with details so we can discuss a solution.
Billing and subscriptions
What currency do you charge in?
When will I be billed for my subscription package?
All subscriptions (monthly, 3-month, 6-month and 12-month) are billed automatically when purchased and then on the same day of the corresponding month as the subscription period originally selected (Ie monthly for our Monthly Bites package and every three months for our Seasonal Tastes package).
One-time gift purchases are billed automatically and do not auto-renew.
What is your cancellation policy?
You may cancel your subscription at any time, by logging into your account or emailing us at info@kokorocares.com. The cancellation of your subscription must be made 1 business day before your subscription renewal date . If you cancel your subscription less than 1 business day before your next subscription renewal date, your cancellation will be taken into account on the following subscription renewal date. We do not offer refunds (full or prorated) of any portion of the subscription fee.
Affiliate program
I love Kokoro Care! Do you offer an affiliate program?