Having already reviewed the Sakuraco Japanese snack box I was over the moon when their sister company asked me to do a TokyoTreat review. You see Japanese snacks are top tier. They’ve clever, flavoursome, beautiful, and a little bit different to the snacks we get over here in the UK.
So, to say I was excited about doing a TokyoTreat review is a massive understatement!
I was sent the November box, which is themed around Mt. Fuji and the surrounding area during Autumn, when the colours are fiery and the vibes are cosy.
And of course, seeing as there’s snacks involved, my teenage kids were the first to step up and offer to help me test out the goods. So, let’s take a look at what’s inside the November TokyoTreat Japanese snack box and find out what it all tastes like.
Puku Puku Sweet Potato Taiyaki
This is a classic example of a cute Japanese snack, I mean just look at it! Puku Puku meaning bubbling describes the bubbly, sweet centre that is a bit like honeycomb although far softer. And yeah, rather bizarrely that filling is made out of sweet potato. But your tastebuds wouldn’t have the faintest idea, as both the taste and texture is nothing like the sweet potato you and I know.
It’s creamy, it melts in your mouth, and there’s a kind of vanilla chocolatiness to it. In a word, it’s delicious. And that deliciousness is encased in a crispy wafer fish-shaped shell, or a Taiyaki or sea bream shaped shell to be exact. The detail on it is incredible, from its big fish lips, right down to its stripy tail, it’s almost too cute to eat.
But we did. I ate the head and my daughter ate the tail. And not a single crumb was left on the plate, it was that good.
Polinky Corn Chips
These had us divided. I absolutely loved them. But the kids weren’t so sure. They basically taste like sweetcorn and to me that’s amazing. The little puffy triangles of salty, sweet yumminess melt on your tongue but have a satisfactory crunch to them too.
They’re the snack you can’t help munching through, each one getting more and more flavoursome with every bite. Super moreish and the vibrant smiley packaging is enough to brighten anyone’s day.
Mandarin Orange Jelly Bites
Next up in my TokyoTreat review are these mandarin orange jelly bites which again features super cute packaging. These sugary citrus jellies are made from mandarin oranges from Shizuoka Prefecture, which is an area right next to Mt. Fuji, so they fully embrace the theme of the November box.
Despite their sweetness, they’re actually surprisingly light, and the strong mandarin taste is refreshing and juicy. It’s a good size packet too, not too many, but not too little to feel cheated. Although I did have to get in early, as my teenage daughter in particular was all over these and had I paused for breath they’d have been gone in seconds!
Honey Soy Sauce Cracker
Oh to have had more of these or for it to be bigger. Because one of these was most definitely not enough. Not when I was sharing it with a 17 year old boy!
I am such a big fan of anything that combines sweet and savoury and this ticked the box perfectly for me. This crispy rice cake style cracker is coated in a mixture of honey and soy sauce and gets the blend just right. While my sweet toothed daughter wasn’t quite so keen, my son absolutely loved it and would have gladly polished off more.
Yuzu Shio Ramen
Ahhhh ramen, the food of teenagers everywhere. Admittedly we could have pimped ours up a little more than we did (I mean what is a bowl of ramen without seaweed, tofu and spring onions!?!) but in a truly honest and genuine review we went naked with our ramen and tried them straight from the package as they were.
Well, my son did. I didn’t actually get a look in. He saw the packet, grabbed it, and had a saucepan filled with water and popped on the hob before I even had a chance to acknowledge the presence of noodles.
And his verdict? Well, he liked them. The sauce that comes with it is a mix of refreshing citrussy yuzu and salty savoury kelp and the ramen are soft and eggy. It’s pretty much everything you could want from a cosy autumnal snack that’s gonna fill you up and give you a gentle warm hug from the inside out.
Mt. Fuji Sandwich Cookie
How could there be a Mt. Fuji inspired snack box without a snack shaped like the famous mountain itself?!! Answer… there can’t be. Which is why the addition of this Mt. Fuji sandwich cookie is an absolute essential.
It’s basically two pieces of shortbread style biscuit sandwiched together by a creamy filling, in fact not too dissimilar to the custard cream biscuits we have here in the UK.
And the attention to detail is great – I especially love the way the cream filling plays the part of the snow capped peak, it is just adorable.
This is an individually wrapped biscuit, so perhaps not great from an eco point of view, but brilliant for lunchboxes or to take as a hiking snack, as it would easily tuck into pockets ready for when hunger strikes halfway up a mountain.
Salt N’ Butter Sweet Potato Crisps
Sweet potatoes are really popular in Japan and as an ingredient they are incredibly versatile. These salt n’ butter sweet potato crisps are perhaps more like how we are accustomed to using them in the West, as opposed to say the sweet potato filled fish from earlier. But what I’ve learnt is to never judge a snack by its cover (or ingredients list) as the ones you think sound a bit yuck, are actually the one’s that taste the best.
Roasted sweet potatoes are one of Japan’s top snacks during the Autumn and just like we have ice cream vans in the Summer, Japan has sweet potato vans. These sweet potato crisps are a nod to that custom. Each crisp is thick and super crunchy (almost like the texture of banana chips) and has a slight hint of the salty butter they’ve been flavoured with.
They were sweeter than I expected, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a shock. But when I got my head around the fact these weren’t like the savoury crisps we have here, they were actually really delicious. Both me and my kids loved them and that small bowlful you see in the picture… well let’s just say it didn’t stay full for long.
Crunky Strawberry White Chocolate
This was my daughter’s favourite snack in the ToykoTreat box (remember I mentioned she has a sweet tooth!?!). Fortunately, I managed to grab a couple of chunks before she snaffled the rest away to her bedroom.
White chocolate and strawberries are a dream combo, but bung in some crispy bits and it takes it to a whole different level. This beautiful slab of chocolate is creamy, rich, indulgent, and the taste of strawberries is really strong. You couldn’t eat a whole bar in one sitting (not even my daughter managed that), but a few pieces with a hot drink of an evening goes down really well.
If you can imagine the taste of yogurt covered strawberries, that pretty much sums up the taste of this chocolate bar. It is divine.
Ramune Soft Candy
These bon bon style soft candy balls are described as Ramune flavoured. And seeing as I have absolutely no idea what Ramune is, of course I Googled it. So, turns out Ramune is a popular Japanese carbonated soft drink, characterized by its distinct bottle design (it has a Codd-neck which is basically a kind of indented neck with a marble inside that you have to press down to be able to drink and it helps seal in the fizz).
Ramune drinks are available in lots of different flavours, but the original is a mix of tart lemon and lime with a hint of bubblegum. And that is the same flavour these sweets are based upon.
It definitely tastes like bubblegum and even the texture is a little bit like gum too. Which is confusing, because everything in my head was telling me it was bubblegum and even when I’d been chewing it for a while the consistency continued to get even more gumlike. Until then suddenly it’s gone and you realise it wasn’t gum after all.
The outside casing is coated in fine sugar and when you crack through to the middle it is also a little bit like chewy marshmallow. The flavour is intense, very sweet, but not unpleasant. It’s kinda slightly fizzy too. Nice, but you couldn’t eat too many of them at once, that’s for sure.
Pon De Donut
A pon de donut is a mix between a doughnut and mochi. So, it’s slightly chewier and more dense than a doughnut, but still very much has the characteristics of a doughnut too. This little ring of doughy balls was really yum and reminded us all of the doughnuts you get at fun fairs.
Not too sweet, not too filling. A perfect sized snack with the added fun factor of being able to separate the balls and pop them in your mouth one at a time. I gotta say, I love a snack that you can pull apart and choose how to eat.
Melon Hi-Chews
These are very similar to the Ramune soft candy, in that they are like bon bons and have the same chewy consistency. But my goodness the flavour of these is off the charts.
Flavoured like the strongest, sweetest Cantaloupe melon you’ve ever tasted, they are crazy tasty. It actually still blows my mind how much like a melon they taste like. And I’m not usually a fan of melon flavoured foods. Often the taste can be synthetic, but these are seriously good. Another of the snacks from my TokyoTreat review that got gobbled up in one sitting. So good.
MIKE Butter Soy Sauce Popcorn
We love popcorn in our house. My son likes salted, my daughter likes sweet, and I like a mixture of the two. So I was intrigued to see how this soy sauce popcorn would go down.
Not gonna lie, it was a taste none of us were expecting, but 2 out of 3 of us loved it (can you guess who didn’t!?!) It has a really rich savoury taste, almost meaty, so big on those umami flavours. And yeah, it’s really nice. A great, and much lighter, alternative to crisps, it’s one of those snacks that once you’ve had one you just need to keep on going until you polish the whole packet off.
Mt. Fuji Choco Crunch
And lastly, we have the Mt. Fuji Choco crunch, which if you’re a fan of chocolate cornflake cakes you are totally gonna love this.
It’s crunchy, and chocolatey and there’s a slight peanut taste to it as well. Two bites and it’s gone however… it is a very small bar. But that in a way works in its favour because it would make a great run or hiking snack. It would easily fit into a run vest pocket and would give you a much needed burst of energy to continue on with your outdoor adventure.
Final Thoughts
As you can see from my TokyoTreat review, this Japanese snack box is absolutely jam packed full of delicious goodies that give you a taste of modern Japan from the comfort of your own home.
But it’s all well and good me showing you what you can expect to receive in a box, but I’m sure you’re wondering how much it costs and how you can order it?
Well, here’s what you need to know…
TokyoTreat is a subscription box with various different options to choose from.
- 1 month – $37.50 per month
- 3 months – $35.50 per month
- 6 months – $33.50 per month
- 12 months – $32.50 per month plus additional sign up bonus (at the moment it’s a Pokémon plush bundle)
(prices are in $ however they do send out to the UK, you will just need to work out the additional delivery cost at checkout)
One thing I do want to stress is that there are a lot of snacks in this box. So, in my opinion you are getting good bang for your buck. And I also love that it comes with a 20-page booklet, explaining what the snacks are (which unless you can read Japanese is super useful, not gonna lie!). Plus there’s info about Japan, fun facts, photos from the community, and a monthly contest.
And if you’re hesitant to commit to signing up to a subscription box, but don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to try out some Japanese snacks, TokoyoTreat have an online mini mart where you can order items individually.
I hope you have enjoyed my TokyoTreat review and feel inspired to try some Japanese snacks yourself. I personally think these snack boxes would make a fantastic Christmas gift for a teenager, as let’s face it… teenage boys especially can be quite tricky to buy for. But you can’t really go wrong with food!
*product gifted for review
Which Japanese Snack Do You Like The Look Of Most?
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Author Bio
Becky Stafferton is a full-time content creator, web publisher, and blogging coach. She continually strives to promote a realistic, sustainable and positive image of how to lead a healthy life. When she’s not writing she can be found running through muddy puddles, making lists of lists, having a good old moan, talking in funny voices to her dog, renovating her house in the country, and teaching others how to make money from their blogs.
