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. Now, this box actually SHIPS from Japan!
DEAL: Save $3 on your first regular or premium crate with coupon code HELLO.
There are 3 different subscription levels available: The Mini includes 5 items, the Original includes those items PLUS another 5 items, and the Premium includes those 10 items PLUS another 5 items. This month I am reviewing the Premium box!
There was a Manga-zine that lists the contents of the box and other info. The cover included references to some of the snacks! This month’s theme is “Movie Munchies.”
Japan Crate lists the snacks for all three box sizes plus gives a little info on what’s going on in Japan that month.
Now on to the products. My 13-year-old daughter especially loves this box and helped me test the snacks. Japan Crate now has an online shop but it is currently under construction.
Everything in the box! Japan Crate always manages to put together a colorful box!
Frito Lay Mike Popcorn Spring Clam & Sakura Shrimp wasn’t as fishy as I thought it would be. It had a sweet and tangy flavor which Karina liked but my husband did not.
Hi Kick Lollipop Strawberry was different from the usual strawberry flavored candies, more authentic, I think. Plus, it looked like a foot! Coris Fue Ramune is shaped like a Life Saver and you can whistle when you blow air out of the hole! The candy is more like a Sweet Tart and dissolves quickly and has a ramune, or lemon lime soda, flavor.
This looks like a little Hang Ten foot, cute!
Morokoshi WaTaRo Spicy Doubanjiang Corn Puffs are supposed to taste like a bean sauce that is used in Szechuan cooking. We agreed that it tasted like a sweet and spicy giant cheesy corn puff. Toho Salt & Butter Potato Fry are a cross between a Pringles and wafer cookie. They are supposed to taste like a french fry but are sweeter and fries aren’t really this crispy.
There were maybe 5 chips in the bag but they were huge!
Morinaga Pakkuncho Chocolate are crispy vanilla cookies with a soft chocolate filling. Morinaga Poterongu Garlic Steak are crispy chips that are shaped like french fries but have a savory flavor that is supposed to taste like a grilled steak!
The cookies have a different Disney character on each one!
Sweet & Sour Nakano Konbu is a strip of dried kelp that has a salty vinegar flavor, like a pickle, and is very chewy. Very, VERY chewy. Banana Man is a “banana marshmallow cookie, without the cookie” according to Karina. It had white chocolate covering a super sweet banana candy flavored marshmallow. It’s supposed to have milk chocolate in the middle but my piece didn’t have any.
Nericcho Strawberry Soft Ice Cream is the DIY candy kit this month.
It came with a tray, spoon, candy powder, and three wafer cones. My daughter poured the candy into the mixing tray and added a bit of water. She then stirred and the candy turned into a foam. She spooned it into the wafer cones and then tried it. It tasted like foamy strawberry candy and had a sort of baking soda/citric acid flavor and the wafers were stale. These are never very tasty so that’s kind of what she expected.
Futatsu No Shokkan Soda Jelly: Melon Japan Crate sends some unique sodas and this month’s is probably the weirdest one yet! You shake the can (don’t worry, it’s not carbonated) and then you can attempt to pour it into a glass, although it seems to be reluctant to leave its cozy home.
Karina wouldn’t touch this so I was the guinea pig. The jello-like “drink” tastes like melon flavored candy and has chunks of something that is supposed to be melon pieces, I think.
Meiji Gummy Choco Strawberry are chocolate covered gummy candies and are listed as a bonus in the Manga-zine.
Sanko Gari Gari Cheese Twists are flavored with camembert and cheddar and are more sophisticated than Cheetos, but are also very hard. Ponsuke Seaweed are wheat crackers with a mostly sweet and slightly salty glaze and the seaweed was unnoticeable. This reminded me of caramel corn! I asked my husband what he thought and he said “popcorn.”
Carrot Rice Puffs are sweetened puffed rice in a carrot shaped bag for spring. Not much substance here.
I always smile when I find Japan Crate in my mailbox! The snacks are cute and fun and although I sometimes find something odd I mostly discover tasty treats. This was an ok box this month, nothing really stood out as amazingly awesome and there were more misses this month but that’s my personal take on the box. Next month the theme is “Festival” and Japan Crate says that starting with the May box you can expect faster shipping, more non-food bonus items, and harder-to-find drinks in larger sizes!
What item do you want to try from this month’s Japan Crate? Let me know in the comments!
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