JAPANFUNBOX - a box full of fun and crazy Japanese snacks!

Konnichiwa!

Today I would like to show you a super fun subscription box, full of quirky 

and tasty Japanese snacks, called.....JAPANFUNBOX

Even Rocky couldn't resist and tried to steal my snacks. I don't blame him!

The items in this box are truly fun and precious because you can't find them abroad! I was surprised by how many snacks were in this box:

1.) Ninjin Snack. These are sweet, puffed rice grains and the come in this adorable package that looks like a carrot!!

2.) 3 KitKats. One is dark chocolate, the other one is milk chocolate and the third one is Green Tea flavored (my favorite!!)

3.) Pocky (Blond Chocolat flavor). First time I ever tried these are they are scrumptious. I didn't find them sweet but they're so good!

4.) Koikeya Pride Potato. These are consommé (stock/broth) flavored chips....isn't that so funny? What's crazy is that they actually do taste like meat broth. I LOVE THESE!

5.) Pureral (orange flavored gummy candies). Soooo refreshing and it's like eating a real orange!

6.) Orion's cocoa cigarettes. These are adorable! These have been around since the 1950s 💖 They taste very sugary and minty.

7.) Disney Furuta Chocolate Egg. This reminds me of Kinder's chocolate eggs. So needless to say...delicious! I got a little toy inside...

8.) Chocoball Caramel. These little chocolate balls are filled with chewy caramel. YUM YUM YUM.

9.) Setsubun (Dry Roasted Soybeans). This a traditional Japanese snack that will ward off evil!

10.) Puchi Puchi Uranai Ramune Candy. Ramune is a Japanese soft drink/soda and these candies taste like it!

11.) Thomas the Tank Engine Candy. These are grape flavored, chewy candy. I am addicted to these!

  12.) Ginza Rusk. These are crispy snacks coated in milk chocolate and filled with white chocolate. Really good!

13.) Tohato Chocobi. These are little puffed, star-shaped corn snacks that taste so chocolatey. They remind me of cereal. I ate the whole bag in one go!

14.) Sour Paper (Peach Flavor). This strip of candy tastes exactly like a juicy peach. Heavenly!

15.) Kinako Mochi. These are traditional rice crackers. Sweet and savory. I really like these!

16.) Chocolate Wafer including nail decorations! Oh my goodness, these stickers are adorable. 💜

17.) Mickey Mouse Chocolates (Umbrella shaped). Mickey mouse, adorable, fine chocolate...need I say more?

18.) Sudakosan. The snack below deserves a photo of its own. It's a strip of dried octopus, drenched in vinegar.                                                              😃😃😃 

Make sure to check out Japanfunbox:

www.japanfunbox.com
www.instagram.com/japanfunbox
www.facebook.com/japanfunbox

ZenPop Sweets Pack from Japan!

Hi cookies!

Are you hungry? If you are, perfect. If you're not, this post will make you hungry 😅

I showed you guys what was inside my Zenpop Beauty Pack in my previous post but in today's post, I would like to show you what was inside my Zenpop Sweets Pack (April). In case you're not familiar with Zenpop's subscription boxes, do take a look at their inviting website: http://zenpop.jp

They offer different types of boxes full of Japanese products, renewed every month. If you don't want a subscription but you'd still like to try one of their boxes, you can order one whenever you like so no strings attached! But personally, I think once you try a Zenpop pack, you'll be hooked 😅 

I am a huge fan of Japan and snacks so I devoured everything in my Zenpop pack:

 There were 15 snacks inside the box (sweet as well as salty!)

 1.) EDAMAME CRATZ SALT 
These are delicious pretzel bites/pieces bursting with edamame (soybean) flavor! I like how there are some almonds inside too. This snack goes well with an aperitif (or a glass of beer, as depicted on the bag!) but I find them delicious on their own. No need for any alcohol here!

2.) SHAKE! Fruit Yogurt Gummy
This is something I've never ever tried nor heard of before! You sprinkle the yogurt powder (in a separate bag inside) on the fruity gummy candy and SHAKE the bag! Fun and yummy.

 3.) BISCO CAFE' AU LAIT
I really liked these! The biscuits are nice and crispy and the filling inside is coffee with milk flavor! I was so surprised to read that they contain probiotics (1 million lactic acid bacteria!). Good for your tummy and very yummy! 😊

4.) POKEMON CHEWING CANDY COLA
These are chewy sticks (they literally look like chewing gum sticks!) and they taste exactly like coca cola. Very intense flavor. Delicious!

5.) KARUBI POTATO FRY
Barbebecue beef flavor chips. As advised in the helpful list that came inside the Zenpop pack, I tried breaking them into pieces, into my salad for dinner. First time I had potato chips in my salad and it was SO GOOD! 

6.) TABEKKO ANIMALS SALT
These are potato animal crackers (non-fried) and they're soooo addictive. They're light and crisp and so cute. Each animal in the bag has the type of animal spelled out on it so it's perfect for learning/teaching English! 

 7.) Potato Sticks Piqant Shrimp
These are little potato matchsticks but don't be fooled by their appearance! They are SPICY and so flavorful (sort of like eating spicy shrimp and potatoes). I wasn't sure if the character on the bag was a potato or a bird but I realize it must be a potato because that's what the snack is made out of...a potato, haha. The beak sort of led me astray 😤

8.) UMAI CHOCO CORN PUFFS
These were crunchy yet smooth ('cause they're covered in delicious creamy chocolate). I felt like I was having a real dessert while eating these. 💛

9.) PUCHI -AONORI SENBEI
Small rice crackers with bits of nori (seaweed) inside. These are supposed to taste like the ocean...and they actually do!

 10.) DIY SEA ANIMAL GUMMY
This is a creative DIY kit which I haven't tried yet but I will soon and I'm sure it'll be lotsa fun. The gummy candy will be shaped like dolphins, whales, fish, turtles, octopus..... I like how it says "Colorful Peace" on the package 😉

11.) YO - KAI WATCH SALT SNACK
These are light, corn rings that taste like salty....I wasn't sure what at first. I felt they were slightly fish-flavored but later I looked at the ingredients and saw "chicken extract"! Whatever flavor they are, they're scrumptious! The package contains a little sticker with your fortune written on it. I got "some good luck" 😃

 12.) SAPPORO POTATO BBQ
These are crunchy potato snacks (check out that neat shape!) and they (kinda) taste like barbecue chicken and beef. They were very good!

13.) ASAHI GRANOLA BITES
Round grandola bites full of strawberries, oats, papapya and berries. These weren't very sweet but I actually liked them. Healthy and good!

 14.) and 15.) SHOYU SENBEI AND EXTRA SHOYU (TAMARI) SENBEI

Love love love these. This is what Japan tastes like. Senbei are the most traditional Japanese snacks; they're rice crackers coated in soy sauce. Very crunchy and sweet and salty 💗

https://www.instagram.com/zenpopjapan/

KAWAII BOX Review and International GIVEAWAY!

Hi kawaii friends! 

Yes, I've been bitten by the kawaii bug again 😄 I'm sure most of you know what Kawaii Box is all about but in case you haven't hopped on the Kawaii train yet, Kawaii Box is a monthly subscription box filled with adorable Japanese and Korean items. Kawaii means cute in Japanese so if you love cute things, you will surely find everything inside a Kawaii Box, irresistible: www.kawaiibox.com

For the pleasure of your eyes, this is the March 2018 Kawaii Box:

 I love this little purse with an ebi nigiri sushi on it! 
And Look at the Gudetama plushie charm!! He has bunny ears for Easter!  <3

 Hmmmm edible jewelry:

 

As you can tell, I'm a big fan of this company because not only are the items in each box super cute (thank goodness they offer worldwide shipping...and it's free too!), the customer service is fantastic. They're highly efficient and very kind. In fact, I am hosting a giveaway now in collaboration with Kawaii Box so one of you lucky participants is going to win your own Kawaii Box! 🙊

To win your very own Kawaii Box, log-in the below rafflecopter gadget by inserting your e-mail address or via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. The winner will be chosen randomly and contacted by Kawaii Box and me in 23 days! If possible, let me know if you entered this giveaway in a comment below this post. Wishing you a whole lotta kawaii luck! 

My Trip to Japan!

Konnichiwa Guys and Dolls! 

It's been a while since my last post. Can't believe it's already December! I also can't believe that last month I went to JAPAN. Japan was a dream, but the flight was a nightmare (13 hours on the most uncomfortable seat ever!!! Who on earth invented those seats?). The jet lag was a pain in the neck too but it was worth it. Japan is one of my favorite countries. I'll never stop being impressed and amazed by how organized everything is in the land of the rising sun. Everything is user-friendly, customer service oriented, people are polite and rules are actually followed! Oh and the variety of food in Japan is just......WOW. 

I love how Japan is very traditional yet super modern at the same time, and how creativity and originality are infinite over there!!! 😄😍 

My stay was very short but I got to spend quality time with my pal and 

my hero: my ojiichan (grandfather). He is 99 years old and he's the best ❤ 

Needless to say, I love my grandpa and I love Japanese food so the first thing I did when I got off the plane at Narita Airport, 

was eat a bowl of wholesome ramen:

Second stop: Ojiichan's home:

My grandpa Yoshi drinks Yakult everyday. He's a big fan 👌😂

My ojiichan loves to play shogi (Japanese chess):

Like grandfather, like granddaugther ❤

YAKISOBA NOODLES 👀

This was the first time I ever tried shabu-shabu! Delicious and fun:

Extremely realistic food models/samples that you see at restaurants in Japan: 

Katsu Curry and a variety of desserts

Real GYOUZA (the most delicious dumplings):

Takeaway Chirashizushi:

Hot green tea and green tea ice cream....GREEN TEA HEAVEN!

I ate a lot but I also drank my favorite drinks: 

 Royal Milk Tea (it actually stays hot in this plastic bottle!!):

For Halloween, I was a pumpkin and I drank Calpis 

(a sweet, yogurt flavored drink). It's SO good:

Soba noodles (made out of buckwheat) topped with an egg, green onion and tempura at Utsunomiya Station (yes, you eat these amazing noodles while standing!). This is Japanese fast food, baby:

No trip to Japan is complete without meeting Hello Kitty 😉

Shopping is so much fun in Japan! You'll literally find everything under the sun (including peculiar novelty socks 😄):

Beautiful kimonos:

Candy and snack land. I went crazy in this store. I could live here forever:

I obviously stocked up. 
Where else are you gonna find green tea KitKat, noodle snacks and 
salad flavored corn rings?!?!

Saw the most beautiful guitar in the world at a music shop. 

One day this Gretsch will be mine:

 
Another rockin' guitar is the Rickenbacker guitar, which The Beatles played:

A very oishii (yummy) bento:

Senbei (Japanese rice crackers), green tea ice cream, green tea mochi....

ANPAN!!! 💚 This is a sweet bun filled with a sweet red bean paste:

Here's my sweetest anpan 😉💗