Japan Crate October 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 have 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 packed with 15 items for October.

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 the products, as well as some info on what is happening in Japan at this time of year. NOTE: One of the products listed, Mini Funwari Choco Mo Naka, isn’t in the box and was supposed to be a spoiler for November’s box. 

Now on to the products. My 13-year-old daughter especially loves this box and helped me test the products. Japan Crate now has an online shop so if you want to try these out just follow the links!

1. Surprise! Horror Gum came with two scary wound temporary tattoos and a piece of banana flavored gum. My daughter refused to wear the tattoos so maybe I can find a boy who would prefer them instead.

2. Nyusankin Ikitemasu! Yogurt Candy looks like a round, slightly flattened jelly bean but is a hard candy and starts off with a nondescript flavor but then changes into something like pineapple. It has probiotics to help promote digestion, too.

3. I received the “Milk Flavored” Lovely Halloween Pocky but some subscribers may receive Strawberry or Pumpkin Apple. Mine was a slightly sweet cookie stick dipped in a vanilla coating and was very good and gone too soon.

4. I packed my Potato Chips Shio Flavor chips in my lunch bag and shared them with a friend. We both agreed that they tasted like potato chips, especially Pringles.

5.  Nama Cream Pie is a buttery, sweet, crispy palmier or elephant ear cookie. There were 8 individually wrapped cookies in the package.

6. Zombie Maker Gum comes with a card that includes a creepy but blank character that you can then zombify your own way with the included stickers. Also comes with a piece of ramune flavored gum.

7. Oshaberi Wan Ko comes in a variety of wrappings, each one featuring a super cute puppy! When you unwrap the bar, there is a card inside with the dog breed on one side, and the adorable pup on the other with a bubble over his head that you can scratch off to show what the “chatty dog” is saying. As for the chocolate, it was delicious and similar to a Nestle Crunch, but with a smaller puffed grain, possibly millet.

8. Kabaya Nikudaizu Pepper Jerky Flavor was very unique. It’s a soy-based jerky that has a sweet/salty flavor and didn’t get stuck in my teeth like beef jerky. Surprisingly, my husband liked it!

9. Karu Satsuma Murasaki Imo Flavor is a sweet pink chip “straw” that is supposed to taste like sweet potato. My co-worker and I called them “different,” like a cross between a chip and a cookie.

10. Nericcho Soft Cider DIY Kit is a candy making kit that consists of 3 mini ice cream cones and a packet of powder that turns into a ramune flavored foamy treat when mixed with water. Spoon into the cone and enjoy your “ice cream.” This one tasted like baking soda, blech.

11. Poteko Umashi Flavor is similar to potato chips such as Pringles, except thicker and ring-shaped.

12. Go-En Ga Aru Yo is individually wrapped chocolate yen, simple as that.

13. Sangaria Tsubumi Orange Drink is different from the usual fizzy sodas that Japan Crate usually sends out. Imagine a can of mandarin oranges in sweetened syrup from the grocery store. Take the oranges and syrup and crush them in your hands and then place in a glass. Drink. That’s pretty much the way it went down.

14. Midori Beh Aoi Beh Gum has a ramune flavor and changes the color of your tongue, either to blue or green. Also changes the color of your teeth, either to blue or green.

15. Hoppe Chan Sweets Charm was sent as a bonus this month (subscribers may receive one of five variations). I thought she looked kind of like a Hershey’s Kiss but I guess she is more like a dollop of whipped cream.

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 13-year-old LOVES 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.