Top 5 Japanese Snack and Candy Subscription Boxes

Imagine a life where $12-$35 can feed a needy mouth (yours) with an assortment of Japanese candies and snacks each month.

It’s not a fantasy, and this can be your reality.

The TOP 5 Snack and Candy Boxes (the Adderall version)

If you’re like me, before I buy/subscribe to a service, I pop-open multiple tabs, do background checks on the business, find out who’s dating who in their office (ok, I lie, I don’t do this), find out where they’re located, look up their web traffic, to any other dirt I can find on them before I buy (I get all NSA on them). If that’s you, don’t worry, I got you covered because I’m sharing everything I researched and learned about these companies.

Which Subscription Box Reigns Supreme?

Posted in alphabetical order because all these companies offer something that the others do not, so there isn’t an absolute number one amongst them, well that I can discern from. Although there is a favorite, but I cannot say which one because it will make the others jealous, and “the best” or “top” Japanese candy and snack subscription box is purely subjective. That’s why I am providing my research (where they operate out of, their social media presence, etc.) to help you find the one that best matches your criteria.

Way Back in the Day… You Know, Back in 2016/Mid 2017

Below is the top five most popular Japanese subscription boxes on the market as of late 2016 (back when the Chainsmokers “Closer” was topping the charts).

1 Japan Candy Box

• Who: Established in 2002, the Kawaii Group out of Hong Kong has been doing this for quite some time, so they’re not noobs to the game. Their motto is “even the smallest amount of cuteness can provide a huge boost of joy and happiness to your everyday life. Just remember to stay kawaii!”
• Their Pitch: The sweetest monthly Japanese candy subscription box.
• How Much Does it Cost:
  • 1-month starts at $19.90 a month.
  • 3-months for $19.90 a month.
  • 6-months for $18.90 a month (most popular)
  • 1-year plan for $18.20 a month.
• How I See It: The site may look straightforward, but they do have a ton of ways to engage their brand with an expansive social media network: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube, Tumblr, and Instagram. If that doesn’t exemplify how how actively engaged they are, they also have an Affiliate Program that provides banners and logos to make things easy on anybody wanting promote them. This goes for bloggers and YouTubers with a Reviewer of the Month program to incentivize you.
• Instagram:  37.1k followers, @japancandybox
• Website: http://www.japancandybox.com
• Web Traffic
  • Feb-April of 2017: approximately 153K visitors
  • May-July of 2017: approximately 437k visitors

Random YouTube Video
YouTuber Sharmander: JAPAN CANDY BOX ☆ Monthly Surprise Japanese Snack Subscription Review | April 2016 Box

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2 Japan Crate

• Who: Established in 2014, Hank Rao is the founder, and they are based out of the SF Bay Area. He and his team not only run Japan Crate, but several sub-brands which include Doki Doki (kawaii care package), Umai Crate (udon, yakisoba, spaghetti, soba, ramen, and more), and Sugoi Crate (cool stuff like Gundam figures to a Link hoodie).
• Their Pitch: Get crazy & exclusive Japanese candy monthly. Experience the excitement of Japan every month through fun candy and snacks.
• How Much Does it Cost:
  • $12 a month for the mini
  • $25 a month for the original
  • $30 a month for the premium (best value!)
• How I See It: Probably one of my favorite sites out of the bunch because it’s one of the easiest to use and to get to know the product. Beyond their website, their digital footprint seems to be everywhere on YouTube with their use of brand influencers which isn’t a bad thing. If you’re an anime fan and subscriber to Crunchyroll, they recently had a partnership with them which involved giving away 250 crates at the Crunchyroll Anime Expo stage and booth. Also, on the customer service side, it sucks (from a recent experience).
• Instagram: 85k followers, @japancrate #japancrate #dokidokicrate #umaicrate
• Website: http://japancrate.com/
• Web Traffic
  • Feb-April of 2017: approximately 1.5 million…wuhhhh!?!?
  • May-July of 2017: approximately 1.9 million
• Random YouTube Video
• YouTuber Evan TubeRAW: “Japanese Candy Taste Test!!! Japan Crate Snack Box Surprise!”

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3 Skoshbox

• Who: Not a whole lot on the group, the team, or the person behind this business other than that they’re owned and operated by a Japanese team running out of Tokyo and LA.
• Their Pitch: Japanese snacks delivered monthly. Skoshbox is the original monthly box service for candy from Japan!
• How Much Does it Cost:
  • $12 to $120 (blue box), the skoshbox (4-5 snacks)
  • $24 to $240 (yellow box), the dekabox (8-10 snacks +optional mystery item)
  • $35 to $385 (red box), the Japan box (1-14 items with 2 mystery toys!)
• How I See It: The UX (User Experience) on their website seems a little more refined, but I’m not big on the visual design although that, of course, is a personal preference. The things that do matter for all is that they are probably one of the few sites to provide a relatively comprehensive listing of many of the items they may include in their boxes from candies, characters, chocolate, cookies, snacks, and accessories. One other highlight is their Instagram account which has some amusing captions.
• Instagram: 14.9k followers, @skoshbox, #skoshbox
• Website: https://www.skoshbox.com/
• Web Traffic:
  • Feb-April of 2017: approximately 106K visitors
  • May-July of 2017: approximately 110k visitors
• Random YouTube Video
• YouTuber Juss.Erin: “Americans Try Japanese Snacks! | Skoshbox”

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4 Snakku

• Who: Shigeki is the founder of Snakku, and he was born in Tokyo, Japan although he grew up in NYC.
• Their Pitch: Snakku is the only Japanese snack subscription box that gets its products directly from local snack makers in Japan. You’re also purchasing authentic Japanese items that are only available in Japan from some vendors who have been around for 100+ years.
• How Much Does it Cost:
  • 1 month starts at $38.95
  • 3 months for $115.50 (sale, originally $116.85)
  • 6 months for $227.70 (sale, originally $233.70).
• How I See It: This site looks more sophisticated compared with all the others, so it definitely seems like it’s geared towards a more discerning or higher-end crowd. The type of customer not seeking Pocky and Shrimp Flavored Chips because their focus is looking to be more like traditional (wagashi) confectionaries from senbei, real gold-covered hand-made ginger crackers from Kanazawa, and regional snacks from Hokkaido. They seem to be one of the few that are offering up this level of product, and the only downside is that they only offer free shipping to subscriptions within the USA.
• Instagram: 12.7k followers, @snakku
• Website: http://www.snakku.com/
• Web Traffic
  • Feb-April of 2017: approximately 69K visitors
  • May-July of 2017: approximately 138K visitors
• Random YouTube Video
• YouTuber Reina Scully: “What are Japanese Traditional Candies? Mukbang Snakku Time!”

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5 Tokyo Treat

• Who: Ayumi is the founder of the website/business, and she is operating out of Tokyo with her crew in Japan.
• Their Pitch: Headquartered in Tokyo, they offer up full-sized candies (not sample-sized) and limited edition and seasonal snacks with free shipping worldwide. When it comes to their non-Japanese competitors, since they are not physically in Japan, they have to go through their local importers which can only procure the overseas or outdated editions of the snacks.
• How Much Does it Cost:
  • $14.99, small
  • $24.99 regular
  • $34.99, premium
• How I See It: This seems like one of the top box companies because of their expansive shipping capabilities (“free shipping globally,” wuuhh?!) and distribution channel management. This company doesn’t appear to be slacking when it comes to community involvement either, and any company that is actively communicating all these facets is probably making a concerted effort on all fronts. Such as from customer service to stay connected to their markets globally even if they are located in Japan (plus, how cool is that their office is next to Tokyo Tower, ’nuff said).
• Instagram: 45k followers, @tokyotreat
• Website: https://tokyotreat.com
• Web Traffic:
  • Feb-April of 2017: approximately 1.3 million…not too shabby.
  • May-July of 2017: approximately 2.5 milliin (the dominator)
• Random YouTube Video
• YouTuber Karina Garcia: “TRYING JAPANESE CANDY! Tokyo Treat Taste Test!”.

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Conclusion

So that’s the list, and I hope it helps, but if you have a suggestion or are wondering how a company you’re interested in stacks up (but isn’t listed), drop me a message and let me know. I just might be able to add them to a future list.