Japan Crate: March 2019

My March Premium Japan Crate arrived yesterday! This month's crate was made in collaboration with Bandai Namco Entertainment, with the theme featuring their latest video game, God Eater 3. It includes the following:

• Koikeya Rich Spicy Ramen Flavour Scone — "Said to give whomever eats it the power of fire, you definitely cannot let the Aragami eat this. Grab the bag and share with your team and harness the power of spicy noodles!"
• Yaokin Mochitto Strawberry — "Soft and squishy, enjoy these fluffy soft rice cakes with a strawberry cream filling this March!"
• Tanenashi Hoshiume Seedless Plum — "This pitless pickled plum is both sweet and sour bringing the best of both worlds to your taste buds."
• Yaokin Ichigo Daifuku Cream Marshmallow — "It's fluffy and puffy and strawberry-flavoured with a cream filling. Enjoy this marshmallow when you're in the mood for something sweet in a jiffy."
• Maeda Potato Bolo Dagashi — "Celebrate Hinamatsuri with these themed sweet potato snacks that will melt in your mouth in just seconds!"

• Coris Sonomanma Peach Gum — "Made by Coris, this Sonomanma peach gum contains three peach gumballs. One of the three is sour, but it is only revealed when tasting. Test your luck with some friends to see who gets the sour one!"
• Pine Donguri Cola Gum — "A classic candy store staple in Japan, pop this cola candy when you're in the mood for something fizzy and chewy as you're left with a gum centre to chew on when the rest fizzles away."
• Top Seika Assorted Chewing Candies — "Experience a trio of tasty flavours with this mix of soft candies that include traditional soda, cola, and grape. Share the different flavours amongst friends or keep them to devour all by yourself."
• Koikeya Suppa-Mucho Ume-Kawaii Potato Chips — "First sold in 1993, Suppa-Mucho is a popular brand of potato chips and celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. For the new year, they've revealed this all-new honey plum flavour that has just hit stores in Japan."
• Coris Doki Doki Fishing DIY Kit — "Based off of a traditional Japanese game in which a player catches goldfish with a special scooper. It's a common and popular activity amongst kids and adults during festivals in Japan. Experience a bit of it in this fun DIY candy kit."

• Coca-Cola Japan Special Edition Sakura 2019 Slim Bottle — "The sudden appearance of Aragami isn't all bad, it caused the sakura leaves to bloom early transforming the local Coke bottles with the 2019 Limited Edition Sakura design."
• Pine Sherbet Pero Cola — "Experience Japan's version of Fun Dip with this cola-flavoured lollipop. The powder turns it into a juicy candy that you'll love!"
• Noshiume-san Taro — "Soft and easy to eat, experience the taste of plum vinegar and plum meat extract on a fish fillet. The mix of salty and sweet will leave your palate with a unique tasting experience."
• Ninja Sword Gum — "The God Eater squad let you borrow a sword to fight off the Aragami! They said once you defeat one, your sword stores their energy that becomes a sweet treat."

• Pringles Shoyu Chicken Ramen Flavour — "The Pringle craze has taken over Japan with classic noodle dishes. With two flavours, classic yakisoba and soy chicken ramen, which one did you get?"
• KitKat Momiji Manju Flavour — "Capture the taste of Hiroshima with these Momiji Manju flavour KitKats. Created in collaboration with Takatsudo, the famed 100-year-old family-run business that originally created the Momiji Manju, these have a maple leaf shape with a red bean cake flavour."
• Yaokin Sweet & Sour Cola Paper Candy — "Pop. Fizzle. Gummy. Experience the world of cola in sour gummy form with this sweet and sour candy strip!"

My winners from the February crate are: Yaokin Crispy Chocolate Rice Cereal (reminds me of a Crunch Bar), Yaokin Choco Taro (kinda like a Snickers bar, but thinner and with a crispy corn snack centre instead of caramel... so it's not really like Snickers at all, but it's really good), and KitKat Roasted Hojicha Flavour (KitKat + black tea = phenomenal). Flops for me were the the heart-shaped milk chocolate (literally has nothing to do with Japan — it was a cheap filler for this box, 'cause you can get bags of these at Bulk Barn or the dollar store), the Top Seika Rilakkuma Gum (more penny candy gum — ultra-cheap and another filler item), and the Pine Hello Kitty Lollipop (aside from the Hello Kitty design, this looked and tasted like those super-cheap dollar store lollipops, so there was really nothing special about this).

After the intense, almost sickly sweetness of chocolate and strawberry from last month's box, I'm excited to get some more variation in this month's crate. I'm not particularly fond of that pickled plum flavour that is so popular in Japan, but the ramen-flavoured chips make up for those. And I'm glad to see that there isn't any more of those cheap filler chewing gums in this box. Of course, I can only have very minimal amounts of anything here because of my new-found health problems, but you know, I can have one or two bites on a cheat day...