WOWBOX are specialists in curating the best Japanese snack and candy box on the planet.
They work with select Japanese brands to make sure their boxes are full of authentic treats that are available in everyday Japan.
WOWBOX just launched two new Japanese snack subscription boxes.
A prefecture snack box that explores Japan’s local treats and a a new health & beauty subscription box that features snacks that cater to special dietary needs and promotes healthy eating.
Each box is especially curated, with each month sporting a different theme.- Vegan- Vegetarian- Gluten Free- Organic- Additive Free
We got our hands on a sample health & beauty box to check out and review. Is it any good? Worth the money? Should you buy one?
Keep reading to find out.
********** Special Deal **********
There’s a special going on right now! WOWBOX will give you bonus snacks added to your box with a coupon code.
- Sign up for their 1-month plan and get an extra 2-3 snacks. Also 5% off.
- Sign up for their 3 month plan and get an extra 5+ snacks. Also 5% off.
- Sign up for their 6 or 12 month plan and get 2+ premium large snacks. 6 mo = $25 off / 12mo = $60 off.
Use these coupon codes here
- 1 Month = Bonus1
- 3 Month = Bonus3
- 6 Month = Bonus6
- 12 Month = Bonus12
********** **********
WOWBOX uses DHL to ship their snack and candy boxes. I was SUPER surprised how little time it took to get this box from Japan to my home in Colorado.
It’s more than 6,000 miles!
When you order a box from WOWBOX they’ll update you on the shipping via text message and DHL will even text you asking if it’s okay to leave the box without requiring a signature.
With porch pirates on the rise stealing packages from doorsteps across the country, I wanted to be sure I received the box, so I didn’t reply to the text message. The nice DHL man knocked at my door and I got the box!
This service is definitely several tiers higher than mail sent via regular USPS.
Upon first inspection, the box was fine, no damages tears or obvious signs of crushing.
Upon first glance, there’s a couple of packages that look sort of like potato chips and would have been easily crushed. All the items were undamaged and in great condition.
I know I’ve already said this but…..6,000 miles!
#1 Nori Chips
Nori is the Japanese name for edible seaweed, it’s usually used to wrap sushi rolls, but it also makes a tasty snack when made into chips.
They’re crispy chips with a subtle tempura flavor that really brings out it’s ocean inspired flavors.
Japanese love to snack on these and it’s not out of the question for them to devour the entire bag in one go.
I just can’t place what these remind me of. They are crispy, salty with a touch of ocean on the aftertaste.
Hmm actually, I think I can identify it. The chip tastes like a regular flavor Pringle, but has a mild fishy/ocean aftertaste.
They look like they would be bold – with the seaweed covering each chip – but they aren’t.
I can see why these are popular, when you finish your first bite, there’s something that makes you want another one….and another.
#2 Chaya Butter Sand Chocolate
This is an interesting snack!
It’s vegan and doesn’t contain any white sugar, butter, milk or eggs.
Despite the things it doesn’t have – it really DOES have a lot going on inside the wrapper.
They’ve used gluten free rice flour as the base. It’s made from superfood golden berries, pistachios, and oranges and a butter that doesn’t use any dairy products.
Instead of normal white sugar, they’ve used mineral-rich date syrup, maple syrup, starch syrup and even salt from the Oku Noto sea.
That natural sweetness shines through, it’s amazing that no sugar was used.
I was really interested in this, sugar, butter and eggs are the staple of almost every candy bar in America. This is made purely out of plant based ingredients.
How does this one taste?
Different!
In the middle there are bits of dried orange that really add tang when you’re chewing and the frosting (not sure what else to call it!). It’s crumbly, maybe something you’d dunk and nibble?
The zesty orange stays on the tongue long after the bite is finished, but it does have an underlying sort of cookie-ness that you’d get 10 minutes after eating a sugar cookie, just with no sugar.
The ends of the bar is coated with sugar-free macrobiotic chocolate.
What’s macrobiotic chocolate?
It’s chocolate that’s made from locally grown whole grain cerals, pulses, veggies, edible seaweed, soy or fruit that’s been combined together. You might of heard of “Yin and Yang” – macrobiotic chocolate tries to balance the flavors for the optimum flavor.
This is a thick candy bar – one that’s healthy – and one you can feel good about eating.
#3 Lotus Root Chips
How a bag of chips can travel 6,000 and not have a single chip break is amazing!
These are a little different than your run of the mill chips you’d get at the grocery store. But exploring new flavors is why you want a Japan snack box right?
So what’s a Lotus root? Well, it’s the stem of the Lotus plant – a plant that grows underwater in the sea. It has beautiful pink and white flowers and almost all of it can be eaten.
For these chips, they’ve taken the stem and diced it into slices. They then lightly fry it in rice oil and sprinkle sea salt ontop.
These are probably the closest thing in Japan that resembles a US chip. They’re crunchy with a touch of salt, no real overpowering flavors.
When chewing them up, I did get a little plant kind of texture, so they’re not completely fried through like chips in the USA.
The brand that makes these chips (established in 1987) are committed to only using the three ingredients – root, oil and salt – and choose only the best roots of the Lotus plant.
The roots themselves are rich in fiber and vitamin C. The chips also contain other nutritional elements that are often found in plants.
The sea salt helps preserve the natural flavor and they’re a healthy snack to eat.
#4 Gohobi Strawberry & Grape Jelly
These are natural fruit jellies that have 1,000mg on marine collagen added to each one.
What’s collagen? Collagen helps strengthen the structure of the human body, so it helps with bones, tendons, ligaments and skin.
Marine collagen is derived from the skin or scales of fish.
To make their jellies as flavorful as possible, Gohobi immediately freezes the mashed fruit to lock in the sweetness.
The strawberry flavor uses Japan’s famous Amao strawberries – the “sweet killer” strawberries – from Fukuoka. The strawberries have a distinctive sweetness but also contain a slight acidity.
The grape flavor uses the Muscat Alexandre grape from Okayama. The grapes look like a green gem because of their fullness and the rich taste is unmatched.
So how do they taste?
Wow! I tried the grape jelly first. It’s so fresh, not at all the kind of grape available in the US.
So fresh tasting.
It’s an intense grape taste, with a sort of light buzzy taste ontop. It’s almost like a candy – imagine a Jolly Ranchers grape candy, with more fresh tasting grapey-ness.
Next, the strawberry jelly. This taste is milder than the grape jelly, but it has a plesant strawberry taste. It’s not as intense as, say, a Smuckers jelly, it’s more subtle.
You can actually see the bits of strawberries in the jelly.
As I’ve been reviewing these Japanese treats, I noticed that the strawberry flavor really coats the mouth and stays with you for a while after.
#5 Gobochi YUZUSCO
These are super popular in Japan with over half a million bags sold!
They’re made from the roots of the burdock plant, called gobo in Japan. They cover the roots in yuzu vinegar pepper hot sauce for a spicy kick. These are 100% pure, natural and additive free.
When I saw that these have vinegar hot sauce, I was hoping I wouldn’t burn my tongue!
They aren’t that spicy – they have a mild zing, but mostly I found them bland with a sprinkle of salt.
You can tell there’s plant in it.
Normal chips crunch – these do crunch, but also have a plant texture (because they are roots!)
I almost got an olive sort of aftertaste from these.
#6 “Beauty” Marshmallow Candies
Ok, so I had a bit of a difficulty trying to identify what exactly these are and do.
The marshmallow candies contain 10 billion enzymes that help combat lactic acid in each bag.
The benefit of this is that they activate the immune cells of the intestines, improve the skin and improve the bodies overall immunity.
Let’s see if the back of the package gives us any more clues..
Hmm, so not much to tell us there! Google didn’t help either.
From what I can make out, I think this is a holistic snack that can benefit the body top to bottom, specifically the skin and immune system.
Correct me if I’m wrong though!
What does it taste like?
It’s like a vanilla explosion. On the review of WOWBOX’s Prefecture box, they had marshmallows that looked identical to these, except they have chocolate inside.
These ones weren’t filled with anything, but they have a rich, vanilla taste and are done in two bites if you make it last!
OH! I just figured out what they taste like! It’s got hints of coconut in there. It’s JUST like the aroma you get from Banana Boat sun tan cream. Like a sweet, vanilla coconut yummy-ness.
I know sun tan cream doesn’t sound that appetizing, but you know how rich it smells? Put that in a marshmallow with health benefits and you’ve got these!
Round Up
Every single item in WOWBOX’s health and beauty box was an adventure. Even trying to decipher the packaging is an adventure (look at the item above!).
All the items arrived in perfect condition – even though there were items that are susceptible to easily being crushed like the Lotus root chips and Burdock chips.
Before I was aware that this kind of subscription box existed, I knew that Japan had some cool snacks that we’ve never seen in this side of the world.
I didn’t know Japan had a range of snacks that were specifically made to be healthy or conform to specific dietary needs.
The variety of snacks was great – from savory and salty, to chocolatey and sweet – the selection gave me an experience that I can’t get anywhere else.
One thing I would of loved to see in the boxes is a card explaining what everything is. WOWBOX has a page on their website for each month’s box, but having a card or note inside the box that describes what each one is would of been good.
I felt the overall quality of the items were definitely premium. They’re full size and don’t skimp. Having some items that were completely foreign to me – I can’t even read the name of them – was really fun.
It throws you out of your comfort zone, even for just a few bites. When was the last time you had the opportunity to try something from a land 6,000 miles away?
The health and beauty box from WOWBOX is a well curated Japanese snack box that does exactly what I had hoped it would do….it let me go on a mini adventure to another country right in my own home.
If you take into account the time looking over all the awesome Japanese packaging, the excitement of wondering what the first bite will be like, the sharing of the snacks between you and your family – you’re buying an experience from WOWBOX, not just a box full or random snacks.
For a Japan snack experience, you can’t go wrong with WOWBOX. Check it out on the WOWBOX website. Get yours for $52.
