‘Summer Friends’
Hello everyone and welcome back once again to another Nihon Box review! August box was centred around ‘Summer Friends’, and included a number of products from some very well known anime franchises & two authentic Japanese items. As well as a 1000 Yen (10euro/10USD) gift card for Yatta Japan (https://www.yattajapan.com/). We have certainly been spoilt this month in terms of value. So let’s get started with the usual info.
Nihon Box is a Japanese monthly subscription service that handpicks at least 6 items each month that are almost exclusive to Japan and ships them straight to your door. Their items are a mixture of Otaku Anime related merchandise and figures, as well as traditional Japanese items, from sweets to tableware. All of this is available to subscribe to for what I find a very affordable price each month.
Like SoKawaii, the more months you pay upfront the cheaper the price for individual boxes will be. https://www.nihonbox.com/en
Monthly is €29.99 plus shipping costs
3 Months is a single payment of €86.97, making each box €28.99, plus shipping costs.
6 Months is a single payment of €170.94, making each box €28.49, plus shipping costs.
Due to the latest European VAT legislation, the overall cost after shipping has increased slightly. The folks behind Nihon Box have done all they can to make this transition as simple as possible, so they have taken the necessary steps & changes in order to include the VAT directly in the subscription’s price. This change will normally be effective starting from the next renewal of your subscription, with the addition of the VAT in the final price (19% for Germany). And from August, as a small gift of appreciation to their overseas customers they will be including a 1000yen gift card to their YattaJapan.com store. As an idea of how much the charge has gone up, prior to August I was paying €32.89 a month. The new price I pay now is €40.45 a month, which is a nice increase but I believe the value is still there within the box.
Here is a link to their FAQ page, just in case you’re wondering if they ship to your country: https://www.nihonbox.com/en/nihonbox/faq
First up is our largest item from this month’s box, with the ‘Asuna Marine Version Figure’ from Sword Art Online: Alicization War of Underworld. Made by Taito and only very recently released in Japan during July this past Summer. So this figure is still very new this year, always a joy getting such newly released figures through Nihon Box. Asuna’s outfit consists of a navy sailor uniform, which showcases her long iconic hair. Although its not an outfit we actually see her wearing in the last season of the show, it does tie in with where she was on a secretive navy base at sea where Kirito was being kept. The figure is fairly good quality, similar to one you might see as an arcade prize in Japanese arcades. Around the 15 to 20 euro price range I would suggest, still far less than what you would pay at a convention with this particular figure going for in and around 30euro.
Next up is a plush for all you Seven Deadly Sins fans out there. Nihon Box has included a keychain plush of Hawk, the famous talking pig and Meliodas’ lifelong partner. The plush has all the iconic markings and details as the character from the show and is quite a good looking replica. This is sure to be a fan favorite for many of the shows fans out there. This was also included in August’ box as the Seven Deadly Sins: Cursed by Light movie is still screening in cinemas over in Japan.
Next up is actually a Loyalty bonus item that I received in my box this month. Not every box will be receiving one of these items, but something along the lines will be included in your third consecutive box if you have a subscription. This month I received an adorable Pokémon pen from the Sepia Graffiti collection that has been featured in many a Nihon Box over the years. Featuring a small group of Pikachu as they inspect a bottle of ketchup I believe, this pen will certainly be added into my collection right away.
In fact I can use it right away on this City Hunter ring notebook that was included in everyone of the boxes for August. This series will be a massive throw back for some people, as City Hunter was originally serialized in Weekly Shónen Jump back in 1985 by Tsukasa Hojo. So merchandise for this work has become very rarae to find, making even just this simple notebook a must have for devoted fans.
We are now onto our authentic Japan section of the box, with this porcelain tea cup and green tea. First up is our Made in Japan tea cup, which is usually made with no handles. This one has a beautiful design called a tokusa, which is named after the long winter horsetail plant the stripes resemble. Like a finer looking bamboo, the imagery around the teacup bears a resemblance to a blue tinted bamboo forest.
As an added bonus, Nihon Box also included a packet of ‘Hyuganatsu’ Green Tea to enjoy in your new cup. This particular tea is a favorite amongst many during the Summer months as it can be enjoyed both hot or cold mixed with ice water. It’s flavor comes from a native citrus fruit grown in the city of Hyuga in Kyúshú. However once again, no instructions were included in how best to prepare this tea so some google searching will be required unfortunately.
Next up is our Pokémon item, which features this all important first aid necessity – an ice bag. One of your all time best friends, if you manage to twist an ankle all of a sudden. Instead of using a frozen bag of peas or an ice pack, throw in some ice cubes and sit down with your legs elevated in style with this adorable Pikachu decorated ice bag. The strong insulating material will keep those ice cubes cold for a couple of hours so you can get some rest! I never knew how much I needed this in my life, until I got this month’s box!
And lastly we have the 1000 Yen Yatta Japan gift card, that I will certainly be using very soon over on their Yatta Japan website. However I must point out that these gift cards all expire at the end of 2021 and you can only use one per order over on their website. Something I only learned this past weekend, as I placed my very first order. Now I don’t know if they will continue to include the GiftCards in every box from now on, or is this simply until the new year? Either way, it’s worth checking it out and availing of their new venture with Yatta Japan.
So there we have it everyone, that was August’s Nihon Box. Did you like it? If so, comment down below or tag us on our social media to let us know what was your favourite item and if you have gotten your own subscription. Nihon Box always does their best to follow the latest anime trends as well as finding items from fan favorite shows in order to always appeal to their customer base. With items from Sword Art Online, Seven Deadly Sins and Pokémon, to the classic series City Hunter. They not only source out some decent quality figures and plushies, but also to make sure that each month their box represents another unique aspect of Japan – from its food, to its culture, art, history and beliefs. It’s a well rounded box, for both anime and cultural fans. This box’s theme was “Summer Friends”, and each pamphlet in every box also includes a detailed section called “Discover Japan”. This month’s topic was about the history of tea in Japan, as they gave a detailed description of the historic timeline of tea through the centuries. Mentioning its origins, its cultivation and evolution over time in Japan. It’s details such as these that make this subscription box so unique and talked about.
For more information on how you can order your own box, look to the top of this review and head over to the link below so you can sign up today!
