Japan Crate August 2016 Subscription Box Review + Coupon

Japan Crate is a monthly subscription box that helps you “experience the excitement of Japan every month through fun candy & snacks”. They offer three subscription levels that start at $12 a month and offer 1, 3, 6, or 12 month plans that auto renew at the end of the term. Japan Crate aims to send candy that is fun and exclusively available in Japan.

This is certainly the prettiest box I receive each month! My box was jam-packed with 15 items for August.

There are 3 different subscription levels available: The Mini box includes 5 items, the Original box includes those items PLUS another 5 items, and the Premium box includes those 10 items PLUS another 5 items. This month I am reviewing the Premium kit but I will be numbering the items so if you are thinking of subscribing to one of the other sizes you will know what is included. Note: Numbers 1-5 are in the Mini, numbers 1-10 are in the Original, and numbers 1-15 are in the Premium.

There was a Manga-zine that had a comic followed by the contents of the box. The cover included references to some of the snacks!

I love that Japan Crate takes the time to put out a helpful guide to all of the products, as well as some info on what is happening in Japan at this time of year.

Now on to the products. There was a mad science theme this month and most of the items followed through. My 12 year old daughter especially loves this box but the rest of my gang was happy to help me sample the items too.

1. Natsukashi Ramune Ramune (or lemon-lime) flavored candies are very big in Japan and this one dissolves just as soon as it hits your tongue.
2. Moguchuu Chewing Candy reminded me of a Starburst. These individually wrapped strawberry candies are very chewy but then eventually melt away.

3. Crispy Sittori Choco Matcha I’m not usually a fan of matcha flavored anything but these were delicious! Crispy corn puffs are covered with matcha flavored white (green?) chocolate.

4. Puchi Konpeito Straight up rock sugar candies. These are shaped like cute star boulders and come in a variety of colors.

5. Usuyaki Cookie There were 3 cookies in this bag. Chocolate filling was sandwiched between two delicate waffle cookies. Very light and would go great as an afternoon snack with tea or coffee.

Konpeito are pretty and sweet. 

6. Crayon Shin-Chan Experimental Drink Kit Shin-chan is a Japanese character who can be found in manga and anime formats. This package contained a beaker and two packets of powders that when mixed with water became a super sweet cola flavored product.

My daughter had fun mixing the stuff in the beaker, where the finished product foamed up and became an opaque pink color (like old timey penicillin).

This had an almost identical outcome, flavor wise, as last month’s gummy drink kit.

7. Kado Kyabetsu Taro Yum, a savory, salty “brown sauce” flavored corn puff! It has little green flecks of nori on them, but the seaweed flavor didn’t show up for me. This is so different from the usual cheese or ranch flavored chips found here in the U.S. I wish I could find snacks similar to this in my grocery store.

8. Special Pizza Flavored Texas Corn Apparently, “Texas Corn” is a brand of chips in Japan, and these little pizza flavored puffs disappeared quickly.

9. Tohato Mamesupi Chips have a toasted green pea flavor so if you are into peas you might like these. My daughter says they sell something similar called Snapea Crisps here in the U.S. This was a generously sized bag.

10. Sankaku Crackers Slightly sweet, tiny, triangular shaped crackers with a dusting of vegetable flavored powder. Like a veggie flavored Keebler Club cracker.

11. Sangaria Wakayama Mikan Soda So far I have been very impressed with the sodas I have received in my Japan Crates! Here is another winner, a soda that is flavored with a type of satsuma found in Japan. I wish I could find these flavors here as I think they taste less fake than our traditional sodas.

12. Yaokin Sour Paper Cola Candy This was sort of like a sugar coated fruit gummy leather that first tasted like Coca Cola, then switched over to sour lime flavor. Perfect for kids who like sour gummies.

13. Mitarashi Fumi Kibi Dango Mitarashi dango are a type of Japanese dumpling that are placed on a skewer and covered with a sweetened soy sauce glaze. This was wrapped in edible rice paper to keep it from being a sticky mess. The flavor was interesting – like candied teriyaki sauce.

14. Yaokin Fugashi Fugashi is described as having a sponge-like airy texture and this one is covered in brown sugar. You know what else has this texture? Styrofoam packing peanuts. The brown sugar gives it an almost crunchy exterior and it is very sweet.

15. Kawaguchi Lemon-Chan Candy I think this is my new favorite lemon flavored candy! It is twice as thick as a Life Saver candy and I was surprised to find it was a bit salty, like a salted caramel.

I really look forward to receiving my Japan Crate every month! This was filled with fun, tasty treats that I can’t seem to find at my local Asian superstores. I had a hard time finding these items on Amazon too so the exclusivity is certainly there. My 12 year old LOVED this box and had fun trying everything as well. We now regularly use words like ramune, dagashi, and kawaii at home. Some of the items offer a different spin on what we have here in the U.S. and some of them are more of an acquired taste.

What item do you want to try from this month’s Japan Crate? Save $5 on your first regular or premium crate with coupon code CANDY5.