Wellness Brand "TOJI" Expanding into Silicon Valley Holds First Pop-up in San Francisco, Garnering High Interest in Japanese Origins
Japanese wellness brand "TOJI" held its first pop-up store in San Francisco, USA, in March 2026, confirming high local interest in Japanese-origin wellness products and "sake kasu" (sake lees) material. This event served as test marketing for a full-scale entry into the U.S. market.
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- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 02:00
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TOJI Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Natsuki Matsuda) launched its wellness brand "TOJI" (pronounced "toh-jee") and held its first pop-up stores in the United States over two days, March 28th (Saturday) and 29th (Sunday), 2026, at two stores in the San Francisco Bay Area (Bernal Cutlery, Morningtide).
TOJI focuses on ingredients rooted in traditional Japanese culture and rich nature, extracting their beauty and health benefits to introduce them to the global wellness scene. In January of this year, TOJI was selected as a 4th-term co-working member (medical and healthcare sector) of the "Japan Innovation Campus (JIC)," a startup support hub established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, California), establishing its first overseas base. (Details: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000017.000162813.html)
The purpose of these pop-up stores was to serve as a first step towards full-scale expansion into the U.S. market, creating direct touchpoints with consumers and conducting business verification (test marketing) to assess how the value of Japanese-origin wellness and the ingredient "sake kasu" (sake lees) would be received by local customers.
## Event Overview
The pop-up stores were held at two select shops in the San Francisco Bay Area, each with its unique community:
**Day 1: Bernal Cutlery (San Francisco)**
**Date & Time:** March 28th, 11:00 - 14:00
**Location:** 766 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA (Mission District)
**About the Venue:** This shop specializes in high-quality Japanese knives, whetstones, and cooking tools, enjoying immense support from local chefs and food connoisseurs. The story of sake kasu, a byproduct of Japanese sake brewing, was shared with the shop's customers, who have a deep respect for Japanese "craftsmanship" and "food culture."
**Day 2: Morningtide (Albany/East Bay)**
**Date & Time:** March 29th, 11:00 - 13:00
**Location:** 847 Cornell
Keywords: Bath salts, sake kasu, USA, overseas expansion, Japanese brand, San Francisco, Japanese culture, Japanese food, POPUP, startup
TOJI focuses on ingredients rooted in traditional Japanese culture and rich nature, extracting their beauty and health benefits to introduce them to the global wellness scene. In January of this year, TOJI was selected as a 4th-term co-working member (medical and healthcare sector) of the "Japan Innovation Campus (JIC)," a startup support hub established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, California), establishing its first overseas base. (Details: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000017.000162813.html)
The purpose of these pop-up stores was to serve as a first step towards full-scale expansion into the U.S. market, creating direct touchpoints with consumers and conducting business verification (test marketing) to assess how the value of Japanese-origin wellness and the ingredient "sake kasu" (sake lees) would be received by local customers.
## Event Overview
The pop-up stores were held at two select shops in the San Francisco Bay Area, each with its unique community:
**Day 1: Bernal Cutlery (San Francisco)**
**Date & Time:** March 28th, 11:00 - 14:00
**Location:** 766 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA (Mission District)
**About the Venue:** This shop specializes in high-quality Japanese knives, whetstones, and cooking tools, enjoying immense support from local chefs and food connoisseurs. The story of sake kasu, a byproduct of Japanese sake brewing, was shared with the shop's customers, who have a deep respect for Japanese "craftsmanship" and "food culture."
**Day 2: Morningtide (Albany/East Bay)**
**Date & Time:** March 29th, 11:00 - 13:00
**Location:** 847 Cornell
Keywords: Bath salts, sake kasu, USA, overseas expansion, Japanese brand, San Francisco, Japanese culture, Japanese food, POPUP, startup