Reviewed by
Mary
TokyoTreat is a monthly box of Japanese candies and snacks from Tokyo. It is part of the TokyoTreat subscription box group which also includes YumeTwins and nomakenolife.
There are three monthly subscription levels:Small: $14.99 (£11.41) 8 full-size snacksRegular: $24.99 (£19.03) 13 full-size snacks plus 1 WagashiPremium: $34.99 (£26.64) 18 full-size snacks, 1 DIY candy kit, 1 drink, 1 item, and 1 WagashiThere are also three, six, and 12 month subscriptions, which work out more cheaply per month.
This month’s theme is Asian Summer Festival! There are lots of lovely fresh and fruity flavours in this box of goodies.
The shipping box is always this colour, but it looks particularly sunshiny at this time of year!
On top you can see their menu booklet.
Not only does it contain a list of the box contents, but there’s a lot of other fun and interesting information in there.
There’s also instructions for the DIY candy kit.
These boxes are always packed beautifully. It’s amazing how much they can stuff into that box!
First out is their Dagashi bag.
These are five randomly selected dagashi snacks. Dagashi are a bit like pocket money or penny sweets.
The package always includes an Umaibo stick (my favorite).
From left to right:
Umaibo: this one Mentai flavour, which means marinated roe of pollock. Sounds less than lovely, but if you like taramasalata you’ll like this!
Yachin Double Lolly in chocolate and vanilla. Basically a double lollipop that tastes like chocolate and vanilla ice cream. I had one of these in last month’s box too. Little C loves them!
Coris Cola Gum consists of three little gumballs with soft centres. BUT one of them is actually super-sour! And you can’t tell which one it is. Check out the little faces on the package. Again, I got this in last month’s box.
Taratara, a sweet/salty snack of little squares of dried fish. The Japanese are very keen on these flavours, though I’m not that crazy about them myself. Also, I’m allergic to seafood. I do love the packaging, though, look at that raging rocker!
This is a very interesting chocolate. It’s BAKE in Limited Edition Coriander Flavour. I’ve never associated coriander with anything sweet. In guacamole, absolutely, but I can’t imagine it in chocolate.That being said, it’s actually quite nice. It’s certainly extremely unusual, but it’s strangely refreshing and not ridiculously sweet. It helps that the chocolate is plain (which I like).I don’t think you’d want to shove the whole box into your mouth at once, but that can only be an good thing. Portion control and all that. Goes rather nicely with a cup of tea.
Mitsuya Mandarin Orange Gummies are lovely. I’ve got a sneaky fondness for gummies, it’s a throwback from childhood, and these are nice and juicy.
Mitsuya Cider is a popular Japanese soda, and it’s quite common for soda companies to release gummy candy.
These are Super Thin PRETZ Edamame Flavour. I love pretzels and I love edamame beans, and these are a nice tasty and savory combination of both. Yum. Goes well with a nice cold beer.
Corn snacks are big in Japan (there are several in this box), and this is one of their sweet versions. The Choco Bar Z – White Chocolate is a crunchy corn puff stick soaked in white chocolate.
It sounds slightly odd, but let me tell you, the combination of white chocolate and crunchy puffy corn is unbelievably good.
Tohato Caramel Corn is my other favourite Japanese snack, and this is Limited Edition Cream Soda Flavour. The cream soda flavour, rather than being just sweet, is actually melon-flavoured.
The texture is light and crispy, and completely moreish, and the soda flavour is just the tiniest bit fizzy. Double yum.
A savory corn snack this time. Corn potage is a very popular dish in Japan. It’s basically corn soup, like a chowder.
This Corn Potage Snack really does taste extraordinarily like creamy corn soup, except with a crunchy texture!
Calpis is a Japanese cultured dairy drink, and tastes a little like plain yoghurt in soda form. It sounds extremely bizarre, but it’s very nice. Calpis also produce various candies with its unique flavour.
These Calpis Pineapple Gummies are a combination of the traditional Calpis flavour with pineapple, and they contain extra pineapple goo in the middle.
I’m saving these for my best friend, who is Anglo-Japanese and loves Calpis.
These Niigata Chewy Senbei are this month’s Wagashi, or traditional Japanese snack. These are a type of rice cracker, but instead of the usual dry crunchy texture, these are chewy. This chewiness is attained by soaking them in soy sauce immediately baking.
I have to say that I really did not like these at all. Normally I love rice cakes, but I found the chewy texture off-putting, and the soy sauce flavour overwhelming.
I’m glad I had an opportunity to try them, but I’m not planning on repeating the experience!
These are yummy. Picola Mango Yogurt are a tubular stick cookie, which have different flavours incorporated into the sticks.
The mango and yogurt flavour is extremely pleasant and sweet, and is a nice change from the more familiar chocolate versions that are common in Europe.
It kind of reminds me of a cookie version of mango lassi. Great with a glass of milk!
Another corn snack! Chocobi Melon Flavour is another limited edition summer flavour.
Chocobi is the favourite snack of the manga character Crayon Shin-chan.
These little star-shaped crunchies are extremely delicious. You can eat them straight out of the box, or chill them in the fridge. If you’re feeling really fancy you can put them in a bowl, add milk, and eat them like cereal!
As a bonus, the box also contains a Shin-chan sticker.
DIY candy kits are big in Japan. This Dinosaur Island Pudding is really cool. (See above for instructions). Not only do you make little pudding shapes, but dinosaur toothpicks are included to finish off your prehistoric scene!
Every TokyoTreat Premium box contains a drink. This one is Kirin World Kitchen’s Salty Lychee Drink. It combines grapefruit, grape, and lychee juices with Okinawan salt.
I’ve always loved lychees, so this was interesting to try. Don’t be put off by the presence of salt, it’s actually very refreshing.
Finally, the bonus non-snack item, which is also in every Premium box.
This lovely Japanese Hand Fan is one of four possible prints. This one is Mount Fuji, and I love it. I’m just waiting for the hot weather to return so I can use it properly!
One of the best things about this box is the opportunity to experience flavours which are unfamiliar and unusual.
You really notice the popularity of certain fruit flavours in Japan. Melon is clearly a big thing, whereas you rarely, if ever, get anything melon-flavoured in the UK.
I really love crunchy corn snacks, and these things, both sweet and savory, are far more interesting than anything you can find in the West.
I was slightly disappointed that, except for the Umaibo, the Dagashi items were identical to last month’s. I know they are picked at random, so I was probably unlucky, but I’d really like to try a few more different ones! And perhaps some which aren’t seafood-related.
Even though I really didn’t like the Wagashi (chewy rice cakes) I like that they include things which could be somewhat outrageous to Western tastes. After all, unless you’re an expat desperate for a taste of home, the joy of these boxes is the opportunity to try weird and wonderful flavours. Like coriander chocolate!
Japanese packaging is also awesome. Lots of bright colours and manga and anime characters. Their package design is way more fun than than the West.
The Choco Bar Z White Chocolate was utterly addictive. I think I’d be happy with a whole box of those. Maybe throw in some Umaibo and Caramel Corn too.
Value-wise, bigger is always better. You’re always going to get the most bang for your buck with the Premium box, especially with the drink and bonus item.
Everything in the boxes comes straight from Japan, and is manufactured for the Japanese market. You also get limited and special edition items that will never be imported into the UK.
Anyway, this was overall a fantastic box of goodies. I’m visiting my best friend soon, and I’m excited to be able to bring her and her family some extra Japanese yummy things!
Another great summery box from TokyoTreat!
