One of the things a lot of us miss these days is travelling. Apart from the excitement of flying and seeing new places, discovering new food is one of traveling's biggest joys.
One of our family's favourite destinations and tastes is Japan. It was also our last family trip before the lockdown, so we reminisce about what we ate then frequently. Our memory cache is also smaller now that were aging, so top of mind pa jud ning Japan.
Finding Japanese snacks are easier these days with many options in supermarkets or buying online (i.e. Lazada and Shopee). But if you're looking for more or new items to try, and wanting it to be guaranteed authentic, it's harder to find Japanese snacks in Cebu. Unlike Korean groceries that have been very popular in the PH in the recent years, Japanese groceries remain few.
By the way, our favourite Japanese grocery is Machiya Mart in Banilad. It's kind of pricey, but you'll find most everything you'll want there from snacks to fish roe. There's also freebies when you checkout.
Anyway, back to snacks!
One of the fun discoveries during the quarantine was Sakuraco. This is a box of authentic and unique snacks, not mass produced items that we often find in the groceries, that's delivered to your doorstep from Japan. Key points:
- They use a subscription model, meaning when you sign up you have to "opt out" otherwise your deliveries roll/continue month-on-month. Opting out is easy via your account on their website.
- You get better prices the longer you subscribe for. Options range from 1 month to 12 months.
- Sakura is pricey at $37.50 or ~P1,800 per box. But it's worth it!
- And the bestest ever part...it's delivered door to door via DHL! The shipping cost is an additional P500 but if you've ever lost or had to wait months for a parcel via the PH post office, spending P500 to not deal with them is priceless.
- Tracking and delivery timings has the hallmarks of Japanese efficiency. Once we get the notification that the order has been shipped from Japan, it usually arrived in Cebu in 3-7 days from our experience.
It took me >6 months to try Sakuraco because of the cost and I was tempted to get Tokyo Treat instead. I couldn't get it in the end because the only shipping option was via Japan Post, which meant it would be delivered in the PH by the PH Post. It gives me anxiety just imaging this scenario. And what won me over was the kind of snacks Sakuraco had in the box. It comes with a pamphlet explaining where in Japan the snacks come from too, which makes you feel like your pseudo travelling as you munch them snacks.
We're currently on our 4th box. And my brother has taken to gifting this to some of his colleagues. If you love Japanese snacks, Sakuraco is such a fun option!
