A review of the October 2023 TokyoTreat and Sakuraco Subscription Boxes! These boxes feature the best of fall with a festive collection of Japanese sweet and savory treats.
Disclosure: I received the TokyoTreat and Sakuraco October 2023 boxes in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
I reviewed TokyoTreat and Sakuraco for the first time last month and was so excited to see the new themes and snacks for October.
This month, Sakuraco is celebrating Kyoto’s Crimson Leaves and TokyoTreat has Halloween covered! Even the outer designs of the boxes highlight the season.
As part of the celebration, TokyoTreat is also sharing the code: TREATS23 to receive additional Trick or Treats Mystery Snacks (up to 8 mystery snacks) in your box this month!
The boxes are available in monthly, 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month auto-renew (which can be cancelled or paused at any time) subscriptions with a price decrease for each longer plan.
Packing and shipping from Japan is included and available worldwide (excluding Japan). The arrival time may vary based on available shipping method.
It can take as little as 3 days for DHL or up to 60-90 days for surface mail depending on the country. My boxes arrived in 3-5 days from Tokyo to the Washington DC area with detailed tracking down to the hour via DHL.
Most of the snacks are vegetarian, though a few may include meat or seafood- and will be noted as such in the allergen section of the guides.
TokyoTreat October 2023
We started with TokyoTreat Halloween Snackhaul.! This exclusive Japanese snack box features up to 20 seasonal and limited edition treats with perfect combination of both sweet and savory flavors. It often has hard to find KitKat flavors, Pocky, Ramune, ramen, drinks, and more.
Between the Halloween theming and focus on candy, our kids were especially excited to try everything.
Each box comes with a helpful 24 page cultural guide to explain the individual treats along with history, traditions, and notable facts surrounding the theme. We loved the photos in the guide of Halloween celebrations and food in Japan.
The titles of the snacks in the guide are written in English and/or Romanized Japanese.
They also have a short intro with background information, a photo for easy identification, common allergens with possible traces, and whether the item is suitable for vegetarians.
TokyoTreat Halloween
Evan went straight for the Koala March and loved the fun Halloween-themed designs. They would definitely be a great option for trick-or-treating.
The box comes with an entire bag of mini KitKat Sweet Potato Bars! These sweet treats are covered in white chocolate with a sweet potato flavor.
The Koikeya Salt & Sesame Oil Potato Chips came in dark packaging with angel wings. The flavor was light with a crisp, thick-cut texture.
The Polinky Mentaiko Corn Snacks have a light orange color perfect for Halloween. They are flavored lightly with mentaiko (pickled pollack roe) with just a hint of spice.
The kids immediately picked the Choco Pie with its Pokémon Halloween packaging. The sweet cake layers are filled with whipped cream and coated in a rich chocolate.
One of my favorite things about the TokyoTreat boxes is the instant noodle packet. This month has a savory Tanuki Yakisoba! It is vegetarian-friendly and comes together in less than 5 minutes.
The Halloween Tomato Pretz have a savory tomato flavor perfect for contrasting with much of the sweetness in the rest of the box. They are housed in a red package with ghosts and bats.
The Mini Halloween Cookies had such adorable packaging with pumpkins, ghosts, and haunted houses. These little cookies have a light sweetness and crunch.
I’ve had the Tohato Caramel Corn Puffs before and was so excited to see them this month. These crispy caramel-flavored puffs soften with a melt-in-your-mouth texture in every bite.
There is a can of Kobe Japanese Cola to pair with all the tasty treats. This refreshing drink from Kobe is sweetened with Japanese citrus extracts.
The Halloween Jelly Bean Gummies were Claire’s favorite. These little gummies come in ghostly grape, creepy cola, and ghoulish ginger ale flavors.
If you order the TokyoTreat Halloween Snackhaul box before October 15, 2023 and use the code: TREATS23, you can receive up to eight additional mystery snacks! They may be wacky or delicious. In my box, I got a super spicy snack- Tohato Habanero Chili Potato Rings. The packaging was quite ominous and I was a bit nervous to try. After one, the heat actually wasn’t that bad, but then it suddenly builds with each bite.
The Black Thunder Cookie Bar was my personal favorite. It was so good with the combination of chocolate and crushed cookies.
The cute Halloween Mini Hi-Chew come in ramune, grape, melon, and orange flavors with an assortment of pastel colors.
The bright packaging and color of the Montster Bubble Gum definitely match the theme. This candy has an intense energy drink flavor to match its vibrant yellow color.
The Teeny Tiny Monster Chocolates got a little melted along the way, but were still delicious. These miniature treats come in milk choco, sweet soybean powder, strawberry, banana, and melon.
Sakuraco October 2023
While TokyoTreat celebrated Halloween, Sakuraco had a regional focus on Kyoto’s Crimson Leaves in partnership with the Kyoto Prefectural Government!
This snack box experience highlights local artisan snack makers and curated tea pairings with 20 premium wagashi, exclusive treats, home goods, tea, and more.
I especially loved the history included in the 24 page cultural guide this month and the gorgeous photos of Kyoto’s Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Tofuku-ji Temple, and Daigo-ji Temple in autumn.
There is even an inside look into a couple of the companies with photos of the treats being made and the local ingredients.
The titles of the snacks in the guide are written in English and/or Romanized Japanese. They each have a short intro with background information, a photo for easy identification, common allergens with possible traces, and whether the item is suitable for vegetarians.
In addition to all this, Sakuraco’s guide mentions the maker and prefecture of origin. As the theme suggests, most came from Kyoto this month.
Sakuraco Kyoto’s Crimson Leaves
After opening the box this month, I was immediately drawn to the gorgeous bowl! This Brocade Flower Dish from Bloom in Gifu is hand-painted with the “traditional hues of indigo, vibrant flower motifs, and vermillion-red blooms.” It is microwave and dishwasher safe.
The crispy flower-shaped Soba Cookie from Heiwa Confectionery in Kyoto is made with buckwheat flour. It had a wonderful blend of sweet and savory flavors.
The Hinerinpon from Taipei Confectionery in Aichi has such a fun, twisted pattern with a light and airy texture. This fried and savory Arare is flavored with a hint of salt and blend of spices.
The Hojicha Tea from Uji no Tsuyu Seicha in Kyoto is perfect for pairing with many of the treats in the box. I enjoyed the tea hot, but there were also directions on the package to create a cold brew.
Chad really enjoyed the White Chocolate Fruits: Banana. This Sakuraco Original soaks banana pieces with white chocolate for quite the decadent fruit snack.
The crisp Nikki Yatsuhashi from Higashiyama Yatsuhashi Honpo in Kyoto have a delicate cinnamon flavor. It is baked in a curved shape to resemble a koto (Japanese harp).
To go with the autumn theme, this Momiji Cookie from Seki Confectionery is designed in the shape of a Japanese maple leaf (momiji). The crisp texture and light flavor was perfect for an elegant tea break.
The Matcha Cream Cookie from Gion Tsujiri in Kyoto was another highlight. These thin rice cracker rolls are filled with a stone-ground matcha cream using matcha from Uji.
There were many highlights, but my personal favorite this month was the Yuzu Dorayaki from Suzuya Masamichi in Kyoto. This Dorayaki (filled pancake) has yuzu from Ehime Prefecture and a wheat dough from Mie Prefecture with a creamy white bean paste filling. The flavors were incredible with a light and fluffy texture.
The Asobi Arare from Watanabe Confectionery in Kyoto were a fun treat with an assortment of designs and flavors.
The Kyo no Ame from Amesho Sawahara in Kyoto have such vibrant coloring! These handmade candies are created over an open fire on the ground with matcha, black sugar (my favorite), mint, plum (Claire’s favorite), and ginger.
The Heart Wasanbon Senbei from Watanabe Confectionery in Kyoto is a charming little treat with a heart shape and Uruchi rice base. It is lightly coated with wasanbon (fine-grained Japanese sugar) for a hint of sweetness.
The Adzuki Pear Jelly from Yukio in Kyoto was a fun surprise with two layers! This refreshing pear-infused jelly has Dainagon adzuki beans throughout the bottom and a beautiful maple and gingko leaf design in the clear top layer.
Each box has a surprise seasonal favorite that “revives the flavors of Japan’s four seasons, gracefully setting the stage for the transition into autumn.” Mine had the Salt & Pepper Yuba Chips! This delicious savory snack has crisp pieces of Yuba (the dried film formed on the surface of heated soy milk) flavored with salt and pepper.
The Uji Koicha Bouchée was another delicious treat using stone-ground matcha. Sourced from a tea garden in Uji-Tawara, the matcha cream is surrounded by two layers of a light and airy cake.
The Sansho Arare from Narumiya in Kyoto have a delightful hint of spice from the sansho (Japanese pepper). It paired wonderfully with the soy sauce blend coating.
TokyoTreat and Sakuraco
Overall, we had such fun trying the variety of Japanese treats in both boxes this month delivered right to our doorstep.
I continue to prefer the beautiful designs and artistic quality to the Sakuraco box, while the kids love the abundance of vibrant and exciting flavors in the TokyoTreat box the best.
Both of these boxes are available until October 15th, 2023!
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