Review: Snack Crazy With “Freedom Japanese Market”

Review: Snack Crazy With “Freedom Japanese Market”

0 comments 📅25 May 2016, 08:06

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When watching anime or reading manga, do you ever feel like wanting to jump in and try the food your favourite characters are eating? Or maybe you watch those travel channels on TV or on YouTube and wish you could get your own taste of Japan from home? Well look no further, as MYM Buzz have taken the plunge into reviewing a mammoth Japanese food subscription box just for you.

The Havens family are the ones behind Freedom Japanese Market and they kindly sent us their March box to review. When the box arrived, I was pretty surprised at how full and heavy it was. It was also well secured and full of stickers. Considering the postage was free was an absolute bonus.

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I mentioned that the box is curated by a family, and as soon as you open it you are greeted with an image of the family and a comprehensive list of all the items within the box. This allows those of you who are not so literate in Japanese to fully understand what it is you are eating.

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Another special and really personal touch is the “Origami Of The Month”, which is handmade by the family themselves. This month’s one is a beautiful origami kimono, as it’s in celebration of graduation month in Japan.

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The first item I tried was the Doraemon Umai snacks. In retrospect these are huge singular Wotsits (corn puff crisps – if you’re from the UK, you will understand), but these are extremely Japanese, due to all the different flavourings. In my box I was able to try the Salami and Chicken Yakatori.

Next up is the Chocolate Pen, a very cute item for those who are younger. The top end is filled with singular chocolate drops (like the small Smarties you get on cakes) and the bottom is a usable crayon.

The Punch Cola packet reminds me of Cola flavoured Seltzer, which you place into some water and it creates a flat Cola flavoured drink.

Whistle Ramune Fish Candies are really fun, just pop them between your lips, give a really hard blow and whistle away – they also taste exactly like the Ramune drinks you get from Japan.

We all like something with Kirby on it, and what isn’t better for our little bubble person than bubblegum! Unfortunately, like most Japanese gum, the flavour doesn’t last and it really isn’t one of the best sweets Japan has produced, but on the upside, you do get a cute sticker with each piece.

Lastly in this group photo we have the Doraemon Umai boiled sweets. From what I could gather the pink one was ice cream and the yellow one was sweetcorn flavoured. The flavouring was really strong and something I would look for when I go to Japan next.

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Lifeguard is a paste candy which you can squeeze onto chopsticks or onto a spoon, which you can then lick like a lollipop. The flavour reminds me of Mountain Dew, but the texture is like a jelly that is not set properly. It’s very tasty though.

The smartphone candies come in a tray and remind me of jelly beans. They are extremely fruity and come with a little toothpick (stylus?) to eat them with. The packaging is once again totally cute.

One of my favourites has got to be the Neru Neru D.I.Y set to create your own lollipops, but there is a twist. When creating the lollipops the consistency is that of melted marshmallows; very sticky and it gets everywhere. Once it’s placed onto the sticks and covered in sprinkles they then become a true lollipop. I then began to eat the sweets I created and was shocked to find a disappearing sherbet powder.

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I was so excited that there was a Crayon Shin Chan item in the box that I savaged the bag before taking a photo (I only realised halfway through that I needed a photo – for that I apologise). As they are grilled beef flavoured rice crackers, they are a nice alternative to your everyday crisps.

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The packaging for the strawberry fish shaped wafer is so pretty, but the taste is even better. It reminds me of a strawberry Aero covered in a pink, highly detailed fish wafer.

For those who know me, it’s no secret that matcha (green tea) flavoured items in beauty, food or drink is the perfect gift for me. I was graced with the fact that Freedom Japanese Market actually placed green tea flavoured chocolate in the box (put it this way, these chocolates were not shared!). They were so creamy, with delicate biscuits and full of good matcha flavourings.

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The single serve Butamen Curry Ramen is possibly one of my favourite items from the box. It has just the right amount of serving to make it a worthwhile hot snack, yet not enough that you feel so full after you have eaten it. The curry flavour is similar to that from Pot Noodle as well.

The Takoyaki pack is possibly one of the items I was really excited, but slightly let down by. The snack itself is once again a rice cracker. It has the same taste as most of the other savoury rice crackers with a slight fishy fragrance, but when you follow the instructions to put the special Takoyaki sauce over the crackers, I was expecting a sweet additive to the crackers. In reality, it was just a thicker soy sauce substance that created a very salty snack.

Something that Freedom Japanese Market pride themselves on is that they can ship the finest authentic Japanese products straight from Japan without any of the “aimed at the foreign market” nonsense that we are given within Asian supermarkets. The idea that all of these products are authentic really allows the customers to get a genuine taste of Japan, instead of flavours being toned down or falsified.

The box really did feel personal. It was filled with so many items which were all so different from each other and it put a smile on my face, with lots of different flavours, textures, and cute packaging to send you wild. Freedom Japanese Market were kind enough to note that should any of our readers add MYMBuzz to the order notes, you will be able to receive a free bonus candy in your first box – you can subscribe here. In the meantime be sure to pop over to their websiteFacebook, Twitter, YouTubeInstagramand Pinterest for latest updates, customer reviews and general Japanese food and culture information.

A huge thank you to the Havens family for sending MYMBuzz a special box of goodness!

 

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