Give a box
The gift from Japan no one else will think of.
Five Japanese records from the 70s–90s, hand-picked and play-tested in Tokyo, with incense and English notes on every artist. Shipped straight to their door.
Chances are, someone you know.
Anyone who loves Japan
Been once, going someday, or still talking about that trip.
The music lover
City Pop fan, crate-digger, or just someone who always has something playing.
The hard-to-shop-for
They already have what they want. They won't have this.
Someone without a turntable
Every record has a streaming QR code, and the covers look great on a wall.
Selected by us. Play-tested one by one.
OBENTO BOX is a set of five records we'd be happy to give a collector.
Good records you may not know yet.
The City Pop boom has pushed up prices for a few famous Japanese albums. We look beyond those familiar titles for good music that rarely gets talked about.
We choose each box from two points of view. One focuses on the music itself. The other draws on experience working in a Japanese record shop. We also consider how the five records sound together, so even an experienced collector can find something new.
Not every record makes the cut.
Buying records from overseas means you can't check them in person, and international returns aren't simple. We inspect every record ourselves before it goes into a box.
- A close lookWe check each disc under a light for deep scratches, heavy soiling and pressing defects. Light scratches or signs of use may be present.
- Cleaned when it needs itWe assess every record for cleaning. About 7 in 10 are cleaned before the next check.
- Needle downWe play every record, dropping the needle in several places on each side.
- Extra checks for visible marksAny visible mark gets its own play-through, listening for clicks or noise that would get in the way.
Records that don't pass never go in a box. In a recent batch, about 1 in 10 didn't make it.
Packed like an obento.
In Japan, an obento is something you select, pack and hand to someone you care about. Tap each piece to see why it's there.
Some records end up on the wall.
A 12-inch sleeve is a 30 cm square of design — far more than a thumbnail on a screen ever shows.
- In the bubble-era 1980s, Japanese labels had real budgets for artwork, and commissioned leading illustrators and photographers.
- It's the era of Hiroshi Nagai's resort scenes and Eizin Suzuki's city nights — the look people now call "City Pop".
- Some Japanese pressings also have an original obi: a paper strip wrapped around the sleeve.
And when they want to hear it, the QR code on each Obi card opens the album on streaming.
Read: the art of City Pop covers →
Your message on Japanese washi paper.
We print your message on a Japanese washi postcard and place it inside the box. We also tie a gold ribbon onto the box. There is no extra charge.
For a physical box, choose "Yes (free card & ribbon)" under Gift on the product page. For a voucher, add your message when buying it; we include the printed card when the recipient redeems it. Every voucher redemption includes a printed card and ribbon. Keep our message, edit it, or leave the field blank to use our default.
Plan ahead for international shipping.
A box usually arrives about 2 weeks after dispatch, but depending on the season, customs and postal conditions it can take more than a month. We can't promise a delivery date.
Send an OBENTO BOX gift voucher.
- After payment is confirmed, we email the voucher to you as an image to share and a PDF to print. Buy ahead if you plan to give it on a particular day; email delivery may take time.
- They choose their flavor and enter their own address. No need to know it yourself.
- We pick, check and ship their box from Tokyo.
Good for one OBENTO BOX of their choice, shipping included. Valid for 3 years.
Send a gift voucher →Buy in USD for US delivery (50 states and Washington, DC), or AUD for Australian delivery. The delivery country cannot be changed when redeeming. Flavors subject to availability.
"Music is life!"
The first time I was fortunate to travel to Japan, I was with my wife and teenage daughters. One evening in Tokyo, my eldest daughter & I decided to wander Harajuku in search of a record store we had heard of. It had just stopped raining, the sun was setting, the streets & alleys were glistening with raindrops reflecting neon light.
When we found this lovely tiny record shop, the young man behind the counter was so helpful, despite our very limited Japanese. When he found I liked ambient he immediately smiled and brought down an album called "Pier & Loft" from the shop display.
He carefully placed the vinyl on the shop's turntable & lowered the needle. Prior to that day I had never heard of Hiroshi Yoshimura but that night started a love affair with Japanese ambient (& other genres) that continues to this day.
The magic of that day will always be with me. I had the same feeling of happy discovery opening my Obento Box and discovering new artists & music I wasn't aware of before. I will definitely be buying more Obento Boxes. Music is life!
From the people who opened one.
great quality records! will be ordering again!
I just got mine! The records are in great condition and you can really see the care you all put into curating and packaging these boxes. Thank you!
All records came clean and protected. The sleeves and covers are in excellent condition, and I love that all additional content that came with the record was still inside the cover for every album. Great variety in the 5 records too.
This is a premium selection of vinyls. The staff communicated with me at every step of the process.
Amazing variety even got a 3 vinyl live recording of The Tigers.
Before you give
Can I ship it straight to them?
Yes — just enter their address at checkout. But since we can't promise a delivery date, if the gift is for a specific day we recommend the OBENTO BOX gift voucher: we email it to you to share or print, and they choose their box and enter their own address.
What if they already own one of the records?
It's unlikely — we deliberately pick records that rarely get the spotlight. Sending a box? List artists or titles they already have under “Already own some Japanese records?” in your cart, or tell us after ordering, and we'll leave them out. If they've ordered from us before, send us their email and we'll avoid anything they've received from us. Sending a gift voucher? They can list records they already own when they redeem it.
How does the gift voucher work?
Each voucher covers one OBENTO BOX in any available flavor and standard shipping. Buy in USD for US delivery (50 states and Washington, DC), or AUD for Australian delivery. The delivery country is fixed, and the voucher is valid for 3 years from purchase, for a single use. The recipient redeems it on our dedicated gift page without entering payment details. Other products must be purchased separately. An unused voucher can be refunded — just reply to your voucher email. Once redeemed, the voucher itself can't be refunded; the box is covered by our refund policy.
Will they see the price?
We don't put an invoice or packing slip in the box. The purchase receipt goes to the buyer's checkout email. The voucher card and dedicated redemption page do not show the purchase price. After redemption, the recipient's order confirmation and shipping emails show a zero total, not the price you paid. The customs label on the parcel does show a declared value.
Where can you ship?
The United States and Australia. Shipping is included in the price, and US import duties are prepaid by us, so there's nothing extra at checkout and nothing to pay at their door.
Which flavor should I choose?
If you're not sure, choose Original — a balanced mix across genres, and our most popular choice.
Does every record come with a picture sleeve?
Almost always — except in the Techno flavor. A lot of Japanese dance music was released as 12-inch singles in plain or generic sleeves, so some Techno records arrive without cover artwork. If you'd like covers for the wall, choose another flavor.
Chosen as a set of five
We choose each box from two points of view. One is about the music, regardless of its price or reputation. The other draws on experience working in a Japanese record shop.
We weigh musical appeal, cultural interest and how the five play in sequence — the balance of the whole box, not just each record on its own.
We keep a record of the titles we send. If the recipient has ordered from KAISHU before, tell us which email they used so we can check their previous selections.
Meet the artists behind the records
In Japan, an obi is the paper strip wrapped around a record. Ours is a card with English notes on each artist.
Most information about these artists exists only in Japanese. We write the notes ourselves, drawing on the background and the musical and cultural context we know from growing up in Japan — who they were, what the era sounded like, and why it mattered here.
The QR code on the back opens the album on streaming, so you can listen without a turntable.
Scent and memory
Every box includes five sticks of incense shaped like chopsticks. The records are the rice; the incense, the chopsticks.
There's another reason. Scent is closely tied to memory — the so-called Proust effect. Light one while the first record plays, and someday the same scent may bring that moment back.
The guide, sticker and packaging
A "How to Enjoy" guide for first-time listeners, and a KAISHU VINYL sticker.
Each box is packed inside a second, outer box, so the records arrive safely after crossing the ocean.
For returning customers, every third physical OBENTO order comes with a bonus EP or single. If the recipient has ordered before, contact us so we can check their order history.