TokyoTreat Review: Why It’s Not For Me
TokyoTreat Review: Why It’s Not For Me
If you’re here, you’re probably looking for reviews to see whether the TokyoTreat box is something worth subscribing or trying out. Is it worth it? I’ll cut to the chase. I tried it, I liked the snacks, but it’s not for me. This is not a gotcha type of review. It’s just not for me.
I’ll go through the contents of my box, the pricing, what I don’t like about the service, and what I think makes TokyoTreat a popular product.
Is TokyoTreat A Scam?
When I was doing my research on the company, I noticed a number of Reddit posts asking if TokyoTreat was a scam. These post complained about shipping delays and customs taxes, with commenters sharing their own negative and positive reviews.
From my experience, TokyoTreat is not a scam and is a legitimate company. However, there are a couple of things everyone should know before subscribing.
Custom Taxes In Certain Countries
I had two experiences with TokyoTreat. Shipping a package to the US and shipping another package to Portugal. As an American, I’ve never dealt with any customs taxes when receiving an international package, but it’s different in other countries.
There were no problems with my package sent to the US. It arrived 5 days after it left Japan via DHL. No damage to the package, and everything inside was fresh, including a packaged pastry. 10/10
However, the package to Portugal ended up being held in the customs department when it entered Lisbon. If you are registered with the customs department, you would get a notification. However, since we weren’t, we only found out when we logged on and looked for the package.
Turns out, it had arrived quite quickly from Japan, but there was a customs tax that had to be paid before the package would be forwarded onto our address. I double checked the company’s FAQ and they advise to check your country’s rules for the customs fee and taxes. They are NOT RESPONSIBLE for any customs or taxes.
The total itemized value of the package came out to ¥850 or about €5, so I didn’t expect the taxes to be high, but Portugal ended quoting multiple fees including a 23% VAT, a €7 custom service fee, and an additional duty fee because it was a commercial package, despite the item being listed as a gift. They also quoted the package content value at around €20. I’m just as confused as you are with this matter.
I blame the problem more on Portugal’s Custom Clearance system than TokyoTreats. Needless to say, I didn’t like all the additional fees imposed by Portugal associated with this package. Check your country’s import fees, but note that the package value was only around €5, so the actual taxes shouldn’t be that high.
What’s Inside The TokyoTreat Box?
Opening the package, I was quite excited by how packed the box was with different items. One by one, I went through each item and it seemed endless. As a gift box, this would be absolutely awesome to open.
In total, I counted 16 treats. There was one large bag of Apple Pie flavored Kit Kat and 4 full-sized items that included a package of instant ramen and a Danish pastry. 11 smaller items made up the rest of the package along with a photograph from the TokyoTreat team. I received the October box, so it was very obviously Halloween themed with most of the items taking on a seasonal Halloween packaging.
There was an included pamphlet that described all the items included and I’ve listed them below.
- Pai No Mi Mini Pies (Japanese Pudding): Sweet and flaky mini pies with a pudding custard center.
- Halloween Angel Pie: Japanese curry flavored cracker pie.
- Halloween Chocolate: Choco-pie.
- Halloween Harvest Karinto: Sweet and salty fried snacks made from carrots, sweet potatoes, and onions.
- Pari Pari Pumpkin Senbei Cracker: a crispy and crunch pumpkin flavored rice cracker.
- Curry Ramen Noodles: Curry flavored instant ramen noodles.
- Apple Pie Kit-Kat: Special Japanese Kit-Kit with a seasonal apple pie flavor.
- Rich Caramel Danish: Caramel danish pastry.
- Spooky Spicy Crackers: Crunch crackers made with spicy peppercorn flavor.
- Halloween Fugashi Snack Stick: Crispy Japanese snack made with puffed wheat and brown sugar
- Tempura crackers: Shrimp-flavored crackers.
- Halloween Fruit Juice Potion: Fruit juice powder.
- Halloween Marshmallow: Pudding-flavored marshmallow filled with custard.
- Halloween Pizza Puffs: Cheesy pizza flavored puffs.
- Boo! Ghost Gummies: Apple-flavored gummies that change the color of your tongue.
- Halloween Mini Hi-Chew. Classic Japanese chewy candy.
What I Liked About The Box
It was fun. I recognized some of the treats from my many trips to Japan, so it was just nice to see a box full of different snacks arrive to my doorsteps. The packaged Danish was a warm visceral reminder of the konbinis (convenience stores) in Japan and the Apple Iie Kit-Kats were a definite palate surprise. Brings a smile to my face. I am a huge fan of the packaged instant ramen in Japan. It’s just a few levels above the stuff you normally pick up elsewhere.
Whenever I’m in Japan, I just buy a bunch of different snacks to try and see what I like. I then load up on those. I found a couple of new ones, like #5, the spicy crackers and #15, the gummies that I will definitely be getting again when I’m in Tokyo.
Why It’s Not For Me?
There’s nothing wrong with the box. I just travel to Japan often enough that I can easily load up on snacks. I also live in Los Angeles, where I have access to Japanese stores like Mitsuwa and Daiso to pick up similar products. For that reason, I actually prefer the Sakuraco box from the same company.
They are both snack boxes, but for me, Sakuraco focuses more on regional products that I can’t find outside of Japan. Their themed boxes move from region to region each month, so there’s a much higher chance that I’ll get products that I haven’t tried before.
Ultimately, the two different services exist because they offer different types of products and it’s a matter of personal preference. You can compare with what I got in my Sakuraco box.
TokyoTreat Is A Great Gifting Idea
While it’s not for me, I think it’s such a good gifting idea, especially for friends who’ve been to Japan, but have no immediate plans to return. Anyone who has been will know the feeling of coming home with a luggage full of treats and gifts. Eventually, that supply runs out so getting a surprise box of treats is the type of gift that no one will complain about.
Bang for your buck, I think the 3 month subscription is the best gifting option. Think about getting a random box of snacks and then getting another one the month after, when you don’t expect it, and then getting one more to top it off. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.
TokyoTreat Pricing
A single box starts at $37.50 with a $12.50 shipping charge totaling $50. You can use promo code WHEREANDWANDER to get $5 off your first TokyoTreat box bringing it down to $45.
3, 6 and 12 month subscriptions bring the price down to $32.5 a box + $12.50 shipping. and come with different bonus gifts. You can see bonus gifts are on offer here.
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
