Japan Crate is a monthly subscription that sends full-sized, Japanese candy and DIY food kits straight from Tokyo.
Japan Crate sent us this box for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Japan Crate
The Cost: $12 per month for the mini crate (4-6 candies); $25 per month for the original crate (8-12 candies and DIY Kits); $30 per month for the premium crate (10-14 candies and DIY Kits)
The Products: Full-sized Japanese candy and DIY food kits.
Ships to: Worldwide (US shipping is free. Shipping elsewhere is $10.)
Japan Crate includes a card detailing the items in the box. (Note that this is a review of the premium crate.)
On the reverse, there’s an adorable cartoon chronicling the candy’s journey from Japan to the US.
I particularly like how ninjas had to fight off a candy-crazed kraken!
Suntory C.C. Lemon
Kabaya Panda Cookie DIY Kit- 2.32 oz, value $5.99
C.C. Lemon is a lightly carbonated, lemon-flavored Japanese soft drink that contains the Vitamin C of 50 lemons. It reminded me of a mild lemonade- not too sour or too sweet.
I’ve never tried a DIY cookie kit before, but it seems like they’re something of a fad in Japan right now. The instructions were all in Japanese, but the kit did have picture instructions on the back that I found pretty easy to follow.
I started by unpacking all of the supplies.
Using the provided containers, I melted the white and milk chocolate buttons. I then poured some of the chocolate into the panda bear molds and topped each one with a cookie. I transferred the remaining milk chocolate to the little bag, cut off the tip, and piped the chocolate into the holes of the cookie.
I thought this was a really fun DIY kit, and I was very impressed with how the cookies turned out!
Glico Matcha Green Tea Collon
Fujiya Milky
Takoyaki Gummy DIY- 1.26 oz, value $3.99
I like the taste of green tea matcha powder, so I was excited to try the Collon snacks. They’re crispy cylindrical wafer cookies that are filled with creamy, matcha-flavored filling. I thought they were great!
The Fujiya Milky are small, firm candies that soften into a taffy-like consistency. They’re white in color but taste a little like caramel.
JapanCrate guarantees two different DIY kits in each premium crate- the Takoyaki Gummy DIY was the second one.
Like the cookie kit, this one provided picture instructions on the back on the packet; however, these were slightly more complicated. The first step was to mix a powdered mixture with water, but the images didn’t give me a very good idea of how much! I kept adding until the provided mixing container was about ¾ full, which luckily seemed to be about the right amount. I filled the molds halfway, added a gummy candy, and poured over the rest of the powder/water mixture.
Once the candies seemed to set, I stuck a toothpick into each one and removed them from the molds.
Lastly, the instructions called for the gummies to be topped with a gooey topping (it tasted like maple syrup) and green sprinkles.
I thought this DIY kit was really fun! It was a little tricky to figure out some of the instructions just by looking at the pictures, but I got by. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for DIY kits like this in the future!
Look a la Mode Chocolates
Country Ma’am Vanilla Cookie
Fit’s Nightlife Gum
The Look chocolates are so interesting! Each flavor has its own row of filled-chocolate pieces, and I think it’s so clever to put 4 different flavors in one bar. All of the flavors were delicious on their own, but it was also fun to try different flavor combinations like almond caramel and strawberry banana.
According to the info card, Fit’s gum comes in a variety of offbeat flavors. I think the flavor I received is “Peach Yogurt,” but I’m a little jealous I didn’t get the “Wine” flavor. I can’t imagine what wine gum would taste like!
Country Ma’am’s Vanilla Cookie is a Japanese take on an American classic- a chewy cookie with a soft center filled with chocolate chips.
Super Mario Chocolate Pop (BONUS Item!)
Anpanman Pero Pero Lollipop
I lit up when I saw the Super Mario Chocolate Pop! What a fun treat! I grew up on Nintendo, so this chocolate pop has major nostalgic value for me.
The Pero Pero lollipops come in a variety of flavors, and each one is branded with a character from the anime series Anpanman. I’m not familiar with Anpanman, but according to Wikipedia it’s extremely popular with Japanese children.
Calpico Giant Panda Ice Cream Cone- 1.19 oz, value $1.59
Chocolate Umbrella
The Calpico Giant Panda Ice Cream Cone doesn’t actually contain ice cream. Instead, the wafer cone is filled with airy whipped foam meant to resemble the cold dessert. I think this is such a fun take on a classic treat.
I received the strawberry flavored Chocolate Umbrella. It’s a classic Japanese candy that’s been around for over 60 years.
Verdict: I thought Japan Crate was so much fun! It’s hard to determine a value for this box because I couldn’t find the majority of the items for sale online, but I think the price is fair. The selection of treats was excellent, and I really enjoyed my introduction into DIY snacks!
What do you think about Japan Crate? Have you tried any of these snacks before?
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