You don't need to read Japanese to shop with us — but the back of a Japanese package is genuinely trying to tell you something, and a little context makes it easier to trust what it says.
What's the difference between 賞味期限 and 消費期限?
Both phrases translate roughly to "expiration date," but they mean different things. 賞味期限 (shōmi kigen) is a "best by" date — the maker's estimate of when the product is at its best, not a safety cutoff. Most of what we sell, from soy sauce to dried seaweed, carries this kind. 消費期限 (shōhi kigen) is closer to a "use by" date, reserved for foods that spoil quickly, like fresh pastries or prepared meals — you won't see it often on pantry staples. If a date on the back reads a year or more out, as ours often do, that's shōmi kigen doing its job: telling you when the maker thinks the flavor is at its peak, not when the product suddenly turns.
Why does the nutrition label say "per 100g"?
Japanese nutrition labels are calculated per 100 grams of product, not per serving the way U.S. labels usually are. It's a small difference that trips people up: a label reading 282kcal isn't the calorie count for the amount you're about to eat, it's the count for 100g of it. If a package holds 80g total, for example, the whole thing comes in under that number. Worth a quick gram-to-serving check the first time you use something new — after that, it's second nature.
What do the storage instructions on the back mean?
A handful of phrases cover most of what you'll see. 直射日光を避け (chokusha nikkō o sake) means avoid direct sunlight. 冷暗所に保存 (reian-jo ni hozon) means store somewhere cool and dark — a pantry shelf or cupboard, not a spot by a sunny window. 要冷蔵 (yō reizō) means refrigeration is required. When a label combines the first two, as many of our products do, it's simply asking for what a pantry usually already provides: shade and a steady temperature.
Who is 製造者, and why does it matter?
製造者 (seizōsha) means "manufacturer," and 製造所 (seizōjo) means the actual facility where it was made — both required by law on every Japanese food label, right down to the town. It's a small line of text, but it's the opposite of a barcode: it's a real name and a real address, not an anonymous supply chain. When we say a bottle or a jar comes "directly from the maker," this is where that claim lives — printed on the package itself, long before it ever reaches us.
The short version
- 賞味期限: a best-by date, not a safety deadline.
- Nutrition facts: almost always per 100g, not per serving — check the net weight to do the math.
- Storage phrases: "avoid direct sunlight" and "store somewhere cool and dark" cover most of what you'll see.
- 製造者/製造所: the maker's real name and address, required on every label — proof of an actual person behind the product, not just a factory number.
For anything more specific — an ingredient you don't recognize, an allergen you need to confirm — a photo of the label through Google Translate will get you further than any general guide, ours included. We're always happy to help track down a detail too.