My February Sakuraco box has arrived!
Sakuraco is a monthly premium Japanese snack box subscription program. It's not a cheap subscription, so I decided to do six months to start, which ended up being approximately $60 CAD per box after shipping costs. (I want to note that they do use DHL to ship. Out of the six boxes I've received, I only got charged for duties on one box, but I want to be transparent about additional fees.) Each box includes 20 items — including a tea, traditional sweets, seasonal treats, baked goods, and one home item — all centred around one specific Japanese region or theme. All monthly boxes are available from the 15th of every month to the 15th of the next month.
February's theme is "Valentine's Bliss," focusing on both the celebration of Valentine's Day in Japan and the city of Osaka. (This box was made in collaboration with the Osaka Prefectural Government.) Osaka is the capital of and the most populous city of Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan. Osaka is often referred to as "Japan's Kitchen," as they are known for food and culinary experiences. Both okonomiyaki and takoyaki, two hugely popular Japanese dishes, originated in Osaka.
This month's box comes with a postcard featuring aiaigasa, a centuries-old symbol of romance in which a man and a woman share an umbrella. On the back is a message from the founder of Sakuraco about why she chose to feature this particular theme this month. Every box also contains a "snack guide," which includes an introduction and a brief history of a particular maker and prefecture, as well as information on the the month's selected tea and snacks. Of course, the guide also showcases every item included in the box, with detailed descriptions and allergy warnings. Included in my "Valentine's Bliss" box are the following items:
- Strawberry Dorayaki by Hiyoshi Confectionery (Shimane) — "Fresh eggs and soft dough baked with Japanese domestic flour make the fluffy pancake-like patties that surround the azuki bean paste and strwaberry jam filling of this dorayaki."
- Strawberry Mugi by Takaoka Foods (Hyogo) — "Since the 1960s, children with insatiable sweet tooths have flocked to candy shops across Japan in hopes of getting candy-coated mugi, or barley. Here, mugi is covered in a perfectly sugared strawberry flavouring."
- Chocolate Mochi by Seika Confectionery (Kagoshima) — "Decadent chocolate is intricately kneaded into this traditional Japanese classic to create the perfect Valentine's Day treat. Each mochi is wrapped in an edible wrapper."
- Chocolate Strawberries by Yuuka (Osaka) — "A quintessential combination loved by those around the world on Valentine's Day. These bite-sized morsels of strawberry perfection are wrapped in a milk chocolate outer layer."
- Surprise Tea Selection: Ibaraki Sencha with Green Tea by Nemotoen (Ibaraki) — "Blending the fullness of matcha powder with the bright and vegetal taste of sencha makes this tea a special treat that moves across the palate."
- Surprise Tea Selection: Shichifukucha by Hagiri (Shizuoka) — "Based on the Seven Lucky Gods in Japanese mythology, this aromatic tea combines seven high quality teas from Shizuoka (sencha, kabusecha, hojicha, kukicha, GABA tea, matcha, and brown rice) to create the perfect flavour dynamic."
- Ogura An Pie by Tenkei Confectionery (Nagano) — "Filled with slightly sweet red bean paste, this moist Japanese-style pie has a wonderfully tender, buttery crust. It's perfect as a light dessert or as an afternoon snack."
- Manekineko Senbei by Senya (Saitama) — "Manekineko, or the beckoning cat, are good luck symbols in Japanese culture. For those looking for love this Valentine's Day, red manekineko are said to bring forth good fortune in love and marriage. Here, the manekineko motif is carefully sculpted into a hand-baked rice cracker."
- Mikan Jelly by Morihaku Confectionery (Gifu) — "Mikan, a type of mandarin orange, is favoured in Japan during the winter months for its refreshing sweet and tart balance. One popular winter pastime involves gathering around the family kotatsu (a low, heated table) and peeling open fresh mikan. This mikan jelly is made from the juice of mikan from Kishu. It pairs wonderfully with a warm cup of tea."
- Osaka Chiyoko by Amidaike Daikoku (Osaka) — "Starting as early as the 8th century, travelers would try okoshi, curated millet treats, in Osaka and buy them as souvenirs. Here, Amidaike Daikoku has flavoured their okoshi with white chocolate and raisins, creating their renowned Osaka Chiyoko. The umbrella on the packaging, inspired by the yellow umbrellas in Osaka, reminds one of the ever-adored aiaigasa symbol in Japanese culture."
- Senshu Onion Sable by Mukashin (Osaka) — "This savoury sable cooking is unassuming at first glance. Upon closer inspection, you'll be pleased to find bits of senshu onion carefully kneaded into its dough. This crumbly, slightly sweet mouthful gives the impression of French onion soup on the palate."
- Scenic Osaka Arare by Fujiya (Osaka) — "Dotonbori, Osaka Castle, Tsutentaku Tower, Nakanoshima Park. When Osaka is said, these historical and architectural beauties appear in the minds of many Japanese people. Here, they are illustrated on the packaging of these delightfully fluffy arare."
- Kinako Dumplings by Osaka Ginsen (Osaka) — "Kinako is a slightly nutty, delicately sweet, finely-ground, and roasted soybean flour. It is most commonly associated as a topping for mochi. Here, it is infused into tri-coloured dumplings to lend them their nutty, sweet flavour."
- Yuzu Kuzu-yu by Fuji Shokuhin (Osaka) — "Kuzu, or arrowroot, is ground into a powder with yuzu from Kochi Prefecture to create the main ingredient of this drink. Adding boiling water to this mix results in a gentle, honey-like consistency perfect for drinking on a winter's day."
- Kombucha Rice Cracker by Fuji Shokuhin (Osaka) — "Kelp from Hokkaido's Donan region is thoughtfully kneaded into these deep fried rice crackers. They are then finished with a sprinkling of Fuji-no-kombucha, kelp tea, for a light, refreshing flavour."
- Red Ginger Squid Bites by Maruesu (Osaka) — "While traveling down the streets of Dotonbori in Osaka, you may come across stalls selling ikayaki, savoury squid pancakes. Here, squid is fried and finished with red ginger to create the perfect savoury and tangy bite."
- Red Ginger Mame by Takuma Foods (Aichi) — "These crunchy morsels tempt the tastebuds the moment they are placed on the tongue. The tangy red ginger shell is beautifully balanced with the savoury and salty peanuts inside."
- Kinchidori Soup Bowl by Tanaka Hashiten (Ishikawa) — "This red soup bowl is decorated with a flock of golden plovers, called a chidori pattern. Small but resilient birds, plovers have the ability to fly through strong winds and high waves during migration. The chidori pattern represents the ability to overcome challenges."
While I'm indifferent to the Valentine's theme of this box, I do appreciate the focus on Osaka, as I'll be spending 3 days there while I'm in Japan next month! There are a good variety of snacks this time around, and nothing that's too polarizing. I also appreciate the comeback of the Nemoto Ibaraki Sencha with Green Tea (that appeared in the October 2022 box), which is my absolute favourite tea that I've received from Sakuraco thus far. (And frankly, the most delicious sencha I've ever tasted.)
My picks from last month's box: Echigohime Strawberry Crepe (it tastes like strawberry shortcake in the form of a thin sponge cake folded like a taco), Ajigonomi (a super-addictive, salty snack mix that I imagine goes really well with beer), Bakauke Sesame Rice Crackers (the perfect mix of sweet and savoury with a delightfully crunchy texture), and Brown Sugar Karinto (karinto has become one of my favourite Japanese snacks, and the brown sugar here is just the perfect bittersweet combination). However, the tea variety that came with last month's box, the Genmai Black Bean Houjicha, is my least favourite so far with a weird plasticky aftertaste. Maybe I just don't like beans in my tea.
Finally, a reminder to those who have decided to subscribe to Sakuraco: Sakuraco will auto-renew your subscription if you do not cancel before your previous subscription ends. Remember that any amount paid is final and non-refundable. So always double-check when your subscription will end so you don't get surprise charged.
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