Bokksu and Tokyo Treat are monthly Japan-inspired snack box subscriptions that we personally love and received many boxes in the past. They provide delicious sweet and savoury Japanese snacks to your doorstep.
Both brands get their treats directly from Japan, so you know you are getting authentic delicacies. They’re simply great for trying Asian sweets and experiencing Japan from the comfort of your house.
Tokyo Treat vs Bokksu Review Video
If you don't feel like reading, watch our quick 5 minutes review video instead.
For many years now, we've been big fans of both Bokksu and Tokyo Treat, so choosing just one was a difficult choice. Although they are both fantastic in their own ways, as avid Asian food enthusiasts, Tokyo Treat has won our hearts.
We love trying new Asian snacks and have reviewed over 20+ snack boxes in our lifetime, so you know we have a knack for giving snack reviews.
We conscientiously compared each brand’s latest snack boxes side-by-side to find out which is the best Japanese snack box. Not only did we consider each box’s overall and individual treats’ value, but also the process from subscription. From purchasing all the way to getting your hands on the tasty munchies. Our short but information-packed unboxing review will be all you need to learn about these subscription boxes.
So, to satiate all your cravings, here’s our Bokksu vs Tokyo Treat review to unearth all there is to know about these Japan-inspired snack subscription boxes.
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Bokksu vs Tokyo Treat (Quick Review)
In our opinion, Tokyo Treat is a better purchase than Bokksu and is our favourite for a few reasons. Having subscribed to both services, we felt that the Japanese snacks from Tokyo Treat are more filling, fun and cheaper than Bokksu.
While both offer unique Japanese flavours and Japan-exclusive snacks, Tokyo Treat specialises in modern pop culture-influenced releases. For example, they offer limited-edition Japanese soda and Ramune. They also have the newest and coolest KitKat flavours.
So, if you’re looking for a taste of modern Japan, you will find everything. From weird to cute, even things you didn’t know existed or that you would want to try. For anime fans, you’ll also find a healthy dose of cute characters and collaborations throughout the year.
Furthermore, the whole process, from subscribing to tracking your orders, is relatively straightforward for this brand. It's also incredibly easy to pause or cancel your subscription anytime. So it's no surprise that this service is our favourite, with membership bonuses, streaks to earn incentives, and plenty of giveaways.
Japanese Snack Selection
Choosing between monthly snack boxes can be tricky because they’re both great services. There are just many variables that you can consider. To simplify things, we have decided to judge them according to a few factors. Here are the following Japanese snack criteria we followed. Quantity, variety, quality, exclusiveness and packaging.
We have based these factors on the snacks we received, so this may vary for you. You will get a different selection from month to month. So, use our review as a rough guide to what you can expect.
Quantity of Snacks in Tokyo Treat and Bokksu
Bokksu includes 20-22 treats, while Tokyo Treat contains 15-20 full-sized treats. However, the size of the Japanese snacks we usually receive from Bokksu is smaller. So, Tokyo Treat wins for having more filling snacks.
If we wanted to munch on something more substantial, we wouldn’t have to worry about finishing everything in one seating for Tokyo Treat. You will also find many large packs of treats in this Japanese snack box subscription company. This makes them great for sharing between friends and families.
Meanwhile, Bokksu’s snacks were more delicate and often came in sets of two. This isn’t something we would be able to share with a few friends. At the higher price point, we wouldn’t want to either. But, more on pricing later on.
The variety between Sweet vs Savoury
Both packages contain various sweet and savoury items and drinks corresponding to a monthly theme.
Typically, Tokyo Treat has a more even ratio between sweet and savoury, while Bokksu has more sweet than savoury treats. However, the size of the sweet treats from the latter company is usually bitesize with a larger pack of savoury nibbles. This means that it’s still got a good balance.
Quality of Bokksu vs Tokyo Treat
In terms of taste, the quality of snacks for both brands is great in their own ways. This is more difficult to compare directly. Here’s why.
Bokksu has more delicate snacks and feels more luxurious with its packaging. For us, we instantly noticed the glossy box. The majority of the snacks had their own branding to show off the collaborations they have with Japanese snack makers.
Bokksu’s snacks really reminded us of the small treats our Japanese colleague would buy as souvenir gifts for us. Typically, this is after their business trip to another region in the country. We also noticed a lot more of their nibbles required a lot more packaging to keep them fresh and sealed.
On the other hand, Tokyo Treat’s snacks are more filling and equally tasty as Bokksu. Their treats are a better representation of what most Japanese people would have grown up eating and would buy for themselves to eat on a monthly occasion.
You will get traditional Japanese sweets in both Japanese snack boxes and some junky food. We did find that the snacks in Tokyo Treat leaned towards being more trendy and cool, while, Bokksu was more of a souvenir quality. We think this is more similar to Sakuraco, Tokyo Treat's sister company. Here’s our full breakdown of Sakuraco vs Bokksu, who also offer small Japanese souvenirs with every purchase.
So, the quality of snacks for Bokksu vs Tokyo Treat really lies in your preference.
Rarity or Exclusivity
Both companies get their goodies straight from Japan. The only difference is that Tokyo Treat selects products that are only available for a limited time and are difficult to find. At the same time, Bokksu has exclusive collaborations with many Japanese businesses so you won’t actually find the exact treats within Japan.
Tokyo Treat emphasises adorable or amusing treats. Well-known Japanese anime and video game companies frequently create these snacks in collaboration with the service. They will also link their monthly nibbles with the latest trends through their guide. In our opinion, it’s a lovely little touch that makes it fun and light-hearted. Meanwhile, Bokksu takes pride in its high-quality products from artisanal delicacy makers.
With Bokksu, you will get a carefully curated, high-end artisanal experience. However, you cannot find their snacks worldwide since they focus on authentic family-owned businesses.
On the other hand, you will have a more trendy and fun convenience store-run experience with Tokyo Treat. This means the seasonal limited edition items you get with the latter are similar to those you can find in Japanese convenience stores only during specific months.
Packaging
With Bokksu, you will receive your delicacies beautifully packed in a red box. Meanwhile, Tokyo Treat ships their orders in a bright orange sealed flip-top box. The treats are efficiently arranged inside the box to perfectly fill the box and not get crushed.
These packages travel a considerable distance as they are transported. Therefore, some scuffs and scratches on the outside are unavoidable. However, you can easily reuse the packaging to store your snacks or recycle it when you're finished.
For Tokyo Treat, everything is still in its original packaging, which is excellent for people who wish to practise reading Japanese. You will first notice a lovely handbook when you open your box. It shows where each food is from in Japan. Moreover, it briefly describes the taste and cultural significance in case you need help reading the kanji on the individual snack packaging.
Price and subscriptions of Bokksu vs Tokyo Treat
Tokyo Treat costs $32.50 per package for a 12-month plan and $37.50 per package for a monthly plan. On the other hand, Bokksu costs between $39.99 and $49.99 each box for a 12-month plan and a monthly plan, respectively.
Tokyo Treat is cheaper than Bokksu for the monthly and annual subscription plans. We love that Tokyo Treat’s one-off, no-subscription option is still very affordable. This means that a lot of people can try them out without committing.
It’s not to say that the quality of snacks in Bokksu doesn’t justify the price point. However, we wouldn’t say it is affordable for a majority of people. We also think the higher price point means a lot more people would be hesitant to try them out. In the beginning, we were also hesitant to try. But, if you love the luxurious feel, great packaging and bitesize delicate snacks, then the price shouldn’t deter you.
Both brands offer membership lengths of 12 months, six months, three months, and monthly, with discounts for longer subscriptions. However, you will be charged for the entire subscription time upfront.
All of the packages from these companies include the same number of snacks regardless of your subscription plan. Therefore, the only differences are cost savings and length of commitment.
Furthermore, both services allow you to terminate your plans at any moment. Therefore, you must contact their customer service department to avoid getting charged for the following bundle. You must cancel the subscription at least 48 hours before your next renewal date.
Shipping and Delivery Time
The good news is that now both companies ship worldwide. The United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada are some of the popular countries these brands ship to. One of the perks of Tokyo Treat is that they offer rapid and priority shipping to these nations, while Bokksu provides the same type of shipping to all the countries. This means that you can get your parcel faster than anticipated.
Once processed, both brands usually pack and ship their packages within 3 to 5 business days. Shipping could take up to six weeks, depending on weather or other unforeseen conditions for the former service. Because several shipping methods are employed in the former's company, the overall time it takes for your shipment to arrive varies on where you are.
In our case, we ordered both boxes for our unboxing video the week before and they both arrived in time. For Tokyo Treat, this was sign-on delivery and was a real plus point for us. This is because we don’t live in an area which allows parcels to be dropped off in a safe area.
On the other hand, while we did receive similar tracking information for Bokksu, we found that the parcel was left outside unattended. This could be just an issue with the delivery service within our area, but we would’ve expected more security with how expensive the box was.
Monthly Theme
The snacks we receive from both businesses are usually based on a changing monthly theme. If you are ordering from Bokksu for the first time, the first box will be the "Seasons of Japan" box, which includes Japanese treats across all four seasons. In contrast, one of the fantastic parts about your first Tokyo Treat box is that you can get whichever current theme is available.
With Bokksu, your voyage across Japan continues after the first box. You will experience fun cultural themes crafted around places, flavours, and more to immerse you in a new adventure every month. Meanwhile, each month's box is themed around a different season or unique event in Japan with Tokyo Treat. These themes from both brands provide a sneak peek into Japanese festivities. They are also full of various distinctive foods ranging from savoury to sweet.
Both of these subscription boxes include a drink according to the season. However, the only difference is that Tokyo Treat offers more trendy sodas while Bokksu provides a variety of teas. With a Japanese snack box subscription, you can eat and drink your way through Japan.
Sakura Story (Spring), Hokkaido Wonderland (Winter), and Autumn Kouyou are among the most popular Bokksu themes. Meanwhile, Sakura Picnic Party (Spring), My Snackin Valentine, Snack Bento, and Spooktacular Snackin (Halloween) are some of our Tokyo Treat favourites. Furthermore, previous boxes from them have also been themed around special occasions or collaborations. For example, their annual birthday box and Anime Marathon Munchies collaboration with Funimation are among the most popular themes.
Tokyo Treat vs Bokksu Company Overview
Both founders started their companies with one mission in mind. And this mission was to introduce the world to Asian snacks and culture to the world. Ayumi, the creator of Tokyo Treat, was a native Tokyoite who loved exchanging treats with her pals abroad. In 2015, Ayumi began hand-selecting and packing Japanese candy and snack surprise boxes on the floor of her living room. She gradually assembled a small group of Japanese treat experts. We love how they’ve grown from a small company to such an international brand.
Meanwhile, Bokksu's founder Danny Taing fell in love with the delectable local foods he encountered while living in Japan. Since 2016, the company has evolved from Taing packing boxes by himself to a rapidly expanding company delivering far more than a monthly membership box.
Tokyo Treat is a Japanese-owned corporation with headquarters in Tokyo. In comparison, Bokksu has a location in Japan. However, its New York offices serve as its primary administrative hub.
We’ve not had any issues with our orders, so we’ve never had to use their customer support service. Therefore we can’t comment any further on their customer support service. However, reading reviews online, we can see that Tokyo Treat customer care is very responsive. They’re also quick to resolve consumer difficulties too. The staff are kind and are very helpful in answering your questions. All you need to do to contact them via their customer portal.
On the other hand, Bokksu offers a text-based support service in the United States. On their website, they answer general FAQs and questions. However, subscribers must open a support request for any concerns with their account. For example, any cancellations, refunds or orders.
Bokksu vs Tokyo Treat: Our Verdict
Overall, both Bokksu and Tokyo Treat offer you a unique and phenomenal experience if you are looking to try Asian snacks. One treat box specialises in Japanese snacks and sweets with distinctive, limited-edition flavours that are inspired by contemporary Japanese pop culture. On the other hand, Bokksu provides a treat experience that combines traditional flavours with exclusive snack collaborations and luxurious packaging.
Depending on your budget and preferences, either option could be a good fit.
If you want a wider variety of both traditional and modern snacks in a fun monthly subscription box at a more affordable price point, Tokyo Treat box may be a better fit for you than Bokksu.
The boxes are filled with delicious Japanese sweets and drinks and are a lot of fun to unwrap. In addition, you get a ton of snacks that you can enjoy for an entire month. The sturdy, creative packaging and fun guide are appealing. Not to mention they also offer a great balance between delectable sweet and savoury snacks. From the aroma and flavours to the artistic aesthetics of the distinctive packaging, the snacks are a delight for all senses.
Tokyo Treat offers a spectacular experience at a great price to every one of its subscribers. You can't go wrong with this treat box subscription. Especially if you've been missing the flavours of Nippon or want to experience Japan without a long plane ride.
This brand's subscription box satisfies all our expectations. They have an extensive range of full-sized food and drinks, reasonable pricing, high quality, and a fun factor. It's an excellent monthly treat. Opening and consuming each goodie is a mini-experience in and of itself.
Is Tokyo Treat expensive?
Tokyo Treat is not expensive compared to Bokksu. In 2023, Tokyo Treat costs $32.50 for one box on a 12-month plan and $37.50 per package for a monthly plan. Meanwhile, Bokksu costs $39.99 per box on their annual plan and $49.99 if you buy the one-off, no-subscription option. See our Bokksu vs Tokyo Treat video to see which one is worth it for you.
Is Tokyo Treat from Japan?
Tokyo Treat is based in Japan and sources all its Japanese snacks from within the country.
Is TokyoTreat halal?
The Japanese snacks inside do not state whether they are halal or vegan. Check out our guide to the best halal Japanese snacks.
Is Bokksu a Japanese company?
Bokksu is a Japanese snack box subscription company based in New York, United States. The company was founded by Danny Taing and is not a Japanese-owned company.
How many snacks are in a Bokksu box?
There are 20-22 snacks in one box. They are often delicate, bitesize treats that come in sets of two.
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