Freedom Japanese Market Snacks Box Review + Coupon – August 2017

Freedom Japanese Market is a subscription of “Japanese candies and snacks [that] are pre-selected for each month’s box, with each month offering a new combination of popular, rare, and Japanese exclusive candies and snacks.” There are three sizes offered: Puchi Pack, Original Pack, and Family Pack.

This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

This review is for the $24.99/month Original Pack.

The Subscription Box: Freedom Japanese Market

The Cost: The Original Pack (reviewed here) for $24.99. There is also a Puchi Pack at $14.99 per month and a Family Pack for $45.99 per month. A price break is offered for 3, 6, or 12-month prepaid subscriptions.

LIMITED TIME DEAL: Use code FALL17 to save $3 off all Original and Family Pack plans!

The Products: The Original Pack is the “perfect box of treats from the land of the rising sun.” Each month, you will receive 12-16 full and sample-size snacks (includes a DIY candy kit), 1 handmade origami. A content list with pictures is included in the pack.

Ships to: Free worldwide shipping directly from Japan!

Good to know: The box ships around the 15^th of the month. The shipping time estimate is between 10 and 20 days.

Check out all of our Freedom Japanese Market reviews and more sweets subscription boxes in the Food Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

All snacks included are sent directly from Japan and all the labels are in Japanese. Freedom Japanese Market sends a list of the contents that are in the box, along with a brief description in English, so we aren't too confused!

Chocolate Umaibo - "Everyone's favorite umaibo with chocolate filling, and extra calcium!"

These chocolate filled, puff pastry treats are pretty delicious; while there isn't a lot of filling, it surely is decadent and has the consistency of pudding. The pastry isn't overly crumbly or flaky and has an overall very good flavor in my opinion.

Koala's March - "Cute Koala biscuits with yummy strawberry chocolate filling!" 

This treat was probably my favorite in the whole box this month. The strawberry chocolate filling isn't overly sweet and there's plenty of it, which I appreciate. I think the characters on the front are all pretty funny looking and it's cool to see so many different ones. These treats are a winner in my book!

Umaibo - "Support Kumamoto prefecture with pumpkin corn flavored puff corn" 

I'm not the biggest fan of corn flavored things; so I was pretty hesitant on this one when reading the description. This is basically just one LARGE cheese corn puff, dusted with pumpkin flavoring, which in my opinion, really doesn't come through as much as I would have liked. Overall, this is a pretty interesting treat but not my cup of tea.

Okashi na Mizu Ame - "Mix  the strawberry, soda, and lemon flavors to get grape!"

This is a pretty interesting "candy". Within the package, you receive 3 tiny packets that are meant to be mixed together, to create a grape flavored candy spread. The end flavor was quite grapey and was VERY sticky, which I didn't like that much. Overall, I think this is a fun DIY candy for kids, but I personally didn't love how sticky the end product was or the overall taste.

DonDon Yaki - "Bite sized Korean kimchi flavored rice crackers" 

These rice crackers have a very heavy garlic flavor and have the consistency and crunch of a crouton. I would not recommend eating these alone, but rather put on a salad or maybe in a soup - overall, the taste is good and I would recommend!

Cream Rusk - "Twice baked biscuits topped with delicious cream" 

This baked biscuit treat is quite buttery and delicious and the cream spread on top is just the right amount of sweet. This treat can be eaten alone, or would be nicely paired with a hot beverage to dip in. I ate with a cup of tea and they paired quite nicely together.

Fried Potato - "Potato chips in french fry form, with an American twist!"

These french fry potato chips are pretty fluffy and not overly salty, which is great because overly salted snacks are not my thing. They really do taste like french fry's and look like them, too - this is a pretty fun snack and I would eat more!

Neri Ume - "Chewy gummies that are both sweet and sour"

I had high hopes for this snack after reading the description; I love sweet and sour gummy candy, so I was sure to like these! Sadly, I was wrong - they are tasteless and aren't sour or sweet, and the consistency of the gummy isn't a great texture. These were a miss for me in the box. 

Do-n Tarou - "No foxes were harmed in making these tasty dried udon noodles"

These dried udon noodles are pretty tasty and not overly salty. I think these will be great paired with any salad, soup or any type of ramen dish. They don't taste like too much, but I think they'll be a great addition to any dish to add an extra crunch.

Awa Dama - "Fizzy grape flavored candy that will pop in your mouth!"

This is a grape flavored hard candy that is actually pretty good! The further you get into the candy, there is a little bit of a fizzy factor, that makes the candy much more unique than a typical hard candy. I'm usually not a grape flavored person, but I actually liked this for the most part and would recommend for others to try!

Mike Popcorn - "Popcorn that tastes like udon or soba noodle soup"

This popcorn is root beer flavored and isn't overly salty. I'm not the biggest fan of anything root beer flavored, but the flavoring here isn't too powerful, so I'm able to eat and enjoy it! This is the only product in the shipment that has a "family" size portion. I'm glad that they threw in something that wasn't just a single serve size.

Melon Soda Gum - "Extra long and extra delicious stick of melon soda flavored gum"

I really only enjoy minty gums and tend to stay away from fruit flavored gum, so I was hesitant to try this product. Overall, the melon taste is pretty flavorful and the gum holds its flavor for about 10 minutes, which is all I needed.

Premium Umaibo - This puffed corn tastes like a mix of mozerella and camembert cheese"

This is another very LARGE corn puff, but this one is cheese flavored, which really comes through in the taste. I'm not the biggest fan of anything corn flavored, but overall, I liked this one more than the portage flavored cheese puff I reviewed previously.

Mini Bottle - Strawberry - "Fizzy strawberry candy in a cute bottle"

This strawberry flavored candy dissolves instantly in your mouth and fizzles while doing so. The flavoring is quite sweet (but not overly sweet) and the strawberry really comes through, which I personally really enjoy. I definitely recommend trying these if you have the chance!

Baby Gang - "Green apple candy that pops and fizzes when you eat it!" 

This is like the PopRocks candy we have here in the US, and a personal favorite of mine when I was younger. The green apple flavor is very sweet and this snack is just fun (especially the packaging) and tasty in my opinion 🙂

Freedom Japanese Market includes a handmade origami with every box. This month’s origami is a sailboat, which has a beautiful print on it.

Verdict: This was my first experience with Freedom Japanese Market and for the most part, I really enjoyed it! I love trying new international snacks and while not every snack was perfect for my pallet, I love the experience. While not knowing what these snacks actually cost in Japan, I think the price of $24.99 is very fair due to the variety and number of treats received - I look forward to trying more snacks from this subscription in the future! 

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