Sakuraco vs Bokksu Review: The 2 Reasons I Went With Sakuraco
Sakuraco vs Bokksu Review: The 2 Reasons I Went With Sakuraco
Anyone who’s visited Japan knows the feeling of stuffing a suitcase full of treats and gifts to bring home. More often than not, they’ve probably purchased extra luggage just to transport the precious haul. I’ve done the same thing nearly every trip, picking up unique finds in different cities and then loading up on some of my favorites just before departing.
And still I know I’ve barely scratched the surface with what’s available in Japan. Every region, every city has their own proudly and meticulously crafted products – and most of these products are only sold locally.
The thing is, no matter how much I bring back, they inevitably run out and I’m scheming up my next trip to Japan for a resupply.
Japanese Monthly Gift Boxes
For Japanophiles who don’t have a trip planned, there are a few subscription boxes that ship monthly to your house with a surprise mix of Japanese treats and products. I think these surprise boxes are such a nice gifting option.
The most popular options are the Japan-based TokyoTreatand Sakuraco and the New York-based Bokksu. I’ll give you a thorough run-down of the three services and why I ultimately prefer Sakuraco the best.
At a high level, TokyoTreat focuses more on fun everyday snacks like you’d find at a DONKI store or a konbini like 7-11 or Lawsons, while Sakuraco and Bokksu offer more artisanal products. If I had to characterize the boxes, TokyoTreat would be more like a teenager while Sakuraco and Bokksu are more refined adults. I’ll be focusing on the differences between Sakuraco and Bokksu in this post, but you can read my honest review of TokyoTreats.
Sakuraco vs Bokksu
Theme and Products
Sakuraco and Bokksu both take similar approach to marketing by having a seasonal or regional theme around each box.
When I was comparing the two services in September, both companies put together an Autumn Moon themed box filled with more artisanal products compared to TokyoTreat.
For October, Sakuraco had a Kyoto-themed box . You can get a preview of what’s in the upcoming Sakuraco box if you’d like.
Bokksu went with an Autumn Hues theme for their box. You can also see the contents of the current month’s Bokksu box.
Both offer a sampling of tea, pastries, candles, and snacks, but between the two, I leaned towards the items in Sakuraco’s box that included a moon themed lacquer plate. From what I can tell, Bokksu only sends food products.
I went onto Reddit and found a similar sentiment preferring Sakuraco between those who tried both services.
Winner: Sakuraco
Pricing
Pricing wise, they are similar with boxes ranging between $30-$40 a month depending on the length of your subscription.
Bokksu costs $39.99 with a $9.99 normal shipping charge.
With this referral link, you can get $15 off starting with a 3 month subscription and the prices drop down to as low as $30 a box for Bokksu depending on the length of your subscription. You can also use code SNACK10 to get additional $10 off. This can effectively make the 3 month subscription come down to $30/month + shipping. You can get the first box for $40 shipped.
3 month Bokksu subscription total = $124.94 or $41.65/month shipped
6 month Bokksu subscription total = $247.88 or $41.31/month shipped
12 month Bokksu subscription total = $469.76 or $39.14/month shipped
For a one box purchase, Sakura costs $37.5 + $12.5 express shipping coming out to $50. You can use code WHEREANDWANDER to get $5, so it brings the first box down to $45.
3 month Sakuraco subscription total = $139 or $46.33/month shipped
6 month Sakuraco subscription total = $276 or $46.00/month shipped
12 month Sakuraco subscription total = $535 or $44.58/month shipped
TIP #1: Using this referral link + code SNACK10 for $10 off, you can get the first Bokksu box for as low as $30 shipped.
TIP #2: First time subscribers to Sakuraco can get $5 off any purchase with code WHEREANDWANDER
Winner: With the discount code, Bokksu comes out to about $5 cheaper per month for all plans.
Additional Fees
One small thing that I didn’t like about Bokksu was that by default, there was an additional $1.55 + tax Bokksu Protection+ charge to protect against loss, theft and damage to the box. You can remove the service and charge, but I personally do not like it when a company “offers” this service.
It’s effectively saying that if something happens to your box in transit, you’re not protected if you didn’t pay the additional fee. When I order something, the default should be that I should get my product. A guarantee against damage or theft should not be an optional or additional service. It’s an optional fee that lets the company off the hook and I do not like businesses that go this route.
Bokksu also has another box asking if you want to give an additional tip to support Japanese small family businesses starting at around $4.15 and going up to $8.31. With no concrete details, I have no idea where this “tip” ultimately ends up.
This feels very much like something an US-based company would do and while it’s optional, it doesn’t sit right with me, considering Japan’s general stance on tipping.
Winner: Sakuraco
Gifts
Both companies offer gifts for longer subscriptions. They change every month depending on the box.
Bokksu currently includes aromatic Japanese Incense leaves for a 6 month subscription and a pair of Japanese color changing glasses for a 12 month subscription.
Sakuraco offers a lacquerware plate and wagashi fork set for a 3 month subscription, a vermillion lacquerware box for a 6 month subscription, and a full lacquerware bowl set.
These gifts will change from time to time, so you can see what gift is currently being offered.
If I were getting a gift for someone, I’d probably go with a 3 month subscription, so it’s nice that Sakuraco has an option with a free small gift.
Winner: Sakuraco
Based on these criteria, I preferred the Sakuraco box, despite the slightly higher price.
Inside the Sakuraco Kyoto Box
It has been 7 months since my last trip to Japan and I was excited to see the contents of the box. Let’s go through what was inside. Opening the box, there’s a Japanese print with a message from the founder of Sakuraco with a note about the theme of the box.
The card stock was nice enough that I decided to keep and frame the card. There’s also a pamphlet with information about all the different treats, but I set that aside to do a quick catalog of the contents.
In a corner under the snacks, I found a hand-crafted tea cup with a subtle floral print that I immediately liked. It found a place in my collection and I only wished that it came in a pair. I am tempted to add the cup, from Sanpou Rouen (Gifu), to my next month’s order and box since you can buy the individual items through the Japan Haul partner site.
12 different treats and 1 home good product in total. Of those, there was 1 large item, 4 full-sized items, 2 tea bags and 6 pairs of small treats. You can see the different products that were included below.
Product Details
In order from left to right, top to bottom:
- Kyoto Arare. Hanayu (Kyoto). An assortment of seven different types of arare crackers made with glutinous rice.
- Yuzu Dorayaki. Suzuya Masamichi (Kyoto). A traditional dorayaki wheat pancake filled with white bean paste infused with you from Ehime Prefecture.
- Soba Boro. Helda Confectionery (Kyoto). Traditional Kyoto cookies made with soba flour.
- Kitsune Senbei. Seki Confectionery (Kyoto). Buckwheat cookies crafted as a souvenir for the famous Fushimi Inari Raisha Shrine shaped like the face of the kitsune fox.
- Momiji & Chestnut Wagashi. Kakushoan x Sugiura Confectionery (Kyoto). Traditional Japanese sweets made with a sweet jelly and different types of bean pastes, and agar.
- Sweet Potato Pie. Karachi Surabaya (Osaka). A flaky puff pastry from Osaka filled with sweet potato paste.
- Matcha Cream Roll Cookie. Gion Tsujiri (Kyoto). A famous rice cracker roll filled with stoneground matcha cream.
- Nikki Yatsuhashi. Kyoeido (Kyoto). Crispy cinnamon flavored crackers baked in the likeness of a Japanese harp, or koto.
- Osodefuri Soybean Okaki. Iwatsuka Confectionery (Niigata). Rice crackers made with soybeans from the Tokachi Plain of Hokkaido and flavored with peanuts, shrimp, and crab.
- Fried Gingko Nuts. Takuma Foods (Aichi). Crunchy gingko nuts lightly fried and salted.
- Matcha Chocolate Crunch. B.H. Corporation (Kyoto). Crunchy match and chocolate flavored puffed rice that’s famous in Kyoto as a must-buy souvenir.
- Sencha. Gion Tsujiri (Kyoto). Japanese green tea cultivated from Uji tea leaves that are steamed and hand-rolled.
- Matcha Pudding (not pictured). Morihaku Confectionary (Gifu). Silky matcha pudding.
Information Booklet
The included booklet was useful for identifying the snacks, but I liked that it highlighted a couple of the businesses behind certain snacks, so you get a deeper understanding of the process, ingredients and people behind the products. Learning about these types of places give me a reason to seek them out when I’m in Japan.
For example, #5, the Momiji & Chestnut Wagashi by Kakushoan. Wagashi are traditional Japanese sweets usually served with tea. They are usually made with mochi flour, bean paste, nuts and fruit and are often decorated beautifully and intricately. The confectionary is an important part of Japanese culture and daily life.
Established in 1966 as a wholesale producer of wagashi, Kakushoan opened its first factory-direct store in 2022, in response to the impact of the global pandemic. Customers can visit the store to sample from different “bites” that change with the season.
Is Sakuraco Box Worth It?
Overall, I was happy with what was sent in the Sakuraco box. I think the advertised price is attractive, but since it ships from Japan, the $12.50 shipping fee brings the total up to $50 if you’re just ordering one box.
If you place value on trying local products from Japan that are hard to impossible to find overseas, I can easily recommend the Sakuraco box. I think the 3 to 6 month subscription is a better approach, since you’ll save a few more bucks with each box and get a continuous supply of different products every month. You’ll also get a gift with the subscription.
The biggest appeal I see with Sakuraco is sending a 3 month subscription to someone as a gift. I can imagine the surprise of the first box, and then the delight of getting another box filled with different treats the next month, and then once again the month after. A literal gift that keeps on giving.
At $35.50 a box + $12.50 shipping over 3 months, the total cost comes to $144. If it’s your first time, you can use code WHEREANDWANDER to bring that total to $139.
The alternative is to fly to Japan and load up on these snacks yourself. Not a bad idea if you can swing it. Happy travels.
Looking for more travel inspirations? Scroll through some of the 450+ experiences on my bucket list. Maybe you’ll find your next adventure on there.
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Updated on November 1, 2024