Table of Contents
About Bokksu
Bokksu is a Japanese snack subscription service with a cultural twist. Its monthly boxes are curated around a specific region, flavor, or traditional theme. Plus, it pairs a mix of sweet and savory treats with a tea—all sourced from small businesses.
The niche brand has quite a following, with over 106k on Instagram. Plus, it has been featured in BuzzFeed, Harper’s Bazaar, Mashable, and a ton of other noteworthy publications.
In this Bokksu box review, we’ll explore the brand and its subscription service, uncover customer experience and promotions, answer important FAQs, and more, to help you decide if it’s the right choice for your snacking needs.
Overview of Bokksu
During a trip to Japan, Danny Taing became “obsessed” with the snack food selections available in the country. Upon returning to the US, he discovered that no matter how hard he searched, he couldn’t find the same brands let alone the same flavors he had experienced during that life-changing visit.
He noticed that the brands he enjoyed the most came from small family businesses that didn’t sell internationally. Yet, those brands were the ones with the most to offer—the ones that America hadn’t been able to get their hands on. Until now, that is.
In 2016, Taing launched Bokksu with the intent to introduce small Japanese family snack makers to the world. His service wouldn’t be just about snacks, it would be about the cultural Japanese experience, providing a guide to a certain aspect of the country or tradition along with a tasty treat.
On the brand’s website, you can even meet each maker the brand works with and learn about their unique family histories. A small team of 10 itself, Bokksu operates from its headquarters in New York City, NY, but ships from Japan.
Before we get into just how the brand’s subscription service works, this Bokksu box review will cover the main pros and cons.
Pros
- Selection of 20 different items in each box including sweet, savory, spicy, and tea
- Boxes include a 16-page guide to Japan and snack history
- Online marketplace to buy your favorite picks in bulk
- Option to buy past boxes individually
- Referral discount
- Free shipping for subscribing members
- International shipping
- Happiness guarantee
Cons
- Boxes are slightly pricier than other options
- Discontinued Tasting boxes that were less expensive
Next in this Bokksu box review, we’ll give you the details on exactly how this unique subscription works. Then, we’ll share some of our favorite top picks from the brand’s selection, including spicy, refreshing, and sugary treats.
How Does Bokksu Work?
Bokksu sends you a curated themed box every month. Themes could be Summer Fruits, Bokksu Birthday, or Tangy Citrus, but each box will have a balanced mix of sweet and salty treats along with a perfect tea pairing to take your snacking to an entirely new level.
As a member, you have the option to subscribe on a month-to-month basis or a longer term, like 3, 6, or 12 months. Keep in mind your subscription auto-renews, so if you wish to cancel, do so a few days before your next billing date. This is a good option for those who want to try out one box only before committing to a longer term.
While you won’t be able to buy future boxes without a subscription, if you’re lucky, you may be able to swipe a past box up in the online marketplace.
Speaking of the marketplace, if at any time you fall in love with one (or all) of the items in your box, like Bokksu Ocean Salt KitKat, or a certain blend of tea, you can head to the online shop to buy them again.
Is this company right for your snacking needs? In the next section of the Bokksu box review, we’ll fill you in on what’s included in its snack subscription plan.
Bokksu Box Review
Bokksu offers one Classic Box with a selection of 20-24 premium items. The brand is about giving customers an experience, so no snack time would be complete without tea and a little education on where the snacks you’re happily chomping away on come from.
Each box comes with a 16-page booklet with information on individual snack makers, history of the snack culture, and information on the theme of each box. You’ll also get all of the ingredients and allergen info of each item to help you understand exactly what it is you’re eating, like Bokksu White Strawberry, which is surprisingly a chocolate, not a fruit.
And if you came for the chocolates—you won’t be disappointed. In most boxes, you’ll find Bokksu Japanese Kit Kat, because, as you know, in Japan they have a Kit Kat for every occasion! Hooray!
Our Favorites From The Menu
There’s something so enthralling about snacks, but more particularly, new snacks. Perhaps it’s the fact we get to eat them between meals, or maybe it’s the new flavor combinations. Whatever it is, we’re here for them.
Throughout this Bokksu box review, we came across a ton of exciting treats that made us super pumped about this brand. Check out a few of our faves below:
Funwari Meijin Mochi Puffs: Hokkaido Cheese
Like nothing you have ever experienced before, the Echigo Seika Funwari Meijin Mochi Puffs are truly an innovation in snack food. The salty, fatty flavor of Hokkaido cheese saturates these creamy, melty, and surprisingly lightweight, poppable puffs.
Key ingredients include mochigome rice and flavored cheese. But, you won’t be able to whip up your own version at home. Echigo Seika’s process in creating these crisp puffs is a secret that you can taste for $12 (six 66g bags).
Spicy Mini Heart Senbei
We were hooked on the way these bite-size snacks look, but it’s the flavors that reeled us in. The clear packaging shows an assortment of perfectly shaped heart rice crackers bursting with flavor. Each packet contains three flavors (and three colors of hearts): black sesame, mustard, and green seaweed.
The Bokksu Spicy Mini Heart Senbei offers a hot kick with each bite. To purchase from the marketplace, one 25g bag will run you $3.
Hokkaido Red Bean Doughnuts
Red bean may sound strange to you, but don’t be scared of the kidney-shaped legume. Its nutty, mild flavor blends excellently with desserts, giving them a rounded out taste that doesn’t go overboard on sweetness.
These red bean doughnuts have a cake texture and are filled with red bean paste—the perfect afternoon treat. Offered in a pack of two, the Bokksu X Honma Hokkaido Red Bean Doughnuts cost $4.
Summer Tea Mizudashicha
Bokksu includes tea in your goodie selection. We came across this one and thought it would make the ideal companion to your afternoon snack on a hot day.
With an icy, green color, this cold-brew tea blends the flavors of matcha with sencha green tea leaves to make a refreshing, unique flavor to be served over ice. To purchase separately, the Kagoshima Seicha Summer Tea Mizudashicha costs $25 for 25 packs.
What Comes In The First Bokksu Box?
If it’s your first time ordering Bokksu, the brand will start you off with its Seasons of Japan box. It’s packed with the best-tasting snacks Japan has to offer that span out across the four seasons.
As you know, the tastes of summer are very different than they are in winter, so with your first box, you’ll get the best of all seasons bundled up neatly in a beautiful orange box.
Is Bokksu Different Every Month?
Yes! Each month, your Bokksu box will have a different theme to help you explore the regions, flavors, and traditions of Japan. These boxes are curated with hard-to-find items that aren’t available overseas.
Who Is Bokksu For?
The brand was created to help people around the world experience the wonderful world of Japanese snack food culture. Bokksu Japanese snacks are an ideal choice for anyone who wants to experience that.
You’ll discover the country through snacks, as each box comes with a booklet that teaches you about the history of each item and where it originates in Japan.
With a more traditional approach, Bokksu helps the stories of many Japanese snack makers to be heard around the world. If you’d like a little culture with your snacks, then Bokksu is a good choice.
Comparison: Bokksu vs. Japan Candy Box
Japanese treat boxes are all the rage right now, so as you can imagine, there are quite a few brands that offer similar products. To help you see how Bokksu stands out from the crowd, let’s do a quick comparison with Japan Candy Box.
Japan Candy Box is a cute, bubbly brand that’s all about… you guessed it, candy. Each month you’ll receive a box full of different Japanese sweets, ranging from gum and gummies to cookies and chocolate.
The 12-Month plan with Japan Candy Box is $25/month, but you’ll be getting 10 candies in your box. Bokksu Japanese candy box gives you more than just candy, including tea and savory snacks as well, in double the quantity for $40/month.
Bokksu certainly has more value, but not everyone wants savory treats. Japan Candy Box is a good choice for anyone who wants to try out the country’s sweet treat selection for a lower monthly price.
How Much is Bokksu?
The service will send you an exciting Bokksu Japanese snack box every month, but the longer you commit, the less you’ll pay in the end. Take a peek at the prices below to see how much you’d save with longer subscriptions.
- Month-to-Month $50/month
- 3-Months $45/month
- 6-Months $43/month
- 12-Months $40/month
If you know you want to discover what Bokksu has to offer for an entire year, your best bet is to choose the 12-Month plan and save about $120—that’s basically like getting 2 ½ boxes for free.
Bokksu Reviews: What Do Customers Think?
Customer reviews have become one of the most valuable tools on the web, warning others about iffy products and praising brands for excellent service. No Bokksu box review would be complete without hearing from shoppers, and in this section, you’ll read about their experiences with the brand.
Let’s check out Bokksu.com first. The brand’s website shows a 5/5 star rating and 15,921 customer testimonials. Satisfied subscribers wrote about the “delicious” selection and “variety” of the boxes.
One Bokksu box review revealed that their bundle had “so many different things I hadn’t seen before so it was great to try new foods.” It’s good to know that what comes in the box isn’t to come by in other countries.
Though not many negatives, there were some concerns about similar products in the boxes. Take this example:
“There were two bags of slightly different green tea Kit Kats and although they are great, it is a lot of Kit Kats versus having some other thing.” That’s a good point, as the purpose of this box is to try new things, so similar items aren’t a huge help in that regard.
Next, we headed over to Trustpilot to see if the rating on the brand’s website held up—which it does. The company has a 4.8/5 star rating and 501 customer comments. Here’s the rating snapshot below if you’d like to see how the average was calculated:
- Excellent 87%
- Great 6%
- Average <1%
- Poor 3%
- Bad 3%
93% of shoppers said their experiences with the brand was either Excellent or Great—a huge feat for any company.
What was so excellent and great about their experiences? Customers rave about “nice client support” and a fantastic selection of quality items. One Bokksu box review reads, “The snacks are well chosen, well packaged and presented, and come with interesting and relevant information about their origins in the form of a nice booklet.”
It sounds like the entire service is thoughtful and thorough. So what could possibly be the issue 6% of customers had with the brand? Of course, the complete opposite of everything so many love about it.
Unhappy customers speak of missing orders, poor customer service, and a cheap selection of snacks. One that had an issue with canceling their subscription said, “The company basically told me well this is how your account was set up and we can’t help you. They offer nothing in the way of help, support or understanding.”
Feedback like this is always difficult to understand. It could be the fault of the customer or it could truly be poor customer service.
Finally, we decided to hop over to My Subscription Addiction to get a closer look and more detailed opinions about Bokksu’s service and box selection.
The Bokksu box review on My Subscription Addiction revealed the reviewer’s experience with the Seasons of Japan box (the first box you will receive when you sign up). Assessing each item, of the taste she said, “You won’t find a lot of one-note flavors” with any Japanese snack item. So while it may look familiar, the taste is like nothing you’ve tried before.
In the end, she asked herself, “Can I get similarly sized snacks for less locally?” Her answer was yes, of course, but the selection won’t be the same. With that said, 20 items cost $50 if you do the month-to-month subscription, and this may be too high for some customers.
Ultimately, she didn’t find fault with the service, but this Bokksu box review will note that this premium service isn’t cheap.
Overall, we found that subscribers go crazy for Bokksu. Customer service is helpful, the items are delicious and varied, and surprisingly, we didn’t find many issues with shipping like we have with some other Japanese box subscriptions.
Is Bokksu Subscription Worth It?
We’ll just go ahead and say yes! There’s nothing that indicates this service isn’t worth the money—if you have it.
There are other snack subscriptions on the market that are less expensive. But, we appreciate that this brand is about giving credit to small Japanese snack makers and gives them the chance to introduce their products to the world.
The snacks we’ve seen included in past boxes look and sound truly exciting. We love the concept of themed boxes and enjoy that Bokksu is as much a cultural experience that educates customers about Japan as it is a brand that gives them access to inaccessible treats.
Bokksu Promotions & Discounts
Another great thing about Bokksu is the fact it has deals! Take a peek at the ones it currently offers below:
- Refer a friend and get $15 off your next box (they get $15 too)
- Free shipping for subscribers (no Bokksu promo code required)
- Sign up to their mailing list to get any Bokksu coupon code or special deal they have running
Sign Up For Bokksu Subscription
If you’ve made it this far through our Bokksu box review, you may be wondering how you can sign up. It’s really easy, just follow these steps:
- Head to Bokksu.com
- Click ‘Get Started’ on the homepage
- Choose your subscription plan & click ‘Subscribe’
- Checkout
FAQ
Where is Bokksu located?
Bokksu’s headquarters are located in the US. It sources its items from independent snack makers in Japan, but its operations are based in New York City, as that’s where the brand’s owner is from.
How do I cancel my Bokksu subscription?
You can cancel your subscription at any time, just be sure to stick to the guidelines below:
- Log in to your account on Bokksu.com
- Head to the ‘Subscriptions & Gifts’ tab
- Select ‘Deactivate Subscription’ on the right-hand side of the webpage
This Bokksu box review notes that if you’re using a phone or tablet, you’ll need to turn your screen landscape (horizontal) to see the ‘Deactivate Subscription’ button.
You’ll need to deactivate your subscription at least one day before your renewal date to avoid charges for the next period. After you cancel, if you have any time left in your subscription term you’ll keep receiving the boxes you paid for.
What is Bokksu’s Shipping Policy?
Bokksu offers free shipping for certain subscribing members via Japan Post. It ships to most countries but due to current restrictions, the company has suspended shipping to a few countries.
To find out if it ships to your location, head to the Shipping FAQs section.
Shipping rates apply to the following countries:
- Australia & Cambodia $8
- Canada $10
- Greece, Romania, Ireland $11
- Kazakhstan $20
- Israel, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia $23
Your order will be sent out in about 1-2 weeks from the time you place it online. Any additional orders will be sent on a schedule to arrive monthly. Tracking is currently unavailable.
To ensure your parcel arrives safely, Bokksu offers Route Package Protection. It’s $10 and added on to each order, but if you prefer not to have it you can just delete it from your cart at checkout.
What is Bokksu’s Return Policy?
Bokksu boxes are non-refundable, but if your order arrives damaged, if an item is expired, or something is open, get in contact with the company as soon as possible and it will make it right.
In fact, if anything is wrong with your order at all, Bokksu has a Happiness Guarantee that promises they will do everything in its power to make its customers happy.
How to Contact Bokksu
We hope that you found everything you came looking for and more in this Bokksu box review. If by chance you need any other information you can always reach out to the brand via:
- Email: [email protected]
- Contact Form on the company website
Still hungry? Explore your options for snacks with these top subscriptions:
Ask the community or leave a comment
WRITE A REVIEWCustomer Reviews
Leave a review