It was a few years ago that I discovered Japanese food while out on a date. Together with my partner, we visited a restaurant that allows customers to only consume traditional snacks. We took our plates and headed to the serving area where we had a lot of fun choosing our traditional snacks.
Since we had such a good experience, we’ve asked the waiter if they do home delivery as the snacks were delicious and so different from what we could enjoy in other restaurants. But he said they don’t do home deliveries.
I then made some research and found Bokksu. Its s box subscription service which sends clients new Japanese snacks every month. It was exactly what we were looking for. One of the best parts of his service is that I still get to have fun with my partner experiencing these traditional snacks.
New snacks arrive at our home every month. We mostly open them up together while watching a movie. But I’ve also taken a couple of them to work where everybody asked where to get them.
Bokksu Features
The Boxes
As noted above, there are 2 types of boxes you can choose. Each month, the company sends out either a box with 10-14 snacks or a larger option with 20-25 snacks. These snacks are never the same.
Based on various parts of Japanese culture, they represent different areas of the country. For me, it’s the appeal of having these snacks made right in Japan which seems to draw me in the most.
Inside these boxes, you also get a detailed book on what each snack represents. Since I’ve been getting these boxes for over a year, I already have a few favorites.
Among them, the white strawberry glazed in sugar and spice, the Moroccan Dango Mochi and the Matcha chocolate stick cake are the ones that I keep talking about the most.
My partner likes these sweet treats but not as much as the salty snacks. Her favorites include mini Shiruko Sando red bean crackers, black sesame taiko, and Gudetama golden pack Tamago cake with Gohan flavor.
Each set of these snacks arrives in a beautiful design which is different every month. It’s almost as unwrapping a gift. But since there’s new packaging to admire, you feel it’s your birthday every month.
How It Works
You can place an order for any box subscription plan. Once the boxes have been shipped out, it takes around 5 days for them to arrive in your country.
If you’re planning to offer the box as a gift, there’s a box for this as well. You will not see the box in person yourself as it ships out to the person you want to surprise directly.
Placing an order is simple. You can get 1 box under the 1-month subscription plan. But then you can also choose the 3-months plan which offers a bit more variety and you’ll start to understand the entire system a bit better.
I’d recommend the 12-months plan to those seeking to share their snacks with friends, family or at work. You’re going to get a lot of snacks. I can tell you that you can’t eat them all in a few sittings.
Themes
Each month is characterized by a different theme as the snacks are not just randomly picked by the company. Among last year’s favorites, the Snowy Hokkaido and Autumn in Kyoto were impressive.
Snowy Hokkaido was an interesting choice as it only selected snacks to consume during wintertime. They included fried butter corn with soy sauce flavor. But the Sencha tea inside was also a bit different from anything I’ve experienced to that moment in terms of hot drinks.
Some of the previous boxes are still listed on the website. You can try them out on your own. There’s a search box on the website if you want to see how some of these snacks look as they’re probably different from what you’re used to at the moment.
Community
Most of these boxes are best experienced while sharing with others. But it’s going to be a permanent negotiation with your kids or partner as no 2 snacks in the box are the same. You’ll have to negotiate on which snacks you want to trade.
If you’re considering the box as a gift, feel free to check out the community section of the website. You’ll see users enjoying their boxes and having fun trying out different snacks. You can also take part in the community page by sending a photo of while you’re enjoying the delicious treats.
Promos
The subscription service is different from most other similar options from the Eastern country. It includes artisanal snacks sourced directly from the manufacturer. Other Japanese boxes are simply choosing the snacks which can be found in any supermarket around the country.
But apart from the box’s originality, you can also benefit from a few promotions. For example, you get free express shipping when you place an order of at least $199. This allows you to enjoy the snacks a bit faster than others.
A 15% discount also applies to bulk purchases. When you get more than 12 of the same product, you can apply this discount at checkout.
Gift cards are also available. $25, $50, $75, and $100 digital gift cards can be purchased online. They are sent directly to an email address and they can be used as a gift to any selection of artisanal Japanese snacks.
When you choose one of the 3-months or 12-months subscription plan, you also get a few other perks. For example, you can benefit from member-exclusive discounts. You may purchase your future snacks at a lower rate.
These types of discounts are particularly useful for corporate clients. If your office is ordering such boxes every month, you can all spend less if ordering under one account, as members of the subscription plan.
But even when ordering on your own, you will still start to pay less in time. These discounts apply to all customers and you may even find your favorite sweet or salty snacks at a discounted price.
Pros
Cons
Final Verdict
You can pay for these subscription plans with VISA, Mastercard or American Express. If you’re not from the US, you may also pay with PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
But most importantly, you can experience the snacks anywhere around the world. You will get them by courier and you can enjoy these snacks with their unique packaging in your own home. To get the full immersive cultural experience, you’ll need to read the book describing each snack.
If you want to try out the snacks yourself, feel free to go online and choose the 1-month subscription plan. It sends you one box for you to sample before committing to a long-term subscription alternative.
