Japan Crate is a Tokyo-based online monthly subscription service that sends its subscribers a crate of Japanese candy, snacks and drinks on a monthly basis to share the experience of visiting Japan.
In November 2015 Japan Crate added a second crate, Doki Doki Crate, to share Japan's kawaii culture. It includes licensed merchandise, plushes, figures, collectibles and more. In August 2016, Japan Crate launched their third crate, Umai Crate, sharing the delicious world of Japanese noodles to the world. In November 2016 Japan Crate launched their fourth crate, Kira Kira Crate delivering quality Japanese beauty products & routines around the world.
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History
Japan Crate was founded by Hank Rao after traveling to Japan. According to the company's About Us page, Rao (a fan of Japanese culture) was so overwhelmed by the colors and energy of Tokyo that he wanted to share it with the world. Japanese candy packaging shares similar imagery to Tokyo's famous neon signs, so he began packaging surprise crates of candy and sending them across the world.
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Crates
Japan Crate - a monthly subscription of surprise candy and snacks from Japan. Candies range from exclusive Kit Kat flavors, to Do-It-Yourself Sushi Candy kits. Crate sizes include Premium, Original and Mini.
Doki Doki Crate - a monthly subscription for kawaii (Japanese cute culture) toys, collectibles, figures and more. Recently Japan Crate secured partnerships with big name brands to include fully licensed merchandise.
Umai Crate - a monthly subscription of various Japanese instant noodles, like udon, ramen, soba, etc.
Kira Kira crate - a monthly subscription with items for a Japanese beauty routine.
Exclusive Plushies (2016-2017)
Japan Crate included its first ever in-house, exclusive Doki Doki branded plushie in May's Doki Doki Crate. The plushies are designed by Japan Crate's creative team and manufactured in partnership with the Japanese company Sun Hoseki.
Due to customer feedback about wanting more practical items, Doki Doki Crate discontinued monthly Doki Doki branded plushies in March 2017 in order to provide more practical items.
Partnerships & Sponsorships
Crunchyroll - Japan Crate has worked with Crunchyroll on multiple occasions for partnerships, collaborations and more.
- July 2015 - Sponsored giveaway of 250 crates at Crunchyroll's Anime Expo stage & booth.
- August 2015 - Sponsored giveaway of 1-year subscription during live stream to promote Himouto! Umaru-chan
- November 2015 - Black Friday Promotion - Sign up for Crunchyroll Free & get a free Japan Crate
Sunhoseki
- March 2016 - Partnered with Sunhoseki to include exclusive hand-made Hoppe Chan in each Doki Doki Crate.
Clutter Magazine
- March 2016 - Multi-month subscription giveaways to Clutter readers
Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival
- April 2016 - Official Sponsor
Tony Hawk
- September 2017 - Long-term Japan Crate subscriber, Tony Hawk, partnered with Japan Crate for a Limited Edition Crate with all the contents being hand-picked by the pro-skater himself.
FYE (For Your Entertainment)
- January 2017 - Partnered with FYE to offer Exclusive FYE x Japan Crate crates
Kodansha Comics
- April 2017 - Partnered to giveaway a sold out post from The Ghost in the Shell
- January 2018 - Partnered to create a custom Attack On Titan Crate with an exclusive crate design and Attack on Titan inspired items.
- August 2018 - Partnered to create a custom collaborative Cardcaptor Sakura Crate featuring an exclusive crate design and an exclusive Manga as a bonus item.
Funimation
- June 2018 - Partnered to create an collaborative My Hero Academia Crate featuring a Limited Edition design & Exclusive My Hero Academia Collectible Pin.
Media
- Yahoo! - Included in 2015 Holiday Gift Guide, Tasty Christmas Gift Ideas That Last All Year Long
- The New York Times - Want to Shop for a Surprise? Try a Subscription Box
- The Wall Street Journal - 2015 Global Holiday Gift Guide
- The Huffington Post - You Need More Japanese Food In Your Life, And We're Not Talking About Sushi
- InStyle - The 11 Best Food Subscription Boxes
- Nylon Magazine - We Rate The Best Subscription Boxes: Kawaii
- Kotaku -
- Japan Crate Monthly Snack Delivery Service: The Snacktaku Review
- Japan Crate Snack Subscription Service Revisted: Three Months Later
- Let's Open Up A Box From The Japan Crate Snack Delivery Service
- PopSugar - Soy Sauce Cheetos and More Crazy Snacks You Should Pick Up in Japan
Past Licensing Issues
In November 2015, Japan Crate launched a new crate to spread the love of kawaii (cute) culture. After the first crates shipped, complaints arose around the legitimacy of licensing for the characters included in the crates. Good Smile Company, a popular figure manufacturer, was one of the many to question the items.
Japan Crate issued a public statement addressing the possibility of unlicensed merchandise being sent due to issues with their supplier. The company stated, "We're so sorry that these items made their way into our crates, as that was never our intention. All items we ordered were stated to be licensed for US distribution, and the samples & photos we received ended up being much different than the actual product that was delivered." Alongside an offer to return your crate if you were unhappy.
Doki Doki Crate has been free of unlicensed items since March 2015 when Japan Crate announced their new partnerships.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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