A few months ago, I got an email from ICHIGO Inc. asking if I’d like to review one of their Japanese-themed subscription snack boxes. I’ve seen promotions for their boxes before and thought they looked fun, so I decided to give it a try. Plus, Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and a box like this is a great gift!
ICHIGO makes multiple snack boxes, so I got to choose which one I wanted to review. I chose the Sakuraco box, which highlights traditional Japanese snacks and treats with a different theme each month. Most of the items are artisan snacks made by local family-owned businesses. Many don’t ship outside Japan unless it’s part of a subscription box like this, making it a truly special experience. Each box always comes with a tea and a small piece of tableware, such as a tea cup. I’m a HUGE tea fan (I even design my own tea blends), so of course I chose Sakuraco!
The theme for this box is A Night of Sakura, in honor of yozakura, the Japanese tradition of viewing sakura (cherry blossoms) at night. The box is filled with 12 different snack items—some savory, some sweet. Most of them are sakura-flavored, which can be described as delicately floral and sweet. Some of the snacks are even made with real sakura blossoms or leaves.
But I’m sure you’re eager to hear about all the fun treats you can find in the box. Let’s get started!
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SAKURACO SNACK BOX: A REVIEW
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
First off, the box is beautiful. It’s a dusky plum color and decorated with pink cherry blossoms and gold leaves. Truly elegant. If someone gifted this to me, I would feel so special. The first thing you see when you open it is the included literature: a full-color booklet that gives details about the snacks and the history of yozakura, a card with traditional Japanese art and a note on the back from Sakuraco’s founder, and a promotional slip for 15% off your next order. Everything is color coordinated and beautiful, and as a major history nut, I loved learning more about Japan’s sakura traditions.
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WHAT’S INSIDE?
Sakura Cream Cookie
These thin, crisp sandwich cookies have delicately flavored sakura cream filling. The cookie texture and flavor is similar to a fortune cookie. I especially appreciated the sakura blossom design. My daughter loved these!
White Chocolate Strawberries
I love that the inside is a whole freeze dried strawberry. You get a distinct hit of that sweet-sour strawberry flavor, which balances the super sweet white chocolate.
Sakura Houten Tetra
Houten is a Japanese treat made by coating karinto (a crunchy snack made of flour, yeast, and brown sugar) in a thin candy coating. These were my favorite item in the box! The inside is nutty, crisp, and slightly sweet, and the outside has a flavor like cotton candy. It comes in three colors, and each color is a different flavor (plain sugar, strawberry, or matcha). Sooo good!
Sakura Mochi
I could easily eat an entire bag of these mochi if I didn’t stop myself. They are soft, delicately sweet, and have a faint sakura flavor. They were my husband’s favorite item in the whole box!
Cheese Arare
This was the first savory snack we tried, and it was my son’s favorite. It’s a cheesy, salty, delicate rice cracker with great umami flavor. My whole family loved these!
Cherry Blossom Yokan (and Sakura Glass)
Yokan is a dessert made with sweetened white bean paste. This version has real sakura leaves kneaded right into the paste, giving it a light botanical flavor. I’ll admit, I didn’t love this. I appreciate that it’s made using real sakura, but it has a saltiness I don’t enjoy.
The glass is a Sakuraco exclusive made in collaboration with Ishizuka Glass. I love the sakura motif!
Strawberry Manju
Manju is a baked milk bun filled with bean paste. The filling in this manju is blended with strawberry jam, which was delicious. I really enjoyed the milk bun, which reminded me of pound cake. My husband said it tasted like a strawberry fig newton!
Sakura Cashews
Strawberry Butter Senbei
These were so different from what I expected! It has a texture similar to a baby rice rusk but the flavor is complex and nuanced. The coating on the outside has a rich, buttery flavor, and the inside tastes of strawberry and is faintly sweet.
Shoyu Corn Puffs
My whole family loved these. They were my daughter’s favorite! They are light, crunchy corn puff snacks with a soy sauce flavored coating—salty, but not too salty. The soy sauce is distinct but not overpowering (plays well with the corn). I could easily eat an entire party-size bag.
Blueberry Hibiscus Tea
This is a custom tea blended especially for Sakuraco by the Maruyama Seicha tea company. The leaves smell like tart blueberries, and the brewed tea has a similar but slightly more herbal smell. The taste of the brewed tea is similar to the scent, except stronger. I noticed the tea pictured in the booklet brewed pink, but mine came out a light earthy green color. However, my water was hotter than the suggested temperature (80°C/176°F, which is well before a kettle whistles), so this may have affected the color.
Sakura Castella
We saved this one for last since it looked so good. It was the perfect final treat. This cake is kiln-baked and made with sugar-pickled sakura blossoms blended right into the batter. It has a light sakura flavor and a texture like angel food cake. Would be perfect for a tea party!
FINAL THOUGHTS
All in all, this was a really great experience. The word that kept coming to mind was “premium.” Every aspect of the box, from the design to the snacks inside, exudes pride of craftsmanship. All the items are high quality, and there’s a LOT in the box (12 different snack items, not counting the glass and included literature). Considering how much you get, I’m really impressed by the price: $37.50 for a monthly subscription, less if you sign up for the 3, 6, or 12 month subscriptions. I would easily pay $50 for this box!
I appreciate that the box’s theme highlights a specialty flavor that isn’t easy found in the States. I DO wish more of the items had a stronger sakura flavor, but from what I’ve read, it’s a delicate flavor by nature. This would make a perfect gift for someone who loves Asian food or new food experiences. I plan to order a box for my daughter’s godmother for Mother’s Day, since she loves to try new Asian snacks. I think she’ll love the cream cookies and castella cake!
Things Worth Noting:
- The box I reviewed here is available to order until April 15th, one week from today.
- Sakuraco boxes can be ordered as a single box or monthly subscription.
- Pricing: $37.50/1 month — $35.50/3 months — $33.50/6 months — $32.50/12 months
- Unfortunately, you can’t currently order past boxes. However, sometimes you can find individual items from past boxes on their sister site, JapanHaul.
- The booklet included with the box lists common allergens in each item and whether or not they are vegetarian friendly.
- Most of the snacks are made by small, family-owned businesses that don’t usually ship outside of Japan.
- All the items are shelf-stable, so if you’re planning to order for Mother’s Day, you can place the order now and save it.
- You get 2 packages of most of the smaller snacks—perfect for sharing!
ORDER HERE!
Use code SAKURA24
if ordering before April 15th
to get free sakura-inspired gifts added to your order.
(You can find details about the gifts here.)
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Thanks for joining me on this journey through sakura-inspired snacks!
I’ll be back on Thursday with another book-themed recipe. See you then!
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