Japan Crate Premium Cardcaptor Sakura Box Review + Coupon – August 2018

Japan Crate is a snack subscription box that sends out snacks and candies from Japan. In addition to the Premium Box, Japan Crate also offers a Mini Box, along with Doki Doki, Kira Kira, and Umai Crate.

This month's premium box is a Cardcaptor Sakura special edition! Love this cute pink box.

This is a review of the Japan Crate Premium Box, which is $35 a month.

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.)

About Japan Crate Premium

The Subscription Box: Premium Box by Japan Crate

The Cost: $35 per month + free shipping

The Products: 15 snacks including a drink, 1 guaranteed DIY kit, and a revolving bonus item

Ships to: Internationally with a few exceptions found here

Japan Crate Premium Cardcaptor Sakura Box August 2018 Review

Here's the booklet for this box. I LOVE Cardcaptor Sakura—it's long been my favorite manga AND my favorite anime. (Tsubasa, too!) I'm excited to see how Cardcaptor shows up in this box!

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Exclusive Sampler

This mini manga only contains a chapter's worth of story, but it was fun to get a glimpse at a new Sakura story. I just wish it was longer!

Premium Umaibo Cheese

This crunchy cheese stick is kind of like a single, long corn puff. It's nice and light and plenty salty.

Double Ice Chocolate Vanilla

This lollypop is flavored like chocolate and vanilla ice cream. I liked the vanilla section a lot and thought the chocolate was richer than I expected it to be. I do kind of wish these were just straight-up chocolates, though! (Chocolate is my favorite sweet treat.)

Strawberry Cream Roll Cake

This vanilla cake has strawberry frosting inside. It tastes a lot like the Swiss roll treats I'd find in the grocery store snack aisle. I liked the mild sweetness of the tender cake and the sugary, fruity flavor of the pretty pink filling.

Dress Palette Cheesecake Cookies

There are 6 individually wrapped cookies inside this yellow bag. They have a lemon and vanilla note to them, but the strongest flavor is literally cheese! It's kind of an odd, cheesier cheese than I'd expect from a cookie (or a real-life cheesecake for that matter). It kind of tastes like a white cheddar cheese cracker. I do like the dense cakey texture of the cookie, though—it's moist and yummy.

Umaibo Shrimp Mayonnaise

There's a second Umaibo stick in this box! This one is flavored like shrimp and mayo, which isn't the most appetizing combo in my opinion, but it's definitely unique. The flavor is a bit fishy with a little tang to it. A weird experience to eat in a crunchy stick form, but I guess the fun of this box is trying combinations you've never experienced before!

Shimi Choco Strawberries and Cream Flavor

Munching on these sweet little stars feels like eating a dry bowl of yummy childhood cereal. I liked the sweet strawberry flavor, and the bite-sized star shapes are a lot of fun.

Long Cola Gum

Eh, gum isn't my favorite, but I can attest to this super long stick tasting a lot like actual cola. It was a little dry/chalky coming out of the package, and I wish it was a slightly more appetizing color than beige...

Horadekita! Apple Soft Candy DIY

This little kit lets you make your own candy "apples" using soft candies, thick gooey sugar sauce, and pastel-colored bits. The flavor and texture are kind of like apple taffy and the flavor is definitely reminiscent of candy apples, plus the crunchy texture of the pastel crystals.

Salt Potato Chips

What's not to like about potato chips?! These yummy chips are just the savory snack my afternoon needed. They're not super salty, either, as chips go. Just enough to bring out the potato-y goodness of each bite.

Strawberry Daifuku

This cushy, sugary pillow is a bit like a marshmallow filled with pink strawberry paste/creme. I've seen these little balls in anime and manga before and always wanted to try one!

Amanatsu Rare Cheesecake Candy

This big bag is filled with these individually wrapped candy balls. The exterior is a traditional hard candy that tastes like orange, but inside, there's a cheesecake-ish filling. I liked the orange candy but could've done without the cream. Still, I appreciate how unique this combination is!

Sakuranbo Gummy

This resealable bag holds a heaping handful of these cherry-flavored soft gummies. They're more peach-colored than the pink depiction on the front of the package, but they have a bright cherry flavor to them. Gummies aren't my fave, but if you're a fan, I feel like these would be fun to snack on.

Taneramune Watermelon

These watermelon flavored candies look like watermelon seeds with their black candy coatings. The watermelon candy inside is white and sugary, like the texture of a mint. But the flavor is juicy and summery.

Hi Kick Candy

I think this lollipop is supposed to be foot-shaped, but it melted into its package during delivery! The candy is a bit softer than a traditional hard lollipop might be (maybe because it melted), but the watermelon flavor is still just as fruity and vibrant.

Kororo White Peach Gummies

These gummies have a light, delicate texture that is, as the booklet says, a bit like eating a grape. The flavor is fresh, sweet, and juicy.

Candy Fruity Box

This tray of colorful soft candies comes with a toothpick to eat them with. I love the bright colors, but the flavor didn't quite hold up. I didn't find them very fruity, plus they smell weirdly plasticy.

Sea House Shaved Ice Ramune Candy

These little sugary hard candies are a bit like Smarties. Two or three is enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. I like the summery red and blue raspberry flavors, too.

Afternoon Tea Mango Lassi

I was expecting this drink to be thick like a lassi traditionally is. But this version has the feel of a regular iced tea, just with a sweet mango flavor. Nice and refreshing.

The Verdict: This box features SUCH a wide variety of snacks, from savory to sweet. I appreciate that there are more crowd-pleasing flavors as well as uncommon combinations. I don't feel like I'm just getting run-of-the-mill snacks, but I don't feel so alienated by the daring new flavors that I can't get any enjoyment out of the items. I do wish that there would've been more Cardcaptor content in the box—maybe a small collectible or Cardcaptor-specific snack in addition to the manga. They did do a nice job trying to connect each item in the box with the world of the cartoon, but just having the teaser manga sample be the only special part of this special edition left me wanting more.

To Wrap Up:

Can I still get this box if I sign up today? No, order by 8/31 to receive the September box. From Japan Crate:

Crates are shipped on a rolling schedule with three schedule shipment dates every month.

Coupon - Use coupon code MSA3 to save $3 off your first Japan Crate Premium, Doki Doki Crate, Umai Crate, or Kira Kira Crate!

Value Breakdown: This box costs $35.00 a month (including free shipping), and I received a total of 19 items (18 snacks and the manga sample) in this box. That breaks down to a value of $1.84 per item.

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What did you think of the August premium box by Japan Crate?