Welcome to Nippon Curated.
I’m Momo Kurata, and I live in Japan. Nippon Curated is where I write about the things from Japan that are genuinely worth your attention — the everyday objects, foods, crafts, and small ideas that people here actually use and love, explained for readers outside Japan.
There is a lot of “Japan content” online written by people who have never set foot here. This site is different. I live here. When I recommend a bento box, a kitchen knife, or a pot of tea, it’s because I’ve handled it, used it, or grown up around it. I read the original Japanese product pages, I know which model numbers are sold only in Japan and which are made for export, and I can tell you when the “Japanese version” you see abroad is really the same thing — or not.
What you’ll find here
- Honest, first-hand guides to Japanese products worth buying from overseas
- The “why,” not just the “what” — the culture and craft behind the objects
- Practical help — how to care for them, what to avoid, and whether they’re worth the price
Why “curated”
Japan makes an overwhelming amount of things, and most of it you don’t need. My job is to filter — to bring you the small number of things that are genuinely excellent, and to leave out the noise.
A note on honesty
I only recommend things I would tell a friend to buy. Some links on this site are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them — at no extra cost to you. This never changes what I recommend or what I say about it. You can read the full Affiliate Disclosure here, along with the Privacy Policy.
Have a question? A correction? A topic from Japan you would like me to look into? Reach me at nipponcurated888@gmail.com.
Thanks for being here.
— Momo Kurata, writing from Tokyo