Kizuna Box – November 2017 Review

 offers two subscriptions.  The Snack Box costs $29.99/month and includes “13 to 16 artisanal and limited edition Japanese snack and beverage items coupled with 1 or 2 cultural and lifestyle items”.  The Lifestyle Box costs $34.99/month and includes “6 to 8 high-quality Japanese goodies that include ceramics, cloths, stationery, snacks and more”.  Both boxes are curated around a theme based on the season.

This is a review of November’s Lifestyle Box.

Each box contains an information card describing the box’s theme and the items in the box.

The theme this month is Momiji, the Japanese maple tree which represents autumn.

Everything in this month’s Kizuna Box.

Seto-yaki Momiji Ceramic Plate – Subscribers will get either a pink or green leaf-shaped plate.  I’d be happy to get either version, but I love the green one that I got.  The plate is great for sauces or small desserts, and the leaf shape makes it a good chopstick rest.  I really love the paint job, and I can tell how well-made it is.  It’s a bonus that this is dishwasher safe.

Mino-yaki Momiji Ceramic Tea Bowl – This one also has a variation.  Each subscriber will get either a Sencha Tea Cup or an Ippuku Tea Bowl.  Apparently I got the tea bowl.  I’m super big on pretty ceramic Japanese kitchenware, and this tea bowl looks like exactly the kind that I love.  The paint job is exceptional, and I love that it has a weight to it.  The Ippuku tea bowls are used “in Japanese matcha tea ceremonies”, and these bowls are handcrafted so there will be variations in terms of the pattern making this one of a kind, which I love.  This is hand wash only.

The bottom of the tea bowl.

Momiji Furoshiki – Yet another item that has variations.  Each subscriber will get either a green background or a pink background furoshiki cloth in the box.  Furoshiki are commonly used and traditional Japanese wrapping cloths.  The prints on these cloths are Momiji leaves and the Japanese symbolic pattern of sea waves (Seigaiha).  Besides being useful for wrapping gift cloths and items, I think this will be very useful as a background in some of my pictures.

Momiji Chopsticks – I love Japanese wooden chopsticks.  These chopsticks come in various designs and are made by Tanaka Hashiten, a Fukui-based manufacturer.

The furoshiki unfolded.

Momiji Message Cards – These cards also come with two designs.  I wouldn’t mind getting either because they both look beautiful.  These are actually harder cards that feel like business cards.  I think they’re not only good to use for gift notes; I would also use them as a reminder note on my refrigerator.

Maiko & Momiji Greeting Card – THIS CARD IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GREETING CARD I’VE EVER SEEN!  According to the information card, you will get one of the three designs shown (see picture above).  Again, I’d be extremely happy to get any of them since all three look super pretty.  These cards are made using embossing techniques, so the designs are slightly raised above the surface.  It features Maiko (Japanese dancer girls) and some famous Japanese attractions in Kyoto.  It’s made by a Fukui Asahi Do (est. 1892), a famous manufacturer.

The greeting card has another piece of paper inside.  It has these fan prints which are really beautiful too.

Premium Leaf-shaped Snack Set – This box also includes a snack set that contains 1 set of the seasonal limited edition Momiji rice crackers (okaki) and 2 sets of purple sweet potato cookies.  I love that the information card mentions potential allergens for each of the snacks.  I don’t want to spend a whole day talking about these snacks, but I have only one comment: they’re super tasty and yet very beautiful looking.  I absolutely love the sweet potato cookies which have a creme stuffing as you can see below.  I like that both snacks have the autumn leaf shape.  Now I’m wondering where I can get more of these.

The snacks removed from the package.

Overall, I absolutely love this month’s Kizuna Box.  I’m very surprised that, as a new Japanese lifestyle box, they have such a great curation for their first couple of boxes.  I also love that, in their very detailed information card, they describe these items in the context of Japanese culture and how they would use them in Japan.  Another thing I really like is that most of the items come with several variants, so there will always be a surprise factor.I’m extremely excited to see what’s to come in this subscription box.

If you’re interested in Kizuna Box, you can subscribe by November 25 to receive their December box, the Winter Holiday box.  .

PR sample.  Affiliate links.  All opinions are my own and no compensation was received.