This month, we celebrate spring and feature sakura (桜) cherry blossom snacks!
It’s sakura (桜) cherry blossom season in Japan. There are dozens of different cherry blossom trees, all of which bloom for just a couple days in the spring.
This extremely short, yet beautiful blossoming of the sakura perfectly represents an aspect of Japanese culture called “Mono no Aware” (物の哀れ), or the awareness of impermanence and transience of things. This seasonal spectacle is celebrated with hanami (cherry blossom viewing) parties under the trees.
Cherry Blossoms have a rich history engraved in Japanese culture, dating back to as far as the late 700’s!
“Hanami” or flower viewing, has been a part of Japanese culture since the Heian period. (794 – 1185) Friends and families would gather together to enjoy the beautiful sight of the Sakura flowers blooming in full effect. You can read more about and the best places to experience cherry blossoms in the US here.
The April box brought you a taste of Hanami culture. Here are some the tasty treats that were included in this month's box!
Japanese Sake KitKat (日本酒キットカット)
“Hanami” (花見) is the Japanese tradition of enjoying the blooming cherry blossoms. It’s customary for people in Japan to picnic under the beautiful sakura trees while enjoying good company, delicious food, and refreshing sake.
This month, we bring you a bit of the Hanami culture through these extremely limited edition Hanami Sake KitKats. There’s real sake kneaded into the white chocolate and wafers (0.8% alcohol content).
Morihan Roll Crepe (森半ロールクレープ)
These delicate cookies are made by Morihan, a tea shop in Kyoto that’s been serving customers since 1836. The pink cookie is made from a mixture of cream and sakura cherry blossoms. The green cookie is made from chocolate and premium hand-picked green tea from Uji Kyoto.
Sakura Mochi (さくら餅)
Hand made fluffy mochi filled with sakura cherry blossom red bean paste. Enjoy these with a nice cup of tea or sake =)
Kobe Sakura Cream Sandwich (神戸クレームサンド)
Lightly baked wheat pastry puff cookies filled with sweet sakura cherry blossom cream.
Sakura Senbei (桜せんべい)
These seasonal senbei are the perfect mix of salty and sweet. Made with a mixture of real sakura flowers, cooking sake, dried squid, and wheat, you’ll be coming back for more!
"OMG I love this month's box! Can I order another one?"
"I subscribe to the other Japanese snack subscriptions. I'm cancelling them all and sticking with Snakku! I feel like an important client because of how personalized and well curated your boxes are."
"I'm very impressed with the quality and professionalism of Snakku. It's not your typical Japanese snack box as it has such a classy feel to it."
"I was surprised by how many snacks there were—other subscription boxes I've gotten had only half as much. This snack experience is unique, authentic, and most importantly, delicious. Highly recommended."
"There are a lot of Japanese snack subscriptions out there, but nothing comes close to Snakku. You can tell each item is carefully chosen, and the box is packaged with care. I don't think I'll ever stop getting Snakku. It's just too special."
Bourbon Green Tea Cookie: Bite-sized matcha cream filled chocolate cookie sandwiches. It’s made with high-grade green tea from the Uji Kyoto region.
Vegetable Yasai Boro: Two types of soft wheat cracker balls: spinach and pumpkin. They’re filled with tons of healthy beta-carotene and calcium.
Niigata Salt Senbei: Mini sea salt rice crackers from the rural farm prefecture of Niigata.
Baka Uke Sesame Cracker: These soy sauce rice crackers are twice toasted and embedded with baked black sesame seeds.
Kusugai Peach Gummy: These peach gummies are very popular in Japan. They are so soft and delicious!