Japan Crate is a monthly subscription box that sends candy and snacks from Japan. The box aims to "recreate the excitement of exploring Japan through fun candy and everything kawaii," and the assortment is handpicked straight from Japan.
There are 3 crate sizes to choose from: Mini, Original, and Premium.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
This review is of the Premium, $30 a month, crate.
The Subscription Box: Japan Crate
The Cost: $12 a month for the Mini crate, $25 a month for the Original crate, $30 a month for the Premium crate. Free shipping to the US.
LIMITED TIME DEAL: By 10/31, use code HALLOWEEN10 to get $10 off your first crate
OR
Save $5 off your first Original or Premium box with code MSA5!
The Products: Candy and snacks from Japan!
Ships to: Internationally with exceptions found here.
Check out all of our Japan Crate reviews and the Food Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of all Your Subscriptions: Add Japan Crate to your subscription list or wishlist!
Each box comes with a "manga-zine" that details the included snacks along with information on Japanese food and culture. The theme for October is Kyarakuta Halloween.
Lovely Halloween Pocky
You really can't go wrong with Pocky. Subscribers got one of three flavors, and I received Strawberry. I've tasted Strawberry Pocky before and I see them at my local Asian grocery as well. This is absolutely delicious. The strawberry cream coating is really good!
Potato Chips Shio Flavor
These are lightly salted potato chips. You can't go wrong with potato chips either, so I gobbled this one down pretty fast.
Nama Cream Pie
These "cream pies" are elephant ears, also called palmier cookies. They're buttery, flaky, and just the right amount of sweetness. I love that they are snack sized too, which makes me feel slightly less guilty about eating two or three at a time.
Nyusankin Ikitemasu! Yogurt Candy
These candies taste like tart yogurt, similar to original flavor frozen yogurt! I basically grew up on tart yogurt so the candies tasted quite nostalgic. As a bonus, they contain probiotic bacteria to promote good digestion. I'm sure everyone can benefit from probiotic candy!
Surprise! Horror Gum!
This packet contains a small piece of gum and two temporary tattoos. The gum tasted sweet but, to my disappointment, lost its flavor in under a minute. As for the tattoos, I'll find some use for them on Halloween.
Oshaberi Wan Ko
The name means "chatty dogs" because the dogs on this chocolate wrapper all have speech bubbles! Each chocolate bar includes a little card inside of a dog. You have to rub the speech bubble to make the text appear. The chocolate bar contained puffed rice and tasted like a Nestle Crunch or Hershey's Krackel bar. I love anything rice crispy and chocolate so this was perfection.
Nikuidaizu: Pepper Jerky Flavor
I wasn't a big fan of this snack. The jerky is actually made from soy beans, not beef, but it still has an umami flavor. I thought the jerky tasted a little too dry. Plus, I didn't like the funky aftertaste.
Karu Satsuma Murasaki Imo Flavor
These are crispy sticks that taste simultaneously sweet and salty. They are made with purple sweet potatoes, which taste sweeter than regular sweet potatoes, and a hint of salt. I wasn't the biggest fan of the contradictory flavors but I would not mind eating them again.
Nericcho Soft Cider DIY Kit
This DIY kit makes frothy cider-flavored candy to serve on mini wafer cones. It was quick and easy to make, which I appreciated.
However, I actually hated the taste. The sour bubbly foam did not taste good at all with the wafer cone. I couldn't get anyone else to eat it either. Sadly, this was a miss.
Zombie Maker Gum
Another gum and toy combo! This packet comes with a picture of a zombie and a set of stickers that you use to customize the face. The gum looks and tastes like the one in the Horror Gum. Again, the flavor was short lived.
Midori Beh Aoi Beh Gum
This gum has a funny name! The "beh" part comes from the Japanese onomatopoeia of sticking out your tongue. This gum sticks dye the tongue either blue or green. The flavor is just like the others-- sweet but short-lived. I'm a bit confused as to why there are so many types of gum in this month's Japan Crate.
Go-En Ga Aru Yo
Each individually wrapped chocolate piece is shaped like a Japanese 5 yen coin. They not only look cute but also taste delicious! This snack is a win.
Sangaria Tsubumi Orange Drink
I consistently love Japan Crate's drinks and this month was no different. This is an orange soda with real orange pulp. It's refreshingly sweet and the pulp adds some extra flavor and texture to the drink.
The cans are always smaller than what we're used to seeing in the States. This is how much total volume was in the can. I had to take small sips to make mine last longer!
Poteko Umashi Flavor
These are lightly salted chip rings. I'm not sure what they are made of. They don't taste like potato chips, so maybe they are made from wheat? The rings are crunchy with just a hint of salt. I emptied this bag pretty quickly.
Hoppe Chan
This is the bonus item. I am very familiar with Hoppe Chan phone charms because of Doki Doki Crate. This one features a rubbery Hoppe-chan holding a plastic cupcake. The cupcake's paint job could be improved but overall I still think it is cute.
SPOILER ALERT:
The Booklet lists Mini Funwari Choco Mo Naka as included in the Premium Crate, but that is a mis-print. However this item will be included in next month's box.
Verdict: This month's Japan Crate was a mixed bag for me. Aside from my missing snack, I didn't really like having three different types of gum in the same box. While I appreciate the stickers and tattoos that came with the gum, I think I would have preferred other snacks to small toys. The cost breakdown is about $1.88 a piece. I think this is a reasonable price for what I received, especially since some snacks had sizable portions. I also appreciate the variety even though some snacks were misses for me.
What do you think of Japan Crate? Do you subscribe to any Japanese snack boxes?
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