It’s no secret that we are huge fans of Japanese food, an obsession stoked even further by our trip to Japan in summer 2024. Due to our love of Japanese food, I was particularly delighted that SakuraCo gifted me their August subscription box of Japanese foodie treats. SakuraCo is a monthly subscription service that sends you a curated box of Japanese snacks, based on a different theme each month. You can also buy one-off boxes or products if you don’t want to commit to an ongoing subscription. They also have a sister brand TokyoTreat which offers more pop culture and kawaii based food subscription boxes. I have previously purchased SakuraCo subscription boxes as presents for my foodie friends, and they have always been well-received.
This month’s SakuraCo box theme was Okinawa, the southernmost major island in Japan. I was thrilled to see this theme since Okinawa is one of the top places we would like to visit in the near future. We have a friend who lives there part of the year and we hope to visit him someday. It didn’t work to visit Okinawa on our 2024 trip, but he was previously generous enough to bring us some treats from Okinawa. Okinawa is known for its unique cuisine, its indigenous Ryukyuan culture, and its laid-back beachy atmosphere that sets it apart from other regions in Japan. On the blog we have previously covered Okinawan brown sugar, a special ingredient that found its way into several treats in the SakuraCo August box including in chocolate cookies, an almond mix, and deep-fried wheat snacks.
The SakuraCo box includes at least 20 sweet and savory treats from small-scale artisanal producers all over Japan, but with a focus on Okinawan producers or ingredients this month. SakuraCo boxes also include a piece of pottery, glass or tableware each month, serving as a lasting reminder long after the food has been consumed. This month’s box included a special piece of pottery from Bloom Ceramics in Gifu Prefecture. We received a small Mino Ware bowl in elegant, muted browns and blues, which we think would be perfect for dipping sauces.
One of our favorite parts of the SakuraCo box is the helpful booklet that describes each item and its producer, along with some information about the region’s culture and top sites. Not only does this guide help you identify the products, but it provides additional context on the included foods and their unique origin stories, which I love. One of the featured producers in this month’s box was a heritage dried pickled plum maker from Okinawa, Uema Kashiten. The included honey plum, known as Suppaiman, was truly one of the most intriguing bites in the box: sweet, salty, savory, acidic and juicy all in one.
The box was a treasure trove of unique Japanese snacks, none of which we had ever had before. Many of the snacks come in twos, which makes them really fun to share with a friend or partner (or to just have more for yourself). One of of the favorite items in this month’s box was the delicate Sanpin jasmine green tea from Higa Seicha in Okinawa (2 servings) which made the perfect accompaniment for our Japanese treats. On the sweet side, we really enjoyed the Beni Imo pie with Okinawan purple sweet potatoes from Bonbon Confectionery in Hokkaido and the Okinawa Almond Caramel Cookie from Nagatoya in Shizuoka. Though these manufactures were not from Okinawa, they featured key ingredients from the region: Okinawan salt, brown sugar, and sweet potato. On the savory side, we really enjoyed the Gorgonzola Nori Ten bites from Maruka Foods in Hiroshima, which were bursting with umami flavor.
We heartily enjoyed sampling the sweet and savory treats in this month’s box, and can’t wait to see what next month brings. As a result, our desire to go to Okinawa is stronger than ever! These Japanese snack boxes would make the perfect gift for the foodie in your life (or yourself). You can order the SakuraCo Okinawa box until August 20, 2025. Thanks again for the treats, SakuraCo!
Eating The World 