Hello once again and welcome back to another Nihon Box review!
This time I am taking an in depth look into what was included in Junes’ Nihon Box. Which ran with the theme – Natsukashi Vol 2. Which translated into English means Nostalgia Vol 2, as items included in this box takes us back to anime that came out in the 1980s. So let’s get started with the usual and all important info – how you can order your own Nihon Box subscription!
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
Although our first item this month doesn’t originate from the 80’s, it is definitely a trip from the past as Shaman King is making a big return! If you haven’t heard already, the anime is getting a revival and is already being aired in Japan. With it hitting the rest of the World on Netflix in the coming weeks if not, this very second as you are reading this! Just to remind people of that fact, Nihon Box has included a packet of ‘Onsen Maju Shaman King Chocolates’. Now I have had this brand of chocolate before, and they are so good! These ones are having a collaboration with Shaman King at the moment, to promote the new anime. Each chocolate is individually wrapped with a character from the show. A good snack to munch on as we all binge watch the new anime when it drops on Netflix.
Now we travel back to the 80’s with a My Neighbour Totoro tumbler. Now I got this exact same item back in So Kawaiis October box last year, so I have since re-gifted this to a very happy little girl I know. This hard plastic tumbler comes in a forest green color, with characters and designs from the famous film printed around the entire cup. It can hold 500ml, has a screw on lid and a straw making it ideal to enjoy outside and not have to worry about any summer bugs getting in for a swim. I wouldn’t be putting this in a dishwasher however, as you don’t know if these things are heat treated. So in order to prevent any mishaps, I would suggest just strictly washing this by hand.
Carrying on with the 80’s nostalgia trip, we received a rather large figure from Dragon Quest. The franchise is having another revival as a new anime – Dragon Quest: The Adventures of Dai hit screens just last year and is still currently airing. This has led to a new wave of new merch and figures being released, including this highly detailed figure of our main man Dai. In such a battle-ready pose, sword out and in the midst of a fight. All that’s missing is a slain dragon or just a shonen worthy backdrop (something with a volcano exploiting seems appropriate). This figure deserves to be displayed and is sure to take up a nice section of your collection.
Now I may not recognise this show, but I’m sure at least one of you will. Cat’s Eye follows the story of three sisters who have become formidable art thieves, as they try to ‘collect’ all the works belonging to their missing father. This shows’ artwork may seem familiar to some of you, as Cat’s Eye is another manga creation from Tsukasa Hojo. The same manga artist behind City Hunter and Angel Heart. This canvas bag really does show off his art style, with the three Kisugi sisters taking centre stage. The bag has drawstrings on either side and can be worn as a backpack, but it also has a handle on the top if you just wish to carry it about. However the drawstrings have nowhere to be tidied away if you wish to do this. This bag could very well be seen as more as a collectors item or art piece, instead of being used as a gym bag.
This next item is very unique, as its made of a material that I think could be unique to Japan. When I mention the word Tatami, do you imagine the traditional tea rooms and Geisha in Japan? Cause that is exactly what I envisage. Tatami was most commonly used as traditional flooring in Japanese homes, hence why you never wear your shoes inside the home and must wear either your socks or house slippers. In recent times, tatami rooms and flooring have become more uncommon and are rarely featured now in modern house designs. As such the tradition is slowly dying and craftsmen have turned their time into making smaller items out of tatami. Such as the above Tatami pouch, which is from the igusa (common rush) plant, which is used in the making of traditional tatami flooring. This is a truly unique item, something I have actually never seen or even heard of before. As I just believed that tatami was just flooring. I never realised they could also be made into other items.
We are now onto our final item and of course it is from a very popular series that I assure you all know – Dragon Ball! The infamous Shonen Jump title from Akira Toriyama, first debuted back as a manga in 1984, with the anime first hitting screens just two years later. The show has grown from strength to strength, making it an incredible and ever growing franchise. Having built up an audience over the decades, constantly gathering new viewers. So our final item for June’s box is a mystery box from the Dragon Ball Adverge collection. A series of minifigures, featuring seven of the most iconic characters from the shows Namek Saga. Including not only Goku, Gohan, Piccolo and Vegeta, but also Frieza and two of his henchmen Dodoria and Zarbon. Pretty happy to say I got Freiza, who looks completely badass in his floating chair. Now these figures are very mini, they each come with a tiny dragon ball, which has no stand so it will get lost very quickly. So just be very aware of that, in case a little one or pet decides to pick it up. The details on the figures however are very good, as you can see from above.
So there we have it everyone, that was June’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 fan favorite Shonen Jump shows such as Dragon Ball and Shaman King, to classics such as Cat’s Eye, My Neighbour Totoro and Dragon Quest. 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 month’s theme was “Natsukashi Vol 2 ”, and each pamphlet in every box also includes a detailed section called “Discover Japan”. This month’s topic was about ‘Tatami with Japanese people’, a traditional flooring method that has since begun a rapid decline in popularity due to its high cost and a change in house designs. However craftsmen have since turned with the times and have begun making smaller objects such as the pouch included in this month’s box. 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!
