Japan Candy Box – August 2017 Review

 

Japan Candy Box (affiliate link)
19.90$ Per Month – Free Shipping!
Ships Worldwide

Japan Candy Box is a monthly Japanese candy subscription box that includes 8-10 hand-picked treats, including one DIY kit. They offer free worldwide shipping, and all subscribers get automatically entered into a raffle for a mega box worth over $100! This box comes from the same company that does Kawaii Box. The snacks selected for the Japan Candy Box seems to focus on sweets that will appeal to most people. This caters to people who’d like tasty treats without the more eccentric and/or savory items that other boxes include.

Right away I was impressed by the cute packaging. The box and tissue paper are decorated in a custom Japan Candy Box pattern. The box itself is sturdy and packed well—there is no wasted space! There are several information cards inside. One lists all the candy inside, and the others advertise their Kawaii Box, Megabox raffle contest, and their referral program. If you refer a friend, you get $5 off your next box. Everything has a very pastel and cute design, with plenty of information on how to connect with the company using social media.

 

Kracie Popin’ Cookin’ Tanoshii Omatsuriya San DIY Gummy Kit

Okay, so this is maybe the cutest DIY candy kit I’ve seen in a while. It’s based around matsuri (festival) food stalls. It’s very appropriate for summer, since there are lots of summer festivals and firework shows where these food stalls line the streets. I’m most excited to make the little grilled corn on the cobs!

The info card gives you a website to visit for making this kit, which is very helpful. Even with my Japanese ability, sometimes I can’t always read all the instructions. I’m really excited to make this, and I love how unique and season-appropriate this kit is!

Kabaya Shaka Shaka Gummies

I actually just bought these same gummies at a nearby mall in Yokohama! The animals on the packaging are so cute. The “shaka shaka” on the name basically means “shake shake!” You pour the included yogurt powder on the gummies, reseal the bag, and shake away. The gummies are fruit flavored, so with the powder it makes a sort of fruit and yogurt parfait taste. The pineapple gummies were my favorite of the three flavors.

Meiji Pucca Chocolate Biscuits

These cute little shaped biscuits are filled with a chocolate cream. Each shape has a name, like Pino, Mochi, etc. The biscuit almost has pretzel crunch to it. The biscuit isn’t sweet, so the sweet chocolate filling balances the taste.

Hoshi Tabeyo Star Shaped Rice Crackers

This snack is a bag of star shaped rice crackers flavored with salt. The star shapes are very cute, but there isn’t much flavor or crunch. This might be a good snack for people new to Japanese food!

Yaokin 7 Stick Chocolate Cream Cookie Sticks

This package contains 7 wafer cookies filled with a chocolate cream. The’re crispy and chocolatey, but not overly sweet. The stick shape would be nice to dunk in milk or coffee!

Bourbon Petit Strawberry Cookies

So when I first came to Japan for study abroad I used to buy this brand of snacks all the time. The long sleeve shape was perfect to put in my bookbag, and I’d often eat them in class. So I have a soft spot for this line of treats! They all come in these long sleeves, and there are tons of sweet and savory flavors. This one is a sleeve of strawberry chocolate chip cookies! When you open it there’s an immediate strong strawberry smell. The flavor of the crunchy cookies is much more mild than the smell implies, so the chocolate chips aren’t overpowered by the strawberry.

 

Yaokin Umaibo Pizza Snack Stick

Umaibo are a cheap, popular snacks that’s made of a large corn puff tube with different flavors. This one is pizza flavored! Pizza flavored treats here in Japan are often more of a “pizza inspired” taste compared to the American pizza I’m used to. Regardless, it’s still a nice savory treat that has that tomato and Italian spice vibe. Plus, I always enjoy how crispy Umaibo are.

Meito Puku Puku Tai Fish Shaped Strawberry Wafer

This dessert is a shaped like a taiyaki, which is a sort of fish-shaped waffle. The outside is made of a light, crispy wafer. The inside is filled with an airy, almost foam-like cream. Both are strawberry flavored with a mild taste.

 

Yaokin Butter Cream Roll Cake

This soft roll cake has a layer of “butter cream” between the yellow cake layers. Thankfully the “butter cream” was actually more like buttercream frosting! It was very soft and not dried out at all, like snack cakes sometimes are.

Meigum Grandma Plum Chewy Candy

This plum candy (“ume”) is chewy and mild. Sometimes Japanese plum can be very sour, but this candy is really pleasant! The plum flavor is just a little sour, and the grandma on the packaging is super cute.

Overall, I personally enjoy most of the items in this box. Perhaps more importantly, I can see this box appealing to a wide variety of people. Sometimes some snack boxes include more eccentric Japanese flavors, but this box feels very approachable while still being interesting. This would be a great box for people who like cute and sweet snacks. I think the value is appropriate, especially with the awesome DIY kit!

If you want to purchase your own Japan Candy Box subscription, you can do so here (affiliate link). Monthly subscriptions start at $19.90, with discounts for longer subscriptions.

PR sample. All opinions are my own, and no compensation was received for this review. Affiliate links are in this review, and they are noted when used.