Spring is almost here, so I’m unboxing the sakura season snack box from Bokksu!
Every year in Japan, sakura (cherry blossoms) bloom beautifully in March or April. Part of their appeal is their fleeting nature. During this time, Japanese companies and restaurants love to release sakura flavored and themed foods. Since the window for sakura season is slim, often times it’s difficult to acquire the foods if you’re not physically located in Japan.
Keep on reading to see what I got and for my promo code.
Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission at no additional costs to you.
What is Bokksu?
Bokksu is a monthly premium Japanese snack and tea box. You may purchase one time or sign up for a subscription (3, 6, 12 month plans). Bokksu has a monthly theme for each of their boxes, so the snacks will always be different. Enjoy the taste of Japan through seasonal flavors.
Since it’s March, I received the sakura season themed box!
Inside the Box
One Bokksu box contains about 20-24 snacks and tea. All of the snacks are sourced from authentic and local Japanese makers from across all of Japan’s different prefectures. Some of the snacks are even exclusively made for Bokksu! The snacks are a mix of sweet and savory items ranging from senbei, mochi, chips, cookies, and more.
The box also includes a pamphlet explaining what the snack is, where it’s from, and who makes it. The booklet also notes any allergen info. The booklet’s design features beautiful photography and a small Japanese culture lesson.
Shipping
All Bokksu orders have free shipping from Japan! My box shipped from Japan to the US and arrived in 3 days via DHL.
Unboxing the Sakura Season Bokksu
The March 2022 box has the theme of “sakura season.” This month’s box contains 22 items: 21 snacks and 1 tea. They did include a note stating one of the snacks was not available, so they substituted it with a different product.
Beika Ha Tochigi Ume Zarame
Maker: Maruhiko Seika
Prefecture: Tochigi
Description: This rice cracker (senbei) is flavored with Japanese plum (ume) balanced with delicious soy sauce. It has a layer of sugar for the perfect sweet and savory combo.
Kanagawa Sakura Jelly
Maker: Nature
Prefecture: Kanagawa
Description: This bouncy jelly is flavored with fragrant sakura blossoms! Maker Nature selects vibrant pink flowers and pickles them using ume plum vinegar (umezu) from Kanagawa prefercture.
Fujisan Shichihenge
Maker: Senbei Lab
Prefecture: Saitama
Description: Each of these Mount Fuji-shaped rice crackers has an exciting flavor like matcha, purple potato, and red pepper that illustrates the beautiful mountain as it appears throughout the year.
Strawberry Milk Marshmallow
Maker: Yokoi Chocolate
Prefecture: Fukui
Description: These squishy marshmallows are coated in white chocolate that’s kneaded with freeze-dried Polish strawberries. A harmonious combination of fruit and chocolate.
Sakura Mochi
Maker: Marusan Tamakiya
Prefecture: Nagano
Description: Mochi is a traditional Japanese rice cake made by pounding steamed glutinous mochi rice (mochigome) and rolled in rice flour. Sakura-flavored mochi is a classic hanami snack and best paired with green tea.
Morokoshi Cookie: Sakura Horohoro
Maker: Morokoshi Isamiya
Prefecture: Akita
Description: Have you ever had a polverone? They’re Spanish cookies made with almond flour. This cookie is inspired by a polverone and uses roasted wheat and azuki bean flower, with an added sakura scent.
Strawberry Choco Mochi
Maker: Seiki
Prefecture: Ehime
Description: This mochi is called daifuku, or stuffed mochi. It’s flavored with chocolate and amaou strawberries. Amaou strawberries are grown in Fukuoka an referred to as “The King of Strawberries” for their delicious taste.
Oranda Senbei: Plum Kelp
Maker: Sakata Beika
Prefecture: Yamagata
Description: If you’ve ever had an ume onigiri, you’ll know that plum and seaweed are an incredible combo. This cracker was made in collaboration with Gyokuroen, a decades-old kelp tea maker.
Uma Kara Spicy Mentai Burdock Chips
Maker: Kamoi
Prefecture: Okayama
Description: These shatteringly crispy chips are made from burdock root (gobo). They’re fried and coated in spicy cod roe (mentai) flavoring for a light yet fiery treat.
Sakura Chinsuko
Maker: Chinpindo
Prefecture: Okinawa
Description: An adorable shortbread-like cookie, chinsuko are frequently given as omiyage. This treat is shaped, flavored, and colored like a Japanese cherry blossom.
Puré Gummy: White Peach
Maker: Kanro
Prefecture: Tokyo
Description: This premium gummy has a delicious jam center, flavored with white peaches from Yamanashi, Japan’s largest peach producer. The sweet and sour crystals on the outside add a burst of yumminess.
Aji Karuta: Honey Plum
Maker: Bonchi
Prefecture: Osakaa
Description: This crispy rice cracker is flavored with high quality Kishu Nan Kobai pickled plums (umeboshi) and mellow Akashi honey. Your tongue will light up with this senbei’s sweet, savory, and sour flavors!
This item was the substituted in replacement for a different plum flavored snack.
Sakura Sweet Cookie
Maker: Ichifuji Seika
Prefecture: Shizuoka
Description: This crispy biscuit has a gorgeous sakura flavor. Japanese cookies like this are mildly sweet so they can pair perfectly with tea, like the sencha also featured in this box (see below).
Manyoukashu Amakara Komaru
Maker: Sanshu Seika
Prefecture: Saitama
Description: These tiny treats are coated in soy sauce sweetened with honey for the ultimate savory party in your mouth. The packaging has lines fro the Manyoukashu, a series of classic Japanese poems.
Sakura Bouchée
Maker: Ichifuji Seika
Prefecture: Shizuoka
Description: A bouchée is a small pastry with a sweet filling. This cherry blossom pastry has a sakura flower printed on the cakey buns. Inside is a sweet and soft cream infused with aromatic cherry juice.
Spring Gold Green Tea
Maker: Hoshinoseichaen
Prefecture: Fukuoka
Description: Celebrate spring with this beautiful tea package designed exclusively for Bokksu and enjoy sencha tea to warm you from the inside out! You’ll love the caffeinated kick and comforting aroma of sencha.
That’s everything inside the March box! Overall, I like the variety between sweet and savory snacks. I’m happy to get my hands on anything sakura flavored since it’s rare to find in Texas. The sakura jelly is surprisingly large and the Fuji-san senbei are sooo cute. I look forward to seeing what’s in next month’s box!
A one-time purchase of Bokksu costs $49.95. Bokksu also offers 3, 6, or 12 month subscriptions which will save you some money in the long-run! If you don’t want to purchase a whole box, Bokksu also sell snacks individually on their webshop.
Bokksu Promo Code
Use promo code STEPHANO for $15 off your first purchase on Bokksu!
About Eating with Stephano
Eating with Stephano is a food photographer in Houston, TX. With a large appetite and passion for good food, she aims to showcase Houston’s diverse and unique food scene to the world through her lens.
