- Japanese Snack Subscription Box Comparison Table
- What is a Japanese snack box?
- What are the different kinds of Japanese snack boxes
- How do you subscribe to a Japanese snack box?
- Which companies offer subscription boxes?
- Cost and delivery time of Japanese snack subscription boxes
- Benefits of Japanese Snack Box Subscriptions
- Japanese Snack Box List
- 1. Tokyo Treat
- 2. Sakuraco
- 3. Bokksu
- 4. Japan Crate
- 5. Japan Candy Box
- 6. Zenpop
- 7. Umai Box
- 8. Snakku
- 9. Mascot Monthly Mix
- 10. Kokoro Care Packages
- 11. Sushi Candy
- 12. Freedom Japanese Market
- 13. Japan Center Pop Culture Snack Box Subscription
Japanese Snack Subscription Box Comparison Table
It can be pretty overwhelming trying to wade through all the Japanese snack boxes that are available. We’ve put together this table so that it makes things a little easier:
Name | Price/ Month | Number of Items | Category | Special Characteristics | Free Shipping |
Tokyo Treat | $31.5 | 10+ | Snacks | Mainstream snacks | Yes |
Sakuraco | $37.50 | 10+ | Snacks | High end snacks. One “home decor” item per month |
Yes |
Bokksu | $49.95 | 10+ | Snacks | Monthly themes | Yes |
Japan Crate | $22.95 to $49.95 | Depends on the type of box | Snacks | 3 options available | Yes |
Japan Candy Box | $29.90 | 10+ | Snacks | Just sweets | Yes |
Zenpop | $27 to $31 | 10+ | Snacks | 5 options avail. | Yes |
Umai Box | $32.49 | 10+ | Snacks | Incl. “anime manga snacks” | Yes |
Snakku | $49.85 | 10+ | Snacks | Yes | |
Mascot Monthly Mix | $45.50 to $32.00 | 10+ | Snacks | Local council area mascots! | Yes |
Kokoro Care Packages | $55.00 to $95.00 | Around 10 | Snacks | Luxury box | Yes |
Sushi Candy | $12.99 to $41.98 | 10+ | Snacks | snacks AND noodles! | Yes |
Freedom Japanese Market | $14.99, $24.99 and $45.99 | 10+ | Snacks | Snacks from family business | Yes |
Japan Center Pop Culture Snack Box Subscription | $34 and $55 | 10+ | Snacks | No |
Nowadays, people are always on the go. Working, commuting, parenting, and managing a social life can be very taxing.
I guess it’s no surprise that people are looking for some relief in the form of subscription and delivery food services help with their busy lifestyles.
A Japanese snack box is one of those helpful things. Available in most major cities for $30-$50, these boxes contain at least enough different types of sweet or savory snacks to let you have around one snack a day.
The boxes on the list are just part of our big list of 42+ Japanese Snack boxes we have put here.
What is a Japanese snack box?
A Japanese snack box is a container that typically contains a variety of different types of snacks. The containers are often brightly colored with cartoon characters on the outside to entice customers.
A more traditional Japanese snackbox is a box filled with different types of snacks from particular regions.
These boxes are typically filled with items like senbei, dried fruit, rice crackers, sweet potato chips, small candies etc.
More fast-snack orientated boxes are packed with goodies like chips, cookies, and candy.
These snack boxes are good for anyone who wants to eat without having to worry about shopping around for their own snacks because they are all conveniently in one convenient package.
What are the different kinds of Japanese snack boxes
The Japanese snack boxes come in many different shapes and forms, and they can be found everywhere in Japan.
Some of these boxes are colorful and filled with various different types of snacks and sweets that you’d find at a convenience store.
Others are much more “high-brow” and focus on the sort of items you would find in the massive basement food sections of Japanese department stores such as Daimaru etc.
There are also Japanese food boxes that are more general than just “snacks”. Some focus on items like instant ramen, or include a mixture of different Japanese food items.
How do you subscribe to a Japanese snack box?
You’ll probably be subscribing to a box that actually ships from Japan, rather than one that ships from within the U.S., as these boxes often contain more unique and rare snacks that you can’t find at your local grocery store.
Which companies offer subscription boxes?
There are a lot of companies in the subscription snack box space. Some of them only do a single box, while there are other companies that literally make 50+ types of different Japanese subscription boxes.
Tokyo Treat, for example, doesn’t just have it’s Tokyo Treat box, it also offers boxes branded as :
Yume Twins nmnl Sakuraco Japanhaul Tokyocatch
Each caters to a different preference, from more child friendly sweeter items, to much more adult-orientated or “Japanese” tasting flavors that might have more of a soy, fish or salty flavor.
Cost and delivery time of Japanese snack subscription boxes
The Japanese snack boxes on this list will generally set you back from $30 – $40 per month, which may or may not include postage depending on the box.
Some boxes are cheaper, but will be pretty limited, so are probably not worth it.
Most of the boxes are shipped from Japan, which generally has a very quick postal system. Still, there is always the risk that your box will get held up somewhere across the globe on its way to you.
Benefits of Japanese Snack Box Subscriptions
The Japanese culture is one of the most fascinating and intricate places in the world. Taking a bite out of a Japanese snack box is like taking a bite out of another culture. Discovering new, unusual flavors and experiences for you to enjoy with your family and friends is now as easy as subscribing to them on the internet.
It also, of course, saves a lot of time roaming around the shops!
Japanese Snack Box List
1. Tokyo Treat
Tokyo Treat offers 6 different, uniquely branded and focused subscription boxes:
Tokyotreat
- Yume Twins
- nmnl
- Sakuraco
- Japanhaul
- Tokyocatch
We’ve added each of these boxes under their own entry below, and have done a complete review of their more traditional/refined sweet box option Sakuraco.
The Tokyo treat box includes a range of popular snacks. They include snacks related to anime, drinks, party snacks, local snacks i.e Dagashi and “DIY snacks”.
Tokyo Treat boxes include these regular items:
• Japan Exclusive Drink (180-500ml)
• Rare KitKat Party Pack (12 pcs.)
• 2.7 lbs+ (1.2kg+) of Japanese Snacks
• Full-Sized Japanese Crazy Candy, Crunchy Chips & More
• Snack Guide + Member Reward Program ‘Streaks’
Price:- Very reasonable. $35 per month. $31.5 per month
if you subscribe for 12 months.
2. Sakuraco
Sakuraco is a Japanese subscription box that focuses on the luxurious, traditional and more “refined” end of the Japanese snack market. Items range from Japanese cakes, sweets and savory items to the occasional home decor item.
If you are after your mainstream Pocky, KitKat and Chocolate Kinoko type fair, this isn’t the box for you. This one caters very much to the “adult” taste. For more details please see our complete review of the Sakuraco box here.
Price: Starts from $37.50 per month
3. Bokksu
Bokksu is one of the most popular Japanese snack boxes. Every month they have different themes, often linking in with festivals and seasonal events in Japan. Bokksu also includes local snacks which they purchase directly from manufacturers, which is a nice touch.
What’s Included:
• 20–24 SNACKS & TEA
• SNACK BOOKLET
• ALLERGEN INFO
There is also an option of gifting bokksu to your family and loved ones. Bokksu offer “corporate boxes”. If you are running a business, you can gift your business partners, clients.
Price: $49.95 per month, or yearly $39.95 per month.
4. Japan Crate
Japan crate offer 3 different types of boxes: Mini, Original and Premium, with contents varying between boxes.
Mini includes only 5 items (which is much less than most of the boxes on the list). The Original Box includes 10 items and a DIY Kit.
Premium includes 18-20 items, a drink, DIY kit and a limited edition bonus
Price: Price depends on the type of box and range from $22.95 to $49.95 per month and includes free shipping.
5. Japan Candy Box
Japan Candy Box includes snacks from most of the famous Japanese brands. They mostly include fairly mainstream, commonly available in Japan items. These items are often the very ones a lot of foreigners go for, so it is a good choice for many of us gaijin!
They also include local traditional Japanese treats like Japanese rice crackers (senbei) and konpeito star candy. The Japanese sweets include traditional flavors like matcha green tea, ichigo strawberries, and spicy wasabi. Each month you get around 10 Japanese snacks in your box.
Price: $29.90 per month, Yearly $24.90 per month.
6. Zenpop
Zenpop offers 5 different subscription boxes:
Japanese Sweets Box
Japanese Sweets + Ramen Box
Japanese Ramen Box
Japanese Stationery Box
Japanese limited edition boxes
We particularly like the ability to get a box that mixes up sweets & ramen – two of the items that a lot of people are looking for in a Japanese subscription crate.
The sweets box includes popular items like KitKat or Pocky Candy and favorite Japanese standards. They include easy-on-the-foreigner-palette chocolates, cookies, and the odd “wagashi” traditional sweat to mix things up. They also include some savory items.
The Ramen box includes full-sized servings of the newest and most popular varieties of instant Japanese ramen noodles. Favorite ramen types include the standard tonkatsu, shoyu, and shio. These boxes go beyond just ramen noodles and also expand into udon, soba, yakisoba, and other types of noodles, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your noodle preferences!
Zenpop also includes limited edition, regional, and/or seasonal products – which is something you are probably going to want if you are getting boxes regularly over time.
The Stationary box is pretty cool. It contains high quality pens, pencils, and/or highlighters. Cute stickers, beautiful washi tape, sticky notes, memo pads, and letter sets. The limited-edition includes surprises for your kitchen. They mix things up with varying products from month to month.
Price: Price range is between $27 to $31 per month depending on the box.
7. Umai Box
The Umai Box is another entrant in the somewhat crowded Japanese snack box market. It has the sort of fast-food snacks you would expect to find in convenience stores, 100 yen shops and bargain snack stores in Japan.
Umai Box is quite eclectic and includes snacks, drinks, local products, anime manga snacks, DIY kits and noodle cups. The focus here is on “Fun” and discovery.
Price: $32.49/month, includes free shipping.
8. Snakku
Snakku is another “upper end”, adult-orientated box. It is similar to the Sakuraco box, but includes a few more mainstream pop-sweats such as Pocky and KitKats. They have a focus on highlighting particular localities and seasonal items. They include 20 – 25 “expertly curated” snacks.
There is a focus on design, with the inclusion of a beautiful postcard and stylish box.
Price: $49.85 per month with free shipping.
9. Mascot Monthly Mix
Mascot Monthly Mix finds an interesting take on the Japanese snack box genre by delivering you items from different regions, and their mascots. So this one is really a good way to get a bit of a sense of all the different local specialities, such as grapes from Yamanashi prefecture etc. They also include a guide book with information about the different regions, so you can learn about Japanese geography. So you can feed your thirst for knowledge as well as your thirst for culinary items.
Price: 2 types of boxes, Mega Mix and Mini Mix.
Mega Mix $45.50 per month and Mini Mix $32.00 per month.
10. Kokoro Care Packages
Kokoro pitch themselves not as “snack boxes” but as “Nourishing essential care packages”. So they are squarely in the high end of the market. And they are amongst the most expensive boxes on the list.
Their boxes include: “5+ premium-quality, artisanal Japanese foods made locally in Japan. Easy to enjoy noodles/rice, snacks, seasonings, sauces, soups, teas and more. A new unique theme every month. Colorful, in-depth English brochure of the products, ingredients, suggested uses and recipes. Stories that connect you to the local farmers and producers, regions and traditions.”
The premium box is the same but includes two extra foods. Boxes explore a new theme every season.
Price: Monthly Nourishing Essentials Care Package $55.00 per month.
Seasonal Delights Care Package $95.00 per month.
11. Sushi Candy
The confusingly titled Sushi Candy focuses on the cheaper conbini-style sweet stuff. You’ll find Kit Kat assortments, and the occasional instant ramen noodles. You might get Konpeito,a traditional handmade candy.
They also have “amezaiku” , a “delicate art piece that you can eat and is crafted by a skillful artist.”
Price: From $12.99 to $41.98 depending on box. Sushi Candy boxes contain 20 to 40 items, plus additional Kit Kats. Shipping is free and available internationally.
12. Freedom Japanese Market
Freedom Japanese Market is a family run business. Their packages contain 12-16 full-size snacks, including a variety of sweet and savory flavors, with each box personalized with a handmade origami piece that changes its designs according to the season and themes per month. They also include a fun addition of limited edition and exclusive snacks in their packs.
Price: three different sized boxes Puchi Pack, Original Pack and Family Premium pack.
Puchi Pack is priced at $14.99, the original pack at $24.99, and the family premium at $45.99. Each plan includes free shipping worldwide.
13. Japan Center Pop Culture Snack Box Subscription
Everything about the name of this one is confusing. Surely it should be the Japan Pop Culture Centre Box?
It’s actually a box put together by the “Japan Centre”. But it’s actually really a snack box rather than a “pop culture box”.
They offer 2 types of subscription boxes. First one is the standard box which includes 7 to 10 snacks and the second subscription box is the premium box which includes 11 to 16 items, a drink and an instant noodle.
Price: Standard box $34
Premium box $55 per month extra for shipping charges, free shipping in England, Wales and parts of Scotland.