You Are a Tough Cookie.!

Now that we have managed to hold tight, there are more things we can do as Tough Cookies.

On May 23rd, 2020, I launched an online cookie shop, “Tough Cookie.” Tough Cookie. is not just two separate words - tough and cookie - but an English expression that refers to “a person with a strong will,” “a person who does not break,” or “a person who does not lose.”
Cookies are generally fragile. It would be surprising to see a cookie that is quite solid, wouldn’t it? In the same sense, a person may look so lovely and so mild but she may turn out to be genuinely strong inside and proactive. She never loses. “Tough cookie'' is the right expression for such people - we say “she is a tough cookie.”

Before launching Tough Cookie., I was working as a freelancer. But then Covid-19 happened. My contracts were expiring one after another and finally became almost zero by April. A question came to my mind “what should I do now…?” This was exactly how I came up with the idea of starting my own brand, Tough Cookie.

I’m going to tell you about the details later, but today I would like to write about my gratitude for the first anniversary and what actions we will take to celebrate it as Tough Cookies. We are a small online cookie shop that started from the question “what should we do to survive a difficult situation?” Well, we managed to survive our very first year, putting our heads together, putting every effort possible, thinking “things will work out somehow if we do our best.” From summer to autumn, then to winter, finally to spring, a year has passed trying not to lose it while running on a shoestring.

I thought things would get better in 2021, but the situation is repeating the same pattern. As the repetition continues, exhaustion builds up. Every time I pass through Roppongi, I see busy streets with people but at the same time, I see more and more empty buildings with “For rent” signs.

Honestly, I wonder how everyone else is doing. Nikkei is talking about the widening disparities and acceleration of poverty, the “K-shaped” scratches. And it’s clear that the food business belongs to the downward side of the “K-shape.”
But then I see the Instagrammers I follow continue to post pictures of bright smiles and beautiful dishes. And I, myself, am making positive posts not to make people worry. I am so thankful for all the Tough cookies for holding tight. I like the phrase, “fake it, till make it.” What rescued me through the hard times was the positive attitude of the people around me. They really lifted my heart up. Pretending to be positive often helped me cheer up. With the help of positive friends around me and a bitter optimism, I kept swimming, trying not to drown. I really can’t be more thankful.

Go back to the drawing board.

At the time I reminisced about ups and downs during the first year after the launch, I saw an article about female homelessness. It was such a painful read. Then I remembered the motto of Tough Cookie. that I decided at the launch:

"Gain all you can, Save all you can, Give all you can!" - John Wesley (1703-1791)

Tough Cookie. has somehow managed to get this far. It wouldn’t be possible without the help of many people. But then, what about those people who don’t have anyone to reach out and ask for help? There are people at the edge of despair and so exhausted that no energy is left to get out of the situation. How would they feel? Just a thought about this breaks my heart. Everyone will feel the same way to a certain extent.

What makes me painful the most is the fact that the number of female homeless people is increasing rapidly. The rainy season arrived early this year. It’s not the beautiful getaway camp under a refreshing starry sky, It’s a long lonely (and cold) night, raining all night. Anxiety and fear. It didn’t sound like someone else’s business. I mean, It could happen to me, or anyone else too. Tough Cookie. is not perfect and all peaceful. There are worries and uncertainty, of course. But at least, the moment I’m writing this post, I have a place with a roof that protects me from cold rain. At least I have my own independent space that makes me feel safe. That is definitely a fortunate thing.

At first, I was all excited about the first anniversary and wanted to do something festive. But I changed my mind after knowing about the things that are happening around us. “You are a tough cookie” - this is the best compliment and no changes in that feeling. But I believe there are more people with enough potential to be a tough cookie but don’t even have any opportunity to become one. So in the future, Tough Cookie. will focus on “poverty” that is hindering them from achieving more. Of course we are not that naive to think that we can end the poverty. We understand the problem is not that simple. But we are in this together. We do what we can do now.

First Anniversary. With gratitude, Tough Cookie. will take following actions:

We will donate 10% of the sales from May 23 to June 22 to those who are currently facing difficulties and also to the future Tough-Cookies-to-be.

Second Harvest Japan is an organization working to build a “food safety net” with great effort and hard work. They organize meal distribution for people suffering from food poverty. http://2hj.org

Another organization we will support is “Red Box Japan.” With the slogan “We are here for you,” they work to support female students with sanitary napkins. They set up red boxes at schools with free sanitary products for students who are in need. We wanted to support their work hoping to see more smiles of future Tough Cookies. https://redboxjapan.org

Our donation will go to those two organizations. We can’t do anything about what has already happened. But I believe we can change the present and the future; that is where we focus to put the effort.

I hope that you understand the purpose of those actions we are taking for the anniversary. And nothing can be done without your help. It is my genuine hope that more and more people agree with our will and cooperate with us in expanding our sales. Please repost our instagram page @toughcookie._tokyo with hashtag #foodpoverty #periodpoverty

 We do something fun too!

For those who are expecting something more fun and exciting (one exciting fact, by the way: you can deliver meals to 12 people by purchasing one box of cookies!), don’t worry! We always seek something fun even in the hardest times. Of course, we have a fun project coming up. Stay tuned for the next post for details!