WOWBOX specializes in delivering high quality authentic and local Japanese snacks in a curated monthly subscription box.
WOWBOX currently has four different Japanese snack boxes:
- Health & Beauty Box
- Prefecture Box
- Original Box
- Trial Tasting Box
We got our hands on their January 2021 health & beauty box to check out.
The box I’ll review is WOWBOX’s Health & Beauty Box.
This box is especially curated to showcase the snacks in Japan that benefit your body and are full of good vitamins and minerals.
Let’s dive in.
Macrobiotic Ginger & Chia Seed Granola
These ginger and chia seed granola bites are from the Kanagawa Prefecture.
A prefecture is sort of similar to a county in the United States, but each prefecture in Japan has it’s own government and local snacks like these.
The bite sized granola pieces have superfood chia seeds which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids – essential for maintaining brain health.
No dairy products, eggs or white sugar were used to make the granola bites and they are also gluten and additive free.
Locally sourced rice four is a main ingredient.
What do they taste like?
They’ve got a crunch like a cookie, but there’s a warmness from the ginger and classic oaty taste from the granola.
Very snackable. The ginger seems to become more pronounced even after you’re done chewing.
It’s a plesant taste and the resealable bag is perfect for grabbing a couple of bites and sealing it back up so they stay fresh.
For having zero dairy products and now white sugar, they’re still rich and flavorful and manage to have a cereal-y sweetness that lingers.
10 Types of Vegetable Cracker
No less than 10 vegetables are kneaded into the dough when the crackers are being made and the crackers have no added flavoring or coloring. Just 100% natural.
What do they taste like?
They’re really flavorful – an immediate garlic and herby taste. Not too salty – something I was wondering – and not too dull and plain. They’ve got some nice flavors and don’t get too rich.
The individual packs make it easy to grab one and nibble away, while keeping the others fresh. I can definitely see this being added to a lunch bag for a healthy snack. 10 vegetables!
Shrimp Senbei Camembert & Avocado
These snacks are found in the Gifu Prefecture of Japan.
There are different combinations of ingredients – sort of like how there are different flavors of potato chips at the grocery store in the US – but the crackers are made the same way.
These are Shrimp Senbei, Camembert and Avocado flavor.
What is Shrimp Senbei?
Senbei is a type of Japanese rice cracker, in this case, it’s a rice cracker with shrimp flavor. It’s a Japanese tradition to give these snacks to house guests when they visit.
What is Camembert?
Camembert is a soft, creamy cow’s milk cheese
The cracker also has garlic and black pepper for extra taste.
It’s made in a shop that’s been making senbei for over 38 years. All they do is rice crackers and are known for creating new and exciting flavors.
What does it taste like?
Wow, talk about BOLD robust flavor. Like super, super HELLO FLAVOR.
You can definietly taste the avocado in the rice cracker. The Camembert cheese is super creamy and works with the avocado well.
It was very bold flavor, much bolder than the 10 vegetable crackers.
Hello Kitty Millet Biscuit
These Hello Kitty biscuits – similar to crackers in the US – are from the Kochi Prefecture.
A long standing 100 year old baked snack company in Japan teamed up with the Hello Kitty brand to create these cute and delicious crackers.
They have a salty and sweet taste that keeps you going back for one more.
How Do They Taste?
Think animal crackers with a little less sweetness and a little more salt. They’re more-ish and great for a healthy snack any time. Crackers like these have been made for over a hundred years and they’re extremely popular in Japan.
Feve Cashew & Wasabi Soy Sauce
There are so many layers happening in this healthy snack.
Just opening the bag and sticking your nose in is an experience all to it’s self.
These are cashew nuts that are seasoned with bold wasabi soy sauce. Cashews are low in sugar and rich in fiber, heart healthy fats and even protein. They’re also good for snacking on when dieting or a boost of energy if you’re tired.
I bet you’ve never seen a Wasabi plant before?
How Do they Tate?
I was expecting these to be HOT HOT HOT. I mean, wasabi helllo?
They are okay! The cashews have a little heat – you can feel it on the back of your throat, but the creaminess from the cashew helps balance it out.
The soy sauce adds a nice savory flavor to the mix. It’s a great combination that works well and keeps you coming back for just one more.
Feve Fava Beans & Shrimp Paprika
Also from the Tokyo Prefecture, these healthy snacks are made with fava beans and tossed with a shrimp-paprika powder and spices.
Fava beans are great for your body, they have tons of vitamin B2 – also known as the beauty vitamin.
How Do They Taste?
Wow, lots of flavors with deep ocean-y notes. Not fishy – just more like ocean..y. They are definitely very savory and the paprika adds a nice spice to the mix, but it doesn’t add heat like the wasabi did.
The green pepper looking thing in the photo above is an Ocra.
Macrobi Butter Sand Maple Rum Rasins
From the Kanagawa Prefecture, this is a snack bar thats great for your body and great tasting too! It’s the newest flavor to be released by CHAYA for the Winter 2020 season.
What is macrobiotic?
Macrobiotics is a type of diet that doesn’t allow meat, dairy, and most other animal products, certain fruits and veggies, and some common drinks.
It supposedly tries to balance the ying and yang elements of food.
The main foods are things like grains, locally grown fresh veggies – including sea veggies – and beans.
This healthy snack bar from CHAYA has rum raisins that have been sandwiched between gluten-free cookie dough. It’s also made with maple syrup, rice and soybean flour.
The butter is made from plant based ingredients – no dairy – so they use cocoa butter instead.
What Did It Taste Like?
There’s a nice buttery-ness to the biscuit. The cookie part almost has a shortbread texture and then mellows into a dough kind of taste.
The raisins are flavorful and work well with the coco butter cream. You can tell there isn’t any dairy, but CHAYA did a good job of using plant based ingredients to make a healthy snack bar.
Round Up & Final Thoughts
WOWBOX has really gone a step further than just adding any Japanese snacks in a box – they’re curating a special subscription box that focuses on healthy, natural superfoods.
There’s no way you would be able to replicate this experience without actually going to Japan – 6,000 miles away!
Being able to try locally sourced sweet and savory snacks is an adventure.
It’s nothing like trying something new at your own neighborhood grocery store – you can read the text on the packaging there!
It’s also probably not going to be made from locally sourced ingredients either.
This box would make an awesome gift – its completely unique and nothing like they would of experienced before. Maybe they love to travel and haven’t been able to because of the COVID pandemic?
Gift them this and they can have a mini-vacation right in their own home.
You can find out more information about this box and see all the different subscription options WOWBOX offers on their health & beauty box page here
