Updated November 20th, 2020, September 1st, 2021, and January 2022.
You can not go wrong if several thousand others are choosing the same Japanese candy subscription box (unless they are making poor choices like lemmings going off a cliff).
Except these are not lemmings, and they are our fellow candy and snack love’n compatriots. So what better way to find the most popular Japanese snack box subscription company but by their approximate monthly web traffic. All of which I intend on providing you without you having to learn the tools. Tools that digital marketing/SEO professionals use.
Yea, I’m ranking everybody based on popularity, like a popularity contest (feels so high school, except there is no emo clique)
Psssss… the three most popular are 1. Bokksu.com, 2. TokyoTreat.com and 3. JapanCrate.com
Below are nine of the “most popular” Japanese subscription boxes for candy and snacks by their approximate monthly site traffic. I could tell you that I am ranking these subscriptions services based on them being “the best,” but I would BS’ng you, which is why I am doing it on-site traffic. Beyond this approach, if I had access to all their financials, I might add an additional layer of insight, except that’s not happening.
I Googled “Japanese Candy and Snack Box” and Here Are My Results (My Research Spanning 16-Months)
“Japanese snack box” is fiercely competitive (10k-100k), but the results here are “Japanese candy and snack box” which only garner 10-100 avg. monthly searches. The results start with the ads: Bokksu.com, TokyoTreat.com, JapanCrate.com, although the search results are as follows:
Aside from word of mouth, most of you/us will decide on a subscription service either through Google.com or YouTube.com (both are considered search engines, and they are the two largest in the world).
September 2020
- JapanCandyBox.com
- TokyoTreat.com
- Amazon.com
- JapanCrate.com
- Bokksu.com
November 2021
- JapanCandyBox.com
- Amazon.com
- TokyoTreat.com (x2)
- JapanCandyStore.com
- Blippo.com (same company as JapanCandyBox.com)
NOTES: A year later, Amazon is now in the 2nd place spot with one-time purchase options and typically comes bagged (vs. monthly subscription) by KN design (apt 401), SushiCandy (Sunrise Nature Co), UFOJapan (Adaptrend), to Chinese and Korean product offerings mixed in. Amazon bumped Tokyo Treat, but TT comes up twice intermingled with a number of top 10 lists. Everything else has not changed much, but there is the new site, Blippo which is owned and operated by JapanCandyBox.com. Also Bokksu, TokyoTreat, Sayweee (a new contender popping up everywhere), and Japancrate are still at it with their ads.
- Tokyo Treat vs. Bokksu: Which is the Best Japanese Snack Box? This one is amusing because it is as if I had a Tinder blog post like Greg vs. “other dude you are considering.”
- Tokyo Treat: Japanese Candy & Snacks Subscription Box: This ranking is off their actual website.
Wuh, two bloggers, AuthenticFoodQuest.com and Mai-ko.com, made the top 5 Google search in 2022 (congrats) for “Japanese candy and snack subscription.”
January 2022
- Japancandybox.com
- TokyoTreat.com
- Amazon.com
- Authenticfoodquest.com
- Mai-ko.com
NOTES: “Mai-ko” is a Japanse tea ceremony and geisha experience, that’s a surprise for a website to have a list of “10 Best Sweets Subscription Boxes from Japan.”
JapanCandyBox.com always ranks 1st on Google, but for overall site traffic they only rank in 4th place (that goes to show how much hustle the 3 leaders are doing elsewhere to drive traffic and business).
The Transparent Criteria to Help You Select the Right Subscription Box (Along With My Critique of Other Lists)
You can go through the criteria, or you can just buy the most popular Japanese subscription box. That would be the easiest way although there are so many companies to choose from which is why I am going to provide you with a few stats/data that I use to determine which one I would chose (I won’t tell you which one I personally like, not because I’m trying to be a dick, but just to be fair in this post).
How could you trust any other “top 7-8 Japanese subscription box” listing when they never divulge how they arrived at their ranking? Are they just listing a bunch and having you choose?
The Ranking Criteria:
- Product shot courtesy of each snack box company.
- Approximate monthly site traffic via SEO tools
- Approximate monthly SEO clicks via SEO tools
- Approximate monthly subscription cost.
How could you trust any other top 7-8 Japanese subscription listing when they never divulge how they arrived at their ranking? Are they motivated by affiliate kick-backs (I get them from two of the listings which are TokyoTreat and JapanCandyBox, but the payouts are not enough for me to be biased – I mean if they want to throw me a Super 73, I will blatantly be biased, but you will know) or being paid directly for their rankings? Only they know, but here are the two companies that rank high, check them out, and let me know what you think:
- AuthenticFoodQuest.com, here we have Claire (and Rosemary), a blogger, and a “culinary food explorer.” The listing here is all the usual suspects.
- MySubscriptionAddiction, out of the two, I like this site design a whole lot more, it’s easier to extract the information out (a visual hierarchy). This is also the smartest of the two listings, they have crafted these articles (yea, I’m impressed, and I suggest you check this site out).
The 9 8 Most Popular Japanese Subscription Boxes Based on Web Traffic as of Sept 2020 to Jan 2022
Seeing the data over a year and four-month period is interesting. Because out of all the companies to look like they are continuing to massively dominate over everybody, that would be Bokksu (#1). with TokyoTreat, and JapanCrate a distant 2nd and 3rd place finish. The company that deserves a participation trophy is
The numbers should be taken with a grain of salt (they are only meant to give you a rough estimate as to where they stand).Wowbox.
| COMPANY | SEPT ’20 | NOV ’21 | JAN ’22 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bokksu | 46.6k (#1) | 110k doubled (wow) | 119k (#1) |
| Candy Japan | 10.3k (#4) | 3.9k decreased | 2.9k (#7) |
| Japan Candy Box | 4.15k (#5) | 8.2k doubled | 9.4k (#4) |
| Japan Crate | 19.7k (#3) | 33k, approx. a 65% increase | 35k (#3) |
| My Japan Box | 357 (#8) | 4.7k, massive increase | 5.7k (#5) |
| Snakku | 3.96k (#6) | 4.3k stable | 3.2k (#6) |
| Tokyo Treat | 20.6k (#2) | 46.7k doubled | 55k (#2) |
| Umai Box | 675 (#7) | 1.6k massive increase | 1.6k (#8) |
Box | Out of business participation trophy | N/A |
UPDATED: The original order was the initial ranking for site traffic although the follow-up is the estimated site traffic stats as noted on 9/21/2020 (only the above table reflects the 2021 and 2022 stats/ranking).
1. Tokyo Treat
Coming out of and operating in Tokyo, Japan, Tokyo Treat is the subscription box with all your favorite snacks and candy from Pretzels, Glica, Milky, Pocky KitKat, Pokemon, Meiji, Hi-chew, Collon, Puccho, and more.
FYI, don’t call me a sell-out, and I swear I am unbiased, but I am part of TT’s affiliate program.
Ayumi is the founder of the website/business, and she is operating out of Tokyo with her crew in Japan. So that backdrop of Tokyo Tower or high school girls are not photoshopped, they’re the real thing.
- TokyoTreat.com
- Instagram/TokyoTreat (292k followers)
- 438,601 approximate monthly visits.
- 20.6k est monthly SEO clicks
- #2 IN SITE TRAFFIC AS OF SEPT 2020
- Prices range from $15-35 a month.
3-Monthly Plans
| Small | Regular | Premium |
| $14.99 | $24.99 | $34.99 |
2. Japan Crate
This SF Bay Area based company specializes not only in candy/snack boxes, but they also offer up a number of other subscription boxes: Doki Doki, Umai Box, Gacha Gacha, and Inku.
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).
- JapanCrate.com
- Instagram.com/JapanCrate (315k)
- 189,241 approximate monthly visits.
- 19.7k est monthly SEO clicks
- #3 IN SITE TRAFFIC AS OF SEPT 2020
- Prices range from $12, $25, $35.95, to $49.95 a month.
3-Monthly Plans
| Mini | Original | Premium |
| 5-items | 10-items | 15 items and they claim this is the “best value!” |
| $12 a month | $25 a month | $30 a month |
3. Bokksu
Danny Taing and crew are kill’ng it over at Bokksu, and I sort of understand his success because he says “a lean ten people team.” That right there means each one of these individuals kicks booty (big teams are like artificial filler).
Founder Danny Taing and his team are the only box that includes a tea pairing specifically selected to complement that month’s delicacies. Not only that, it appears based on site traffic for the month of Sept. 2020, it is also the top Japanese snack and candy box subscription.
- Bokksu.com
- Instagram.com/Bokksu (102k)
- 116,686 approximate monthly visits.
- 46.6k est monthly SEO clicks
- #1 IN SITE TRAFFIC AS OF SEPT 2020 (Well here you go, the most popular Japanese subscription box).
- Prices range from $16 to $39 a month.
Classic Bokksu (18-20+)
| Per month $39 | 3 months $37 | 6 months $35 | 12 months $33 |
Tasting Bokksu (8-10)
| Per month $19 | 3 months $18 | 6 months $17 | 12 months $16 |
4. Umai Box
A French company that provides Japanese snacks and candies for not only Europeans, but the world (especially when you have a staff and site that is in English, German, and French).
A French company (based in Europe), NihonBox and UmaiBox specialize in candy and snacks. The subscription service is available in English (German and French), but the blog is only in French. Beyond that, you’ll have to dig to find out anything else about the people or where they’re based out of, and the thing you might come to realize at the very least is that they do have the most popular Japanese snacks and candies.
- NihonBox.com
- Instagram.com/UmaiBox.en (166), France (1,086)
- 52,547 approximate monthly visits.
- 675 est monthly SEO clicks
- #7 IN SITE TRAFFIC AS OF SEPT 2020
- Prices range from €27.99 a month.
3-Monthly Plans
| Monthly | 3-months | 6-months |
| $21.49 a month | $20.69 a month | $19.99 a month |
5. Japan Candy Box
This company confuses me because they appear at the top ranks of the given search phrase, but they do not rank high when it comes to site traffic. Which means all the other companies do not rely on search engines to drive business (Oishii-Desu, this blog does more than twice their web traffic).
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!”
- JapanCandyBox.com
- Instagram.com/JapanCandyBox (82.1k)
- 34,852 approximate monthly visits.
- 4.15k est monthly SEO clicks
- #5 IN SITE TRAFFIC AS OF SEPT 2020
- Prices range from $19.90 to $21.90 a month.
4-Monthly Plans
| 1-month | 3-months | 6-months | 1 year |
| $19.90 a month | $19.90 a month | $18.90 a month (most popular) | $18.20 a month |
6. My Japan Box
A once obscure subscription box, but now they have not grown tremendously over the last year. I suck a math, but I would say they have had a 1,000% increase?
Who is behind Japan Box, BMedia, “a worldwide multi-talented agency.” Also in their words “happy combination of multiple skills, BMedia was born from the desire to efficiently mix them all. To us, branding, marketing, trading, advertising, networking or management are obviously connected, and so are our many services. Whether you pick one up or ask for global support, our long-experienced international team will harmoniously work in synergy.”
- MyJapanBox.com
- Instagram.com/MyJapanBoxcom (6,986)
- 12,086 Approximate Monthly Visits.
- 357 est monthly SEO clicks
- #8 IN SITE TRAFFIC AS OF SEPT 2020
- Prices range from $29.99 to a $99.99 mega box a month.
One Monthly Plan
| The boxes range from as little as $25 a month to $59 |
7. Snakku
For the sophisticated types who do not want just a cardboard box full of commercially popular snacks. This is the service that comes wrapped in a traditional washi-paper furoshiki.
Shigeki is the founder of Snakku, and he was born in Tokyo, Japan although he grew up in NYC, so if you see him throwing shade on his blog about competitors, forgettaboutit.
- Snakku.com
- Instagram.com/Snakku (18.9k)
- 9,443 approximate monthly visits.
- 3.96k est monthly SEO clicks
- #6 IN SITE TRAFFIC AS OF SEPT 2020
- Prices range from $16.95 to 38.95 a month.
3-Plans and a Tasting Box
| 1-month | 3-month subscription | 6-month subscription | Tasting Box (U.S. Customers only) |
| free shipping in the U.S. | free shipping in the U.S. | free shipping in the U.S. | free shipping in the U.S. |
| $38.95 | $38.50 | $37.95 | $15.75 |
8. Wow Box
Not so wow, although I had hoped they would have done better, but they are no more. They and and Skoshbox have both dropped off into oblivious unfortunately, RIP
Nothing about who they are other than them being Wow/Now, Inc., along with them being another Japanese snack and subscription box.
WowBox.jp- Instagram.com/WowBox_jp (7,941)
- 8,553 Approximate Monthly Visits.
- 105 est monthly SEO clicks
- #9 IN SITE TRAFFIC AS OF SEPT 2020
- Prices starting from $19.99 a month.
A Trial to 2-Monthly Plans
| “try it” | 7-9 items | 9-11 items |
| $19.99 trial | $24.99 a month | $34.99 a month |
9. Candy Japan
Got to love this family run operation with no frills (no fancy product photography, graphics, or massive social media following) because they have been able to compete with the big boys, and they are no joke.
The service was started by a Japanese-Finnish family living in Tokushima, Japan (how we met). It has been running for over 5 years already. We are transparent about figures such as revenue, expenses, member count etc. and publish these in our business blog (EDITOR: I take back saying that I couldn’t ask for the financials because Candy Japan obviously has no issue doing that).
- CandyJapan.com
- Instagram.com (N/A)
- 7,979 approximate monthly visits.
- 10.3k est monthly SEO clicks
- #4 IN SITE TRAFFIC AS OF SEPT 2020
- Prices starting from $12.95 a month.
2-4 Items Per Month, Two Times a Month
| $29 month | (2 shipments per month) Each shipment containing 2-4 items, depending upon the size of the items. To subscribe, there’s an authentication process in which you need a validate your email address (only 2-steps). |
Sidenote: Originally this list had 10 companies listed, but Skoshbox in their own words was the “original monthly service for snacks and candy from Japan” unfortunately shutdown as of April 25th, 2018.
Conclusion (Better Than Throwing a Dart to Choose or believing a random list)
A 100k people a month can not be all that wrong although if you do not believe me, ask WowBox if web traffic matters (they went out of business).
Hopefully based on the data above, you were able to determine which Japanese subscription box for candy and snacks is best for you although at the very least, now know you which one is the most popular simply based on website traffic. That doesn’t necessarily equate it to being the best, but hey, it’s a good start when they all seem to be so closely on par with each other with their product offerings.
I remember boxes and subscription services being all the rage last year–okay, rage is perhaps the wrong word, but lots of bloggers and vloggers were reviewing them–big marketing push I assume.
I hadn’t heard about any of them recently. Glad you’re on top of it. I have always liked the idea, just never found one that was perfect for me–though I have some ideas that could help some companies move out their dead stock.
I think anything that is on my blog, I approach it to learn more about it, and I’m with you about subscription boxes although they are here to stay. Looking at their site traffic, I can only imagine that their revenue is not that far behind it, and I have only seen one company go out of business which was Skoshbox – also the other reason I do these posts is keep my digital marketing abilities sharp (content marketing)… it’s like a butter knife, haha