Hello, and welcome to the Hobby Haven! Summer's gone, but not forgotten, and what better way to relive the last few days of summer then a quick look back at something fun? I was given a Groupon for Japan Crate, so I decided to go ahead and sign up for a box; they keep posting sneak peeks at the goodies inside each one, and I fell in love with one of the items I saw inside.
Japan Crate offers a bunch of different types of crates: your standard Japan Crate (candy and snacks), Umai (food items, usually savory), Kira Kira (beauty products), and Doki Doki. These are cutesy, feminine products; the variety is pretty good, as there will always be a snack, a wearable item, a keychain, and some other "surprise" items. Each month's Doki Doki Crate has a theme, and August's was "Back to School." I wondered how comparable it would be to the Back to School Anime Loot Crate that I got last year, so I decided to go ahead and see...
The Groupon took $11 off of the $30 asking price, so I paid $19 in total. Shipping was free, but not quick. You're looking at a 2-3 week turnaround time. It arrived in much better condition than my Loot Crate.
What could lie in store?
Wow, this turned out blurrier than I thought; but they give you a nice little booklet explaining what all the goodies are.
These are caramel corn puff...things. I like sweet snacks, so this might be good to take in for a quick bite in the afternoon.
I...don't know what plush birds have to do with back to school, but goodness is this little guy cute! (Well, he's an owl, and they're supposed to be wise, so...a good luck charm for studying, maybe?) He's very soft and squishy.
I basically decided to use the Groupon because the ad for the August crate had a Totoro cup. I LOVE IT. There's an extra little loop next to the handle so you can hang it up, whether for storage or drying purposes. You can take it to school with your lunch equipment, I guess?
This is my least favorite thing in the crate. Apparently these little blob-shape keychains, called Hoppe, are very popular with Japanese children? So there's one in every crate. I don't find these too appealing, actually, so I will give it to a friend.
I saw these on another stationery website and had been debating getting one, so I guess the universe works in mysterious ways! It's super cute and writes well, but it's not too comfortable for writing things for long periods of time.
It's a schoolgirl bow, patterned with constellations. I think you're supposed to tie it around your neck, like a school girl uniform piece? I might use it as a hair bow, or a decoration on a stuffed animal.
Cinnamoroll! This is an entire stationery set (so you can use the pen with it!), and it's covered with soft pastel designs of stripes, plaid, and snacks. It's almost too cute to use.
Okay so overall, the asking price of $30 per crate is probably pretty good if you consider the retail value of all the items inside the crate. (I'm willing to bet the cup and plushie alone are approximately $10 each.) Shipping is free, so that's a plus. Subscribing to this is pretty pricey in the long run; you're looking at about $360 per year for a subscription if you get it monthly! (Okay, so if you sign up for the yearly subscription, they knock a bit of money off per month, but it's still $300+ a year.)
I do like the variety of the items offered, and the quality of them. Honestly, they were all nice things, and it felt like a look of thought and effort was spent in picking them out.
I'll probably only sign up for a box if I get a coupon for it, and definitely not get a subscription. Again, in theory these are cool, but it's probably best if you don't have a lot of otaku merch to begin with? I don't want to sound like I'm dragging on them, but I think this is something that would be fun to try out a couple of times, and then only subscribe if you snag a coupon and see an item that you really want. It's nice that they show a few items that will be in it, and then keep the other secret. I think it works a lot better than just listing off the franchises used.
In any case, after I canceled (the Groupon was for a one-time use), Japan Crate offered me another coupon, so I signed up for the September crate, "Happy Home Life." We'll see how it goes!
Miss Scarlett, signing out!
