#ProjectKokusan

My Mission to Only Support Made in Japan

As of this writing, it’s the first week of 2022. That means that we’re quickly coming up on the two year mark since foreign tourists have been prohibited from entering Japan. Seeing as I am a writer who has the mission of helping more people get off of the beaten path, these past few years have been trying to say the least. As I outlined in this rather odd piece though, I’ve been able to maintain some sense of sanity by instead focusing on my love for Japan as a whole. Much to my surprise, some of my most joyous moments in 2021 were actually when I was dropping cash willy-nilly on vendors and restaurants in the Japanese countryside.

On that note, I’d like to introduce what I am officially titling #ProjectKokusan. Translated directly, the Japanese word kokusan means something like “domestically produced.” The label is used widely all across the Japanese archipelago to refer to items that have been, you guessed it, made locally here in Japan. #ProjectKokusan is therefore an attempt by any and all involved to more consciously consume only goods and produce that has been sourced by hard working Japanese farmers and craftsmen. It’s a call to action to try our best to support local vendors whenever we can.