As a huge Otaku and Japanholic, I have always wanted to visit Japan and indulge in their culture. Although it is still impossible for me to reach Japan, I was gifted with this fantastic opportunity to review the September edition of the Tokyo Treat box. A big thanks to the Tokyo Treat team for reaching out to us and sending the box.
The box arrived last week, but I was unfortunately not able to eat everything all at once. And I also shared some of the bigger snacks with my fellow Otakus so that they could have a “taste of Japan.” Honestly, I can say there have been many surprises in trying out these snacks, some good and some bad ones.
If you never had a chance to try out Tokyo Treats, I hope that this review and ranking will help you decide whether or not you should give it a try. I will be ranking the snacks from the Tokyo Treat September box from best to worst.
However, it would help to keep in mind that these 17 snacks were included in the September edition and will likely not appear again in the box. Tokyo Treat team puts new and different snacks for you to try every month. You can visit their website for more details. But do not worry if there is a snack that you particularly like and want to get. I will be linking to where you can find them individually.
Tokyo Treat September Box Snack Rankings
The box that the treats have arrived in looks very fun, and there is a flier and small guide about the snacks to help us understand what the snacks are in English. It was so much fun unboxing it and taking a first look at all the snacks.
This is helpful if you are allergic to something, you will be able to find out exactly what products you are eating and what they are made of. Also, I liked the artwork on the mini guidebook.
1. Fanta Okinawa Shikuwasa
You might wonder why I have chosen to put the only drink as my number one choice out of all the available snacks. Well, the answer is quite simple and yet quite complicated at the same time. This Fanta is made from Shikuwasa, a trendy fruit in Japan and is very specific for Okinawa.
If you research this specific Fanta a bit, you’d be able to find out that it is one of the rarest flavors of Fanta on the market. And that does make me sad, as this drink isn’t just my top choice for this list, but it is also my top choice for refreshing drinks during summer.
The drink was refreshing and had a bit lemon-like taste, but it was very specific and unique. I honestly can’t compare it to any other beverage. This is the first time that I have felt like a character in Food Wars, being overtaken by the flavor and deliciousness of this drink. If you ever get a chance, you have to try out this Fanta flavor. Only then will you be able to understand the greatness behind it.
2. DoraChoco
I like pancakes. However, they are not my favorite snack. That changed after trying DoraChoco. A snack made from fluffy dorayaki pancakes and chocolate filling inside. After eating this, the only regret I have is that it was only 2 of them, and they were pretty small.
The fluffy texture accompanied by the not-too-sweet chocolate filling is perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth. This snack has made me want to try learning how to make dorayaki pancakes. If learning that fails, I think I will need a whole box of these next time.
3. Sour Paper Candy Apple Flavor
This sour candy reminds me of sour snakes that we have available to buy in my hometown. Except that the sourness is a bit milder than what I am usually used to. However, that is precisely what makes this gummy snack one of my favorites, as it is not too sour like some other sour snacks.
Despite being sour, there is still a slight hint of sweetness which gives an outstanding balance to the taste. This is a snack that you can eat during summer for some refreshing taste.
Buy Sour Paper Candy Apple Flavor
4. Pikachu Pure Gummy Tropical Flavor
Is it just me, or did this Pikachu steal Luffy’s straw hat? Well, nonetheless, these gummy snack package contains different Pikachu shaped gummy snacks with tropical flavors. Some of them are sour a bit, and some of them are sweet.
I liked this snack quite a lot, but that is probably because I’m a giant gummy bear fan, and I love gummy snacks. So my opinion on this snack is slightly biased, but it’s still a tasty and fun snack to enjoy.
Buy Pikachu Pure Gummy Tropical Flavor
5. KitKat Summer Ice Cream
You might be thinking, “how do they keep the ice cream from melting?”. Well, that was my question too when I first saw this “Ice Cream” snack. But of course, I knew it was impossible that they sent actual ice cream in a box that has to ship across the world. So this piqued my interest in what this KitKat is.
They wrapped snacks in smaller packages inside of this big package, and they had different colors too. At first, I thought it might be different flavors, but I realized they were all the same flavor after trying them. Not sure why they colored the packages differently, but the package is not that important. (Diazepam) What’s important is the taste.
Despite not understanding why they labeled this as Ice Cream taste, this limited edition snack was still delicious to eat. It was sweet with white chocolate wrapping around something described as a wafer, although it is not an actual wafer. Overall, I enjoyed this snack, but I’m still puzzled about the Ice Cream part.
6. Calbee Okinawa Shikuwasa Potato Chips
This was my first time eating potato chips with such a unique flavor as this, and of course, I was very skeptical about this snack at first. I mean, how good could potato chips with fruity flavor be? And I was very wrong about it, as this is probably one of the best potato chips I have tried. And I do enjoy my fair share of potato chips.
The taste is hard to describe, and there are faint traces of the Shikuwasa fruit in the Fanta. And that fain flavor did remind me of the Fanta. However, the taste of being mixed with salted potatoes was unique and enjoyable to try out.
This is the perfect snack during summer for potato chips lovers.
Buy Calbee Okinawa Shikuwasa Potato Chips
7. Ponkome Rice Bar
If you have ever eaten chocolate with fluffy rice pieces inside it, think of this snack as those rice pieces taken and put together into one snack. At first, its look reminded me of oat bars, but it was much, much lighter to eat. I could have eaten a good hundred of these without getting fat.
There is sweet and spicy soy sauce mixed in the rice bar, which reminds me of honey. The spice was very mild according to my tastes, but I did not mind that, as the rice and sweet soy sauce gave birth to the perfect light snack.
8. Texas Corn Potage Snack
Another peculiar and unique snack was this Corn Potage crisps. This is yet again a taste that I am trying out for the first time in my life. Despite eating corn, this corn potage had a peculiar taste.
I am not sure how to describe it because comparing it to corn and other corn meals wouldn’t make a good comparison. However, this snack was quirky yet quite interesting to munch on. I would eat it again.
9. Pandaro Butter Cookie
This cookie was so cute that I was a bit hesitant to eat it. It has a mildly sweet flavor, as expected of a regular cookie. However, the taste reminded me of cookies that my mom bakes for Christmas, so this snack brought a very Christmasy feeling to my heart when I was eating it.
Aside from the Christmas nostalgia, the taste, like my mom’s Christmas cookies, was very ordinary. It is something you eat and forget about, but not the worst snack on the list. As from here on out, we are going towards my less liked snacks, and some of them I didn’t enjoy at all.
Buy Pandaro Butter Cookies
10. Curry Turtle Crackers
These snacks looked very funny as they were shaped as turtle shells. The texture was quite crunchy, and the taste reminded me quite a lot about fish. Since this snack is supposed to have “seafood vibes,” it did its job. So my dislikes towards this might come from my dislikes towards fish.
One thing I do need to mention is the smell of this snack. When I first opened the package, an intense, unfamiliar, and not very pleasant smell filled the air. As I was sharing this snack with my friends, they all commented negatively on its aroma. However, they liked the taste more than I did.
11. CheesZack
If you are a cheese fan, then you will love this snack. Although, if you are a picky cheese fan like me and only like specific milder tastes of cheese, then this snack might not be for you. I am unsure which cheese this snack would resemble the most, as I only eat less intense cheese.
The flavor was robust, very “cheezy,” and I did like the crunchiness in every bite. If it was made from some other cheese flavor, it might have been in my top 5. But, do not let my picky cheese taste stop you from trying this snack out.
12. Umaibo Tonkatsu Sauce Flavor
Umaibo Tonkatsu Sauce snack was a surprise that was a bit too weird for my tastes. Although Tonkatsu Sauce is a popular seasoning used when eating Tonkatsu, it is also widely used in other meal variations such as Tonkatsu Ramen. I like this sauce, and it goes well with meat.
However, eating this snack felt like eating the sauce itself, and without the meat, the flavor was a bit too intense for my liking, leaving me with no option but to leave this snack unfinished. The intensity of this could be described with ketchup sauce snacks, where the ketchup flavor is overwhelming. Honestly, I’m not too fond of those snacks, but if you love such snacks, then it’s worth trying this out.
Buy Umaibo Tonkatsu Sauce Flavor
13. Mochi Taro
This snack’s flavor is supposedly fried mochi and peanuts, but honestly, the taste was a bit too bland. Peanuts usually have a pretty significant taste, but I was barely able to taste them in this snack. This may be due to cultural differences, as, in my country, the taste of sour and spicy things is probably overwhelming for any Japanese person.
While their snacks were overall all a bit toned down, even the sour and spicy snacks didn’t feel that sour or spicy. Therefore, this is the first snack on this list that I wouldn’t recommend because it is not a matter of personal taste, but rather the snack is too bland to be enjoyable.
14. Okonomi Arare
Like the Mochi Taro snack, the Okonomi Arare snack was a bit too bland for my taste. However, I can say that there was more flavor to this snack. Although I couldn’t figure out the flavor, it didn’t remind me of any particular food. The only thing that could be felt was the saltiness. So if you are a fan of salted crackers, then you’d enjoy eating these crackers too. But there is no particular unique taste or reason to buy and try out this snack.
15. Ramen Shop Taro’s Ramen Snack
Does this snack remind you of anyone? I know Ippo comes to my mind every time I see it. I have never tried ramen in Japan as I never had the opportunity to visit. However, I have tried many of these “fake” ramen available in my country. Some are considered as top “Asian food” restaurants here. Although I honestly fell in love with ramen when I first tried it, there is no similar meal in my country except soup, and I often tell others that ramen is the way soup should be made.
With so much enthusiasm towards ramen, I was very excited to try this snack. And that is also why I am ranking it so low. When I finally tried this snack, I was a bit disappointed as it just felt like eating salted pretzels. So due to my shattered expectations, I am placing this quite low on the list, but if I were to compare just the taste, I’d rank it above the Curry Turtle Crackers.
Buy Ramen Shop Taro’s Ramen Snack
16. Pokemon Snacks Pikachu Pudding Flavor
Another Pikachu snack? Why not? Well, better not. This snack is packaged in a fun box and has an additional Pokemon sticker inside that I think is some collectibles in Japan. When you open up the actual snack package, there are a lot of small snacks inside that you can try.
Based on the description, I was pretty excited that this would be the perfect snack with a balance between salty and sweet and that it would have some pudding flavor inside of it. However, I was very wrong. The snack is crunchy without any filling inside. And when you eat it, you can taste quite a weird flavor of sweet vanilla pudding.
I honestly didn’t enjoy this snack, but it is not the worst snack I tried. If you don’t mind the sweetness, you might enjoy this snack very much. And I recommend trying it out, as the pudding flavor is quite peculiar.
Despite reminding me of vanilla, it is still something that I have never tasted before, and that’s one of the crucial things I was looking to experience in this Tokyo Treat box. My friends also disliked this snack; however, one of the friends ate a lot of them. She commented that the flavor was so unique that she had to eat it again to experience this unique taste, even though she didn’t like it.
Buy Pokemon Snacks Pikachu Pudding Flavor
17. Umai Sugar Rusk
This snack was quite crunchy, and the texture reminds me of flips snacks. However, the taste was very sweet, and it has quite a unique sweetness to it. According to Tokyo Treat, this is a popular snack in Japan described as an energy boost before sports games. But if I ate this before a sports game, I’d underperform. So, just like all the other snacks, I shared this one with my friends.
You should have seen our faces when we ate this one. It was such a laugh. Just like some other snacks, this might be due to cultural differences. Despite finding out that I hate this snack, I am glad I tried it because the taste was still unique, and it’s something you need to experience, even if you hate it in the end.