WOWBOX is a Japanese snacks and sweets subscription service that offers multiple themed boxes.
Currently, there are four themes in various sizes (Small, Regular, or Large). I'll be reviewing the New & Limited Box, which contains new, limited, or exclusive items that are hot off the shelves from Japan. They also offer a Fun & Tasty Box—the original WOWBOX filled with "all the fun, tasty, and weird treats that Japan is known for," including DIY kits. Their Kawaii & Beauty Box contains kawaii packaged beauty-themed products as well as low-calorie snacks and health-conscious treats. And finally, they offer a Dagashi Box, which is a mini-sized snack box filled with traditional dagashi treats "from a bygone era."
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 is a review of the large (9-11 items) New & Limited Box, which is $34.99 a month.
The Subscription Box: WOWBOX New & Limited Box
The Cost: $24.99 per month for a Regular box, $34.99 per month for a Large box with discounts on longer commitments.
LIMITED TIME DEAL: Now through 9/21, use code WOWSEPT to save 15% off your first box!
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off for your first plan
CODE: ADDICTION
The Products: Japanese snacks and candies curated to one of four themes
Ships to: Worldwide!
Good to know: WOWBOX ships from Japan and accepts PayPal.
Check out all of our WOWBOX reviews and the Food Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
WOWBOX doesn't list its items on its info card. Instead, you can look up the products via their site.
On the other side, they offer a coupon code for 15% off.
Sgorn Ebi Marugoto Shrimp Chips
Wow, I love this packaging! Two large golden shrimp against a red background really makes these feel like an epic snack! I was a little hesitant to try these, but they are really tasty! They don't have an overwhelming seafood taste at first, but then it creeps up on you. They're also a bit spicy without being too much.
Shiroi Country Maam (Hokkaido Cheese Cake)
Although the WOWBOX site doesn't offer much insight, by looking at the packaging, it seems like you can enjoy these cheesecake cookies cold or warm for the best scenario. I like that they are packaged individually so that they won't get stale after opening. I'm a fan of cheesecake, so these didn't take any coaxing for me to try. They are a shortbread consistency and deliver a cheesy flavor that gets stronger on your tongue after the cookie is gone. Bonus points for being called Country Ma'am because that is just too funny.
Spiral Snack??
Hmmm, I'm not exactly sure what these spiral snacks are because it seems like I got them instead of a spicy beef chip that should have been included in this box. Everything on the package is in Japanese, so I am of no help to enlighten you. These are definitely black pepper flavored and quite salty! I love their fun shape!
Usuyaki Gourmet Lemon Pepper
Ooh, these are my first favorites of the box! I adore rice crackers and these have a delicious lemon pepper flavor to them! They'd be absolutely perfect with tea! Since they're so crispy and light, I can eat a ton of them in one sitting. They also come in three sectioned off trays so that you can keep the unopened portions fresh. Love these!
Puccho (Sakuranbo No Uta) - Value $3.50
Here we have the first sweet treat of the month! All individually wrapped, these soft cherry flavored candies remind me of Hi Chew at first, but have something crunchy in the center that heightens the textural experience! I think I will have another to investigate further... what's in there? It's some hard candy bits! How delightful!
Lott Toppo x Chihayahuru in Fruit Tart
As far as I can tell, these are a limited kind/flavor of Toppo featuring Chihayahuru which looks to be a popular Manga in Japan. These thin cookie sticks have a yummy fruit cream inside that does taste like an actual fruit tart! I'm a fan of Pocky and Yan Yan but have never had Toppo, so I'm happy this came in the box this month!
Natsu No Fruits Kore Ippon
WOWBOX seems to always include a small juice box like this in their subscriptions. I normally receive the Kawaii & Beauty version, and it's in there too. This one is all about tropical fruit like mango and pineapple. It's really fruity and tastes like something I'd buy at a health food store to get some essential vitamins into my system. Plus, sticking the straw into it is always pretty fun.
Pachi Pachi Panic (Soda) - Value $1.49
Hehe, I like the name of this candy and immediately upon seeing it thought it would be like Pop Rocks, a beloved candy from my youth. I wasn't wrong, but this comes with an added little round candy in addition to the crackly ice-looking candy. I really love the soda flavor that is popular in Japan, so this is a nice treat!
Kumamon Umaibo - Value $0.13 (linked to similar)
Ugh, I can't get into these! I know they are a popular on-the-go snack in Japan, but the flavors are usually too overly flavored for me to enjoy. There is something about a really savory flavor in puffed corn form that I just can't get on board with. This one luckily isn't meaty like the others I've tried, but apparently, has a pumpkin flavor. There is just so much seasoning on here that I can't tell what it is. I like Kumamon though!!
Granola Thunder - Value $0.99
Oh my gosh, yes! This is so delicious! It's basically a mini breakfast bar with fruit and puffed rice and granola covered in chocolate! I wish there was a full size one of these!!
Lotte Crunky x Onepanman Cookies n Cream Chocolate Bar - Value $1.88
Another candy collaboration pops up in this Crunky bar with One Punch Man (or Onepanman). I've purchased Crunky in a Japanese market before, because why would you pass that up? This particular one is cookies n cream flavored, so it has white chocolate with crispy chocolate cookie bits throughout. Yum!
Verdict: WOWBOX is always quite the adventure whether it's good or bad! I really did enjoy most of these items, but there were a few that fell flat. Most were hard to find online, assuming because they truly are "New & Limited" like this box caters to, so it was hard to track down values on everything. The box is $34.99, which makes each item have a value of around $3.18. I don't think they collectively come close to hitting that mark, but I also wouldn't even know about them without WOWBOX. The value here isn't as much about the cost as it is discovering new snacks and flavors straight from Japan.
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