ZenPop Japanese Packs offers five different boxes from Japan — Sweets, Ramen, Sweets + Ramen, Beauty, and Stationery! You can do a one-time box to try it out, or subscribe and save some money. I’ve reviewed a couple of their boxes before and was so impressed with the curation!
DEAL: Get $3 off on your first box on any plan! Use the coupon code HELLOSUB2020 at checkout!
First peek!
The information sheet is a standard size piece of paper; everything is described and it shows the variations that were sent as well! The info sheet is in full colour printed with photos and descriptions of each item. The December theme is Christmas Cafe! In addition to some festive treats, Zenpop tells us that in Japan, November 11th is Pocky Day because the 11/11 looks like Pocky sticks! Of course here in Canada it’s Remembrance Day, but it’s always cool to learn about different holidays all over the world.
Here’s everything in my box!
Shittori Choco — A popular snack according to my friends in Japan! The corn snacks are soaked in chocolate making them very moist and flavourful.
Salad Usu Yaki — Crunchy rice crackers with a salty flavour. These are absolutely addicting, but aren’t too different from the rice crackers we can get here in Canada so it wasn’t as adventurous~!
They were absolutely addicting, just the way I like them!
Almond Crush Pocky — Pocky dipped in chocolate and coated in crushed almonds. These are so good, and the chocolate feels a lot more high quality than your standard Pocky. The crunchy almonds add a smooth flavour that’s just so satisfying!
Salad Pretz — Another Glico product perfect for Pocky Day is Salad Pretz. These are naked pretzel biscuits but are seasoned with a “salad” style flavour which is a salty and savoury vegetable broth kind of taste.
Alfort Maple Cookies — Alfort is famous for their beautiful chocolates, which have a ship printed on them. As we’re fond of maple here in Canada I was curious to compare! Japan’s maple flavour is a lot more synthetic tasting, and a lot sweeter! If you like sugary things, this is definitely what you want.
Crispy Choco — Hands down my favourite snack in the box! It’s a cute pizza style cookie made of thin corn flakes that have an oatmeal like texture. The chocolate is thick and crunchy, and honestly this just melts in your mouth.
Sharing is suggested, but I have no shame in admitting I wolfed this down in one sitting.
Otsumami Mix — A mixture of different rice crackers, of various flavours. The few I tried had very fishy flavours, which aren’t my jam when it comes to snacks, so I chose to share these with my coworkers instead.
Shimi Choco Strawberry — Kawaii star shaped crisps with a sweet strawberry chocolate flavour. I loved these!
Black Thunder Morning Boost — Black Thunder is a popular brand of chocolate bar. This morning energy bar has added coffee for a burst of energy!
Hi Chew Apple Flavour — Hi Chew is a popular sweet. Its chewy flavour reminds me of Starburst. This green apple flavour is really refreshing!
Melonpan x Melon Soda — A taffy stick with melon pan (bread) and melon soda. It’s really yummy!~
Milky Caramels — Milky Caramels are a famous sweet from Hokkaido. The girl on the box is Peko-chan and is really popular. The caramels are milk caramels so they are very lightly flavoured with a rich creaminess from Hokkaido milk.
Doraemon Choco — Corn puffs with a chocolate coating. These are addicting! The packaging features the kawaii cat Doraemon!
Pucci Matcha Cocoa Cookies — Pucci makes adorable mini cookies and I’ve been able to try a bunch of them. This selection is small Oreo-style cookies with a matcha filling. The bitterness of the matcha goes well with the chocolate.
Konpeito — One of Japan’s oldest candies are Konpeito, small star shaped sugar candies. I remember them from Spirited Away as the bathhouse staff would feed them to the soot sprites.
The December Sweets Pack had so many delicious sweets and snacks! I loved learning about Pocky Day and that we were sent some goodies to celebrate with. This box is fun to enjoy alone but it’s extra fun to share with adventurous friends!
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