Japan Crate is a monthly subscription service that sends candy and snacks from Japan. They pride themselves on sending items that can only be found in Japan.
This box was sent for review. If you have any questions about how we review boxes, please refer to this post!
The box: Premium Japan Crate
The cost: The premium box is $30/month. There are options starting at $12.00 per month.
Ships: Internationally with a few exceptions - you can find those here.
Cheese, Tonkatsu, and Veggie Salad Umaibo - $1.60
I tried the veggie salad umaibo, and enjoyed it! It was like a very long cheese puff, with a few different flavors thrown in. I like the idea of having something that is similar to chips, but in a smaller quantity!
Bad Kid Beer - $1.50?
This supposedly has a grape flavor to it. I'm not a fan of grape flavored things, so I'll be passing this along to a child that will enjoy it! I do wonder about the name, though - "Bad Kid Beer"? I'm not sure something named like that would go over well here in the States!
Awa Moco Moco - $1.50?
I haven't tried this either, and figured a child would enjoy it more! This will be passed along to friends!
Black Bean and Soy Sauce Scones - $3.00?
The name of these threw me for a loop! I'm used to these scones - these were similar in texture to Cheetos. I did enjoy the taste, but I couldn't pick out the black bean or soy sauce flavor.
Cute Tororin Parfait DIY - $5.00?
This was super cute. I decided to try it out and include a picture in my review! This came with the little glass, a powder for the parfait part, a strawberry sauce, and a strawberry candy to top it with. I mixed the powder with milk and chilled it for about 5-7 minutes. Then I added it to the cup and topped it with the strawberry sauce and candy. The pudding part of this tasted very much like a vanilla Snack Pack pudding. The texture was a little odd, but I wasn't expecting gourmet here. I think these would be a lot of fun for kids!
Legend of Zelda Figures - $2.00?
This came in a little green pill shaped container. The figure was in pieces, and I had to put him together. This reminded me of the little machines at the front of grocery stores that you would put quarters in and get little tchotchkes as a kid!
I'm not a huge fan of lollipops, but I gave these a try! I tried a strawberry flavored one, and the flavor was great! They're also much smaller than Tootsie Pops or Blow Pops, so they're easier to eat. I may keep a few of these around!
There are no other words for these other than delicious! I loved this take on Pocky. These are a limited edition release, and that makes me sad! I would buy these regularly!
Celio Lifeguard Drink - $3.00?
I haven't tried this yet because I keep forgetting to try it in the morning. I am super sensitive to energy drinks, and don't want to sacrifice a good night of sleep for this!
Naga-I Sawagumi - Orange - $2.00?
This was delicious! It reminded me of the little Sunkist Gem candies you can get here in the states!
Hia Shuwa Cola - $2.00?
These are little hard candies that are flavored like cola. There are three versions - and I've tried one. At first it tasted like cola, then it changed to an almost sour flavor. The one I tried was clear with little yellow things floating inside. There's a lot of these - it will take me a while to get through them all!
Pachishuwa Dynamite Melon Soda - $2.00?
The Japan Crate info card mentioned that this was good either as is, or frozen. I decided that I would try it frozen. It reminded me quite a bit of an Otter Pop, but I wasn't sure how exactly to eat it - it was really hard to eat frozen in the packaging it is in. I would recommend if you want to try it frozen/slushy, to only freeze for a short period so it's not frozen solid!
The Verdict: I really enjoyed this box! With all the snack boxes I've been receiving, I have been getting a crash course in snacking from countries I had no awareness of before. The value of this box is very, very approximate, as I couldn't find many of the items here in the states, which is what Japan Crate aims for. I didn't bother totaling it since it's not going to be accurate. I think for this box, the value really lies in the curation of items that are not accessible here in the states. It's definitely one of those boxes that will be worth it for some people, and not worth it for others. If you are interested in Japan at all, I would recommend trying it out for a month or so to see what you think!
Do you get Japan Crate? What did you think of this month's crate?
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