It's time for another tour of a Freedom Japanese Market Subscription box! I told you guys all about this box in my previous review and I'm still totally in love with this service. Each box contains a hand-picked selection of unique Japanese candies and snacks. There are some "safe" options like chocolates and salty snacks and then some "challenge" snacks with new flavors that most people may not be familiar with. It's seriously like Christmas morning when I see this blue and white box land on my doorstep because I never know what kind of goodies are going to be inside.
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Each box contains an Origami of the Month, and this time it was this cute katana. I've been loving the pretty paper used to make the origami and I've saved all of the ones from the boxes I've received so far.
The insert contains information about the current month's box that includes English descriptions of all of the snacks inside.
Here's the whole cast of characters from this month's box. I'll give you a second to take in all of that amazing, colorful packaging. Admiring the characters and illustrations is one of the best parts of Japanese Freedom Market's snack box. The packaging is somehow more charming because I can't read the language, so I have to try and guess how the artwork ties into the snack itself... and that's fun.
There were three types of umaibo ("delicious stick") this month. From top to bottom: mozzarella and camembert, pizza, and teriyaki burger. There are tons of different flavors of these puffed corn snacks in Japan and I love that several of them have been included in each box so far.
So let's get to tasting, which is the best part, right?
Mozzarella and camambert - Hands down my favorite umaibo so far. So much flavor from the two cheeses.
Pizza - I had to give this one a few bites and let it grow on me. At first I was like wait, no, this does not taste like pizza, but after another couple of bites I was reminded of those Pizzarias chips from the 90's... remember those? Here, let me refresh your memory:
Bam, right in the childhood.
Teriyaki Burger - I liked this one too. I thought the flavor was more soy sauce than actual teriyaki, but it was tasty.
Shimi Choco Corn are crispy star-shaped corn puffs coated in strawberry-flavored chocolate. These were awesome and I wish I had a huge bag of them - my toddler loved them, too!
I'm impressed this Caplico made it all the way from Japan without breaking or cracking, because it is pretty fragile. As for the taste, this was one of our favorites of the sweet snacks in this box. From last month's box I already knew that the Japanese know their stuff when it comes to aerated chocolate, and this ice cream cone had a very similar filling. The chocolate fills the entire cone, and the cone itself is like the texture of a typical sugar cone in the U.S. but is less sweet, like a waffle cone. I dug it. So much, in fact, that I did some extra research and found that these come in many different sizes and flavors. Not to mention they're totally adorable.
Here's the selection of candies from this month. There's lots of gummies and chewies and all of it was fun to try! Let's start from the top:
Chewing Straw Candy - The Japanese know their grape flavored candy, because everything grape we've tried has been awesome, and these gummy straws are no different! The sugary coating has a teeny bit of sourness to it which was delish!
UFO Ramune - Lil alien ship shaped hard candies that come in four flavors: yogurt, peach, apple, and cider. These were fun to eat and tasty.
Mini Fruit Mochi - Matt and I *love* real mochi and this teeny package of adorable mochi bites was just too cute for words. There's even a teeny fancy toothpick to use to spear the candy.
Un-Choco - these are tiny grape-flavored chocolate balls, but the best part is the adorable ram-shaped packaging!
Ume Paper - This is a thin piece of fruit leather flavored like pickled plum. It has a sour coating on the outside. It's the most unique fruit leather I've ever tried and I loved it.
Nagewa - the family favorite of this month's box. These are ring-shaped potato crisps with a beef flavor and they are way too easy to snack on... you just can't stop! Jasper begged for these though he wasn't too sure about what to do with the ring shapes. He couldn't decide if he was supposed to play with them or eat them!
Caramel Corn Cheesecake Puffs - These surprised me with their sweetness, as most Japanese sweets I've tried so far aren't overly sweet. This one is definitely a treat! The little puffs taste strongly of caramel with a hint of cream cheesiness.
Kabuki Cracker - a seasoned rice cracker that I mistakenly thought was going to be sweet, but it's actually got a bit of a toasty soy sauce flavor in a sturdy crunchy disc. Not too bad, not too bad.
Umaka - Matt's favorite of the box. These are ramen puffs flavored like champon, a Nagasaki noodle dish made of seafood and veggies. The seafood flavor isn't too overpowering and the overall effect works well. I liked these, too!
We are continuing to enjoy these boxes and it's a fun surprise to see what kind of snacks are going to show up each month! I encourage you to give the box a try if you like trying new and interesting food, or if you just like fun and cute things from Japan! Prices start at $14.99 per month and shipping is free worldwide. You can save money in the long run by subscribing to 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month plans.
See my review of the March Box from this service: click here.
Do you want to try fun new snacks that are tasty, unique, and maybe a little weird? click here!
was provided with this box to share my thoughts with all of you. We do not accept compensation or free product in return for a fully positive review of a product or service. Remember our motto: if we think it sucks, we’ll tell you!
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