Have you been looking for a Tokyo Treat review in 2024?
Are you wondering if these Japanese snack boxes are worth it?
Well, you’re in luck because I recently had the pleasure of diving into a Tokyo Treat box, and I’m here to share my experience with you.
As someone who lived in Japan for several years, I’ve had my fair share of authentic Japanese snacks directly from their local konbini (convenience stores) and street vendors.
Together with my Japanese family, we tried out the 2024 Spring/Sakura-themed Tokyo Treat snack box to see how authentic the items are and evaluate its worthiness.
In this article, I’ll discuss the key features of Tokyo Treat, the pros and cons, my experience and evaluation of the box, the costs, and how this Japanese snack box stacks up against others.
Tokyo Treat Box Review
✅ Monthly treats from Japan
✅ Modern snacks, drinks, ramen, and candy
✅ Ships worldwide
✅ Great for gifts, families, and kids
Disclaimer: While I was generously gifted a box in exchange for a review, this post contains my honest thoughts and opinions about the product.
What is Tokyo Treat?
Tokyo Treat is a monthly subscription snack box curated for Japan lovers or just those who are curious about their quirky treats and drinks.
Their mission is to “give you a taste of modern life in Japan.”
Each box is like receiving a fun care package directly from Japan.
It’s filled to the brim with exclusive Japanese candy, cakes, cookies, ramen, and even drinks that you’d be hard-pressed to find outside of the country (unless you live in a large city with Asian grocery stores; more on that later).
➡️ Tokyo Treat: Check prices and buy now
Tokyo Treat Features
Tokyo Treat has three main features for subscribers:
New Limited-Edition Japanese Snacks Each Month
Each month is a completely different box filled with 15-20 snacks.
These include:
- Limited-edition or seasonal Japanese KitKat
- Japanese drink
- Ramen
- Candy
- Chocolate
- Savory chips
- Baked goods: cakes, cookies, bread
Each box follows a theme, for example, the one I got for March is based around the sakura cherry blossom season.
This ensures that you’ll always get a fresh set of Japanese treats to try out
The boxes are available until the 15th of each month before the theme changes.
➡️ Tokyo Treat: Check prices and subscribe now
Culture Guide with Allergen Info
Each box comes with a small booklet called a “culture guide” that provides a few key pieces of information:
- Details about what each snack item is
- Basic allergen information for every item in the box
- Relevant cultural information about Japan based on each box’s theme (ex: explanation about hanami– flower viewing– for the sakura box)
Worldwide Express Delivery
Tokyo Treat ships worldwide to over 100 countries.
With this wide range of options available, keep in mind that shipping costs and delivery times may vary based on the destination. (More on that later)
To check if Tokyo Treat ships to you, take a look at their shipping list here.
➡️ Tokyo Treat: Check prices and buy now
Pros of Tokyo Treat Snack Box
1. Great if you can’t go to Japan
One of the best things about Tokyo Treat is that it brings Japan to you wherever you are.
I was supposed to go to Japan at the end of last year after working at the South Pole for a year, but the trip never panned out.
With Tokyo Treat, I was able to enjoy familiar flavors I’d been missing without making the trip to Japan.
Can’t go to Japan for cherry blossom season?
Not a problem with a Tokyo Treat subscription box!
Which leads me to the next pro…
2. Perfect gift for Japan lovers
A subscription or even a one-off box is a wonderful gift to give someone who loves Japan and Japanese food for their birthday or holiday.
It’s easy for you (especially if you don’t know much about Japanese culture or what to get them!) and it’s sure to put a smile on their face regardless of what’s inside the box.
3. Great for sampling things you normally wouldn’t get
I’ll admit, even though I lived in Japan, there were some things in the box I had seen similar versions of before but never tried on my own.
Since they were in the box, I obviously ate them and was so pleasantly surprised!
For example, I don’t tend to reach for thin noodle style ramen which was in the March 2024 Tokyo Treat box, but I ended up absolutely loving it.
The broth was so rich, creamy, and savory all at once; it paired perfectly with the thin noodles.
4. Low commitment for new items
This goes hand-in-hand with the last pro, but getting an assortment of different snacks means there’s low commitment for an item or two you might not care to eat again.
While I genuinely enjoyed every item in the box, some of the snacks such as the candies are something I only like in small doses.
With the Tokyo Treat box, I was able to enjoy a bite-sized version without committing to a full package of that item.
5. Ramen cooking instructions are in Japanese and English
If you’re worried about the one item in the box that you’ll have to prepare on your own, don’t worry– the instructions are also in English!
It’s a nice touch on Tokyo Treat’s part that I wouldn’t have thought of, and I’m sure the thoughtfulness is not missed among fans.
6. High-quality items from Japan
All of the items in the box are on par with what you’d find at convenience stores in Japan.
The quality of each snack was great and you could tell they’re not just Westernized knock-offs like some of the ones I see in the States sometimes.
Cons of Tokyo Treat
I’m not a huge fan of calling anything in this list as “cons,” but it’s easier for readers to skim and understand.
Rather, the following points are more of “things that could be better or improved, but not dealbreakers”:
1. Some fragile products
While most of the snack items shipped fine, there are delicate crackers and cookies in the box that are obviously fragile.
I was actually surprised only one cookie out of the entire box was cracked during shipping, but it’s still a bummer as it looked so good in the culture guide photo.
To be fair, this is somewhat unavoidable when shipping something across the Pacific Ocean so I completely understand.
And as someone who briefly worked as a postmaster for USPS, I can tell you I’ve seen my fair share of things broken in the mail.
It’s just something for future purchasers to be aware of that might occur from time to time.
2. Limited Allergen Info
As someone who works in the food service industry and previously on cruise ships with children, I know how important allergen information is.
While the Tokyo Treat boxes do provide a simplified list of common allergens found in each item as well as if it’s vegetarian-friendly or not, there’s no full English description of all the ingredients.
There are ingredients listed in Japanese on the wrapping of most of the items, but not in English.
However, if you have concerns about certain ingredients that go beyond the main allergens listed in the culture guide, my suggestion would be to use a translator app or learn the kanji (Japanese characters) for the ingredient you’re worried about.
Note: Japan, like many Asian countries, is more relaxed about its understanding of food allergies and dietary restrictions compared to the Western world, so I do give Tokyo Treat props for noting the main allergens.
3. Shipping not included
Shipping ranges from $10.50-$12.50 USD per box, which is not included in the subscription price.
While I understand they can’t explicitly advertise a flat rate per box as the cost varies by destination, I think it would be great if it was noted on the subscription page that there is an additional shipping cost.
Transparency goes a long way.
On a related note, I’ve also seen a few frustrations online from people complaining about how expensive the shipping fee is, and I just wanted to give my two cents:
As someone who regularly shipped things from Japan to the States, I can tell you that anything shipped from Japan will come with a higher price tag than say USPS.
Because the items are coming from outside the country, it has to go through a private courier (DHL in the US).
So my suggestion if you are considering subscribing to Tokyo Treat is to look at each box as costing $50 USD each (including shipping).
This way you won’t get caught up on what each box costs and then be caught off guard by the shipping fee.
(More on the subscription prices below)
My Experience with Tokyo Treat
Overall, I enjoyed my Tokyo Treat box.
It was a super fun gift that I would never turn down, and it felt like I was back in Japan with all the familiar snack flavors along with a nice ramen and drink to go along with it.
As someone who’s based out of a major international city with a large Asian demographic, there are a lot of items in the Tokyo Treat box that I could find comparable items to at my local Asian grocery store.
Now if I didn’t live in a place where I could find similar items so conveniently, I’d say that Tokyo Treat is worth the price tag for getting high-quality snacks from Japan.
However, due to my proximity to already good items from Japan, I am able to get similar (but not exact) snack and drink options for a lower price than the Tokyo Treat box.
I’m not saying it would be the same, but it would be cheaper.
I will add that the Tokyo Treat snack box is something I’d be happy to gift my young nephews and Japanophile friends.
This is something I also would’ve loved to get while I was living in Antarctica for a whole year, as I definitely didn’t have access to any Asian snacks when I was there!
So my TL;DR: it’s a great gift for your Japan-loving friends, kids, or if you don’t live near a good Asian grocery store.
Who is Tokyo Treat for?
There are a few demographics that I think Tokyo Treat would be good for:
- Gifts for people who love Japan or might not be able to go to Japan
- Families and kids who want a variety of goodies for all ages
- Japan food lovers who don’t have access to these snacks locally
- People who like trying new snacks and drinks from other countries
Tokyo Treat Pricing
Tokyo Treat offers their subscription boxes on the following plans:
- 12 Months- $32.50/month
- 6 Months- $33.50/month
- 3 Months- $35.50/month
- Monthly- $37.50/month
Important Pricing and Shipping Notes
It’s important to note a couple things about these plans:
The subscriptions are auto-renewed
This means like all other auto-billed subscriptions, you need to manually cancel your subscription before the next cycle kicks in, or else you’ll be billed again.
Shipping is not included, and there is a shipping fee for each box
Shipping ranges from $10.50-$12.50 per box.
So, expect each Tokyo Treat box to cost between $43-50 per month.
➡️ Check Tokyo Treat subscription plans here
Tokyo Treat vs. Sakuraco
Tokyo Treat and Sakuraco are sister companies that offer monthly subscription Japanese snack boxes for the same price.
You can read more in my Sakuraco review or Sakuraco vs Tokyo Treat review, but the main difference is that Tokyo Treat is geared toward modern snacks while Sakuraco focuses on traditional artisan products.
Tokyo Treat’s boxes feature a seasonal KitKat flavor, ramen, a drink, candy, cookies, and baked goods.
Sakuraco’s boxes feature an authentic piece of homeware, tea, and refined snacks from small Japanese businesses curated for each box’s theme.
I’d say that Tokyo Treat is better for families and kids where as Sakuraco is better for those looking for a more boutique subscription box or traditional snacks from Japan.
FAQs: Tokyo Treat Snack Box
Is Tokyo Treat from Japan?
Yes, the products are from Japan and shipped from there as well.
The founder, Ayumi Chikamoto, is also a Tokyo native.
Is Tokyo Treat expensive?
Depends on how you look at it.
If you live in an area where you don’t have easy access to Japanese snacks and don’t travel to Japan often, I’d say you’re getting a good value with Tokyo Treat.
However, if you’re the opposite and live in an area with lots of good Asian stores, it might be less bang for your buck.
Is Tokyo Treat legit?
Yes, Tokyo Treat a legitimate subscription snack box service, but it can take some time to arrive in certain cases.
I can confirm that the products are indeed high quality and from Japan, though some of the more delicate items may crack while in transit.
Each shipment contains a box full of modern Japanese treats such as a drink, ramen, seasonal KitKat, cookies, cakes, and candies.
While the price of all the items in the box might total to around ¥2000, you need to factor in how accessible those items would be to you where you are at the moment as well as shipping from Japan.
Final Thoughts: Is Tokyo Treat Worth It?
If you know someone who loves all things Japan but can’t go at the moment, or you have a family with kids and you want a Japanese treat fit for all ages but you don’t live near a good or authentic Asian grocery store, I’d say that the Tokyo Treat subscription snack box is worth it.
While I personally live in a predominately Asian area at the moment, Tokyo Treat is something I definitely would take advantage of when I’m living in places where I don’t have regular access to Asian snacks.
If you want to try out Tokyo Treat for yourself, order your first box here!
