Japanese snack specialists WOWBOX have curated an exclusive collection of Japanese treats and can deliver it (almost) anywhere in the word to your doorstep.
WOWBOX sent Subscription-Box their February 2021 valentines day prefecture box. It’s a perfect gift to give to your valentine if they love to travel or love to try new foods.
This is an amazing opportunity to transport your taste buds to another country and experience flavor and ingredient combinations you’ve probably never even thought of.
The box has snacks that they’ll almost definitely love – soft chocolate, strawberry yogurt treats and pure lemon cakes, but also snacks they’ve never heard of like Soy Milk Okaki & Camembert Black Pepper chips or Mozuku Ikaajiten, a crazy mashup of Mexican tacos and Japanese cuisine.
And don’t worry about long shipping times, it only took four days for the box I’m reviewing today to travel from Japan to the USA! That’s 5,800 miles!
Don’t be boring this valentines day. A rose is nice, but a box stuffed full of international snacks and treats is much better!
So, let’s dig in. What’s in store?
1. Cafe Marche Soft Chocolate
Fukuoka prefecture
I’ve had the opportunity to review a few of WOWBOX’s awesome Japan snack boxes and even the items that sound like something you’d be familiar with (chocolate) rarely turn out to be anything but similar.
These are soft chocolate bites with a cream filling. They have a rich cocoa-y aroma that’s almost like a creamy hot chocolate drink.
If you love dark chocolate, these are for YOU.
They are pretty much like rich truffles – you know when you bite into one and it has that dark creamy center? It’s like that, except it’s ALL the center of the truffle.
I know the photo above showing the inside of the chocolate isn’t especially appetizing, but it’s soft truffle chocolate. That’s what it is. It’s YUM.
I’ve noticed that Japanese snacks really doesn’t taste of anything artificial – I can’t read the ingredients to confirm – but the chocolate tastes like real cocoa and the taste you get stays as rich and dark as the first bite long after you’re finished chewing. No weird sweet artificial anything, just damn good chocolate.
Oh and the box has a slogan on the front that I 100% believe in…
Baked chocolate cakes make your coffee time more delicious!
Amen to that! Absolutely yummy.
2. Setoda Lemon Buns
Hiroshima Prefecture
Japan is so amazing at incorporating the freshest tasting fruits into their snacks.
They’ve absolutely nailed strawberry and lemon snacks and these lemon buns from Setoda, in the Hiroshima prefecture, are the prefect example.
The lemon buns were created by a pastry chef called Ryuzo Okumoto. He wanted to make a snack that was healthy and took advantage of the top class lemons from the town of Setoda.
The lemons from Setoda are so sweet that they can be eaten with the skin still on. Setoda is Japan’s largest producer of lemons and the cultivation techniques have been passed down from generation to generation for over a century.
To get the maximum flavor of the Setoda lemons, the juice is kneaded into the dough so it’s completely saturated with the unmistakable sweet lemon flavor.
This is really something you have to try.
3. Mozuku Ikaajiten
Hiroshima Prefecture
I love how WOWBOX includes items that are familiar – like the chocolate and lemon snacks – but then they include items like this where it’s fun simply trying to identify what in the world is inside!
Mozuku is a mineral rich sea weed that grows readily in Okinawa, Japan. Farmers grow and process the sea weed, selling it to factories that incorporate it into snacks just like the one above.
I tried to identify Ikaajiten…but didn’t find a translation. Do you know?
Some how the Japanese managed to take some Mexican style tacos (and the spicy heat that sometimes goes with it) and made it into a Japanese snack by adding rice and Mozuku (sea weed).
The result is this! A Japanese street taco spicy rice snack.
What do they taste like?
Ok, you’re going to have to bear with me here.
It’s got some deep flavors – spices – saffron, cumin – some mild heat too. They’re salty and have this fried taste that’s like an onion ring or fish and chips. Then there’s this spicy tomato-y thing going on. You can taste the seaweed – it’s got a faint ocean taste – but the overall combination of flavors are complex.
The heat is mild, so don’t be worried! You have to try these.
4. Feve Soy Milk Okaki & Camembert Black Pepper Snacks
(Tokyo Prefecture)
Camembert cheese is popular in Japan, and the creators of this healthy snack decided to use it in these Feve Soy Milk Okaki & Camembert Black Pepper treats.
They add soy milk to crispy fragrant fried rice cakes and then incorporate Camembert cheese and black pepper for flavor.
The popular Japanese burdock chips are used as an accompaniment.
What does it taste like?
The rice cakes are like popcorn, but denser. They have a pleasant savory taste and the salt keeps you coming back for one more.
Adding the burdock chips gives the snack mix some texture variety. Good for snacking on during an football game or movie!
These snacks can be found in the Tokyo prefecture – the capital of Japan.
5. Feve Peanut & Strawberry Milk
Confectioners Feve make all sorts of snacks and often have combinations like these that are totally unique and delicious.
These are crispy peanuts, coated with a sort of strawberry yogurt powder and served with dried cranberries.
Famous Japanese chef Hironobu Tsujiguchi created this mix and it’s been a hit with Japanese locals.
The strawberry and peanut combo isn’t something that’s often seen in the USA. Japan makes fruit snacks incredibly well and they’re experts in maximizing the fruit flavors in all their foods.
Love the packaging!
6. Jaga Butter
Gifu Prefecture
Jaga-Batta…or butter potato in English – In their simplest form, these are locally sourced crispy Japanese rice puffs, sprinkled with potato powder and salt.
They’re meant for snacking and are super, super crunchy! Each bite tastes like it has a mixture of savory seasonings with a buttery note.
There are plenty of these snacks included, so it’s easy to share with your friends and family so they can experience Japanese snacks too. Waiting for their reaction to tasting the different snacks is fun!
the Japanese also enjoy Jaga Butter in soups too. I can see how the crispy puffs could work quite well soaking up the soup.
It’s quite unique and something you should check out, there’s no better way to explain it really. Try them.
Round Up
I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing a few WOWBOX snack boxes and they always include high quality snacks. They’re always full size, premium treats and each one is an adventure for your taste buds.
It’s not something you just experience once and it’s done.
There are enough snacks included where you can easily share it with your friends and family. When you discover a snack that you LOVE, you’ll have extra to enjoy again.
For Valentines day, this WOWBOX would make a great gift.
Get it for someone you care about and they’ll have an experience that they haven’t had before. It has adventure, discovery, new flavors and tastes and they’ll learn about how a different culture at the other side of Earth eats.
The prefecture boxes from WOWBOX are a great way to experience Japan. There are so many different local foods, that making a general “Japan” snack box is just too vague.
It’s a different world than the US and that’s what you’re getting inside a WOWBOX.
You can subscribe to WOWBOX – or just get a one off box – by going to their website here. It’s currently on sale for $47, usually $55. Shipping is free to most countries!
