This month we got the amazing opportunity to test one of TokyoTreat’s subscription boxes.
Maybe you have already heard of these kind of boxes? If not, let me explain in few words.
Over the last years, boxes with treats from Japan became quite popular. Most of them come as subscription boxes where you receive one box every month.
Depending on the company (many of them are distributed by single entrepreneurs), the boxes are filled with seasonal sweets and goodies like stationery or character goodies. The price usually depends on the amount of goodies and the quality (100¥ shop items vs. “decent” items).
TokyoTreat has four different boxes to choose from, but I opted for the Sakuraco box which is fitting mine, and probably also your preferences better.
The Sakuraco box has various traditional Japanese snacks inside, plus one piece of tableware and tea.
When my box arrived I was delighted it being the actual October box which is Mount Fuji themed!
Since I received the box for testing, I wasn’t sure if I will get the September box (in late September) or the upcoming one.
I am a great fan of Mount Fuji and also of Shizuoka prefecture which is highlighted in the pamphlet coming with the box.
Opening the box was a little bit like coming in the room full of presents on Christmas Eve! There were so many layers to pull out until getting to the bottom. So many small packs with Japanese treats! Plus cute packaging and two sweet snacks I really like, hiding under the tableware.
Inside this small box were 20 packages of food and tea, plus the Mount Fuji bowl.
A postcard-sized greeting from the company founder and a pamphlet with many explanations around the treats and Japan was also inside.
Since I was asked to test the box, I did it! Thoroughly!
I started with counting and checking the pamphlet. First, I thought that two items described in the pamphlet weren’t in the box but they just hid in a bigger package together with well visible different treats!
Since Shizuoka and Mount Fuji were highlighted, I also checked which treats are coming from there or have something to do with Mount Fuji.
Actually, I expected the tea coming from Shizuoka since Shizuoka is the biggest tea producing areas in Japan.
However, the tea in the box seems to come from Kanagawa prefecture and is distributed through a well known coffee manufacturer. Kanagawa is right beside Tokyo.
Two treats are associated with Yamanashi, a prefecture famous for its lakes right beneath Mt. Fuji. One is the Aka-Fuji cookie (produced in Nagano prefecture) and the grape cookies.
Also associated with Mt. Fuji is, of course, Shizuoka prefecture which lies on the other side of the mountain.
Two treats with tea are made with tea from here, however, one is produced in Tochigi. Another treat from a Shizuoka company is fabricated in Aichi prefecture.
The Fuji shaped bowls were made from a manufacturer in Fukui prefecture (Tanaka Hashiten).
It is interesting that many big, and bigger, companies have their company seats in a big city (like Tokyo) but producing in the countryside. In case of the herring treats it is just logic because Aichi has the bigger fish processing industry.
Actually, I really like the fact that productions are in lesser frequented places since the big cities are already too crowded and we have a huge problem with people moving from the countryside to the city. One positive of the Pandemic is, though, that with telework (working from home), many took the opportunity to move back to the countryside.
But back to the box!
I still haven’t tested every snack inside but already some. All of those I have tested aren’t very special, for me, who lives in Japan and has access to all kind of stuff. I would say they are „futsuu“ 普通 in Japanese. They are ok, but nothing extraordinary, which also wouldn’t be possible for the price of the box. Yes, there are snacks and sweets in Japan which are really really good! But those also come at a high price, even when living in Japan 😉
Speaking of the price.. Sakuraco also has a subscription option and if you decide to choose paying for one whole year, every box comes at a single price of 32.50 Dollar.
If you only choose to test one box, it will be a little bit more expensive (37.50 Dollar). All prices include tax but come without shipping.
However, when I look at what I get for that price, it is really worth it! The box is beautiful, the pamphlet gives a lot of information, and the snacks are a good selection from all over Japan which you won‘t easily get when living outside of Japan.
If you would like to try the Sakuraco Box too, I would be happy if you could purchase it through our Affiliate link.
The following links are interesting reads to deepening the knowledge about the treats and topics in this Sakuraco box.
All books are tied to the Amazon Affiliate program.
I can fully recommend the books by Oscar Brekell, the others I haven’t read yet.
Author: Per Oscar Brekell
Price: $42.22
Click to see more details
Author: Per Oscar Brekell
Price: $14.99 (Pre-order December 2021)
Click to see more details
Mount Fuji: Icon of Japan (Studies in Comparative Religion)
Author: H. Byron Earhart
Price: $41.99
Click to see more details
Attention to Japanese Food Lovers!: Sweet and Savory Japanese Desserts (cookbook)
Author: Heston Brown
Price: $12.95
Click to see more details
