Table of Contents
Introduction
Ramen is the famous dish of the "Land of cherry blossoms". The main ingredients of this noodle are Chinese-style noodles, meat or fish broth, soy sauce, or miso, served with sliced pork, dried seaweed, pickled bamboo shoots, and green onions.
In each region of Japan, the method and ingredients of this dish will be different. Gradually, ramen became the typical noodle dish of this country, something that anyone who comes here must try.
Besides, instant ramen is also famous here. The variety, convenience, and frequency of its appearances in anime and manga have made them more popular.
Online shops selling ramen box were born to bring this specialty closer to the world. They are sent to consumers every month as subscriptions and pre-orders, as these items are not easy to find in any convenience store or supermarket.
Source: Pixabay
The Best Ramen Box
Exotic Noods
Exotic Noods was founded with the desire to bring the best taste of ramen to every corner of the world. By setting up a monthly club, the company has brought everyone a wider variety of noodles.
Besides the traditional noodles of the Land of the Rising Sun, Exotic Noods also has other products such as Udon, Yakisoba, Curries from the Pacific Islands, and Korean Royal Banquet noodle soup.
Customers will have four packages to choose from, including:
3s: includes three types selected by the curator, priced at $16.99
4 Bowls: 4 bowls or cups, priced at $27
4 Pack: includes four packages that require a pot and stovetop. It is shipped in 2-3 business days and is paid once.
8 Deluxe Pack: includes four premium packs and four premium bowls or cups.
You can pay 3 or 6 months in advance to save more money. Packages are dispatched on the 10th, and new orders should be placed by the 4th of each month.
Japan Crate
Japan Crate was founded in September 2014 by Mr. Hank. As an enthusiast of Japanese culture, he wanted to bring this culture closer to the rest of the world through JC's sweet boxes.
Up to now, JC has five small brands. They offer featured products in different boxes each month. Consists of:
- Japan Crate: candy and snack boxes. There are 18 - 20 items in each box, from $45.78.
- Doki Doki: household goods to plushies, apparel, travel accessories & more. There are 5 - 6 items for $45.95.
- Gacha Gacha: hand-selected gachapon capsules. There are 8 -10 characters for useful accessories, funny figures, and more for $38.95.
- Umai Crate: Japanese exclusive-ramen box, including Udon, Soba, Yakisoba, Somen, and more. There are 8 -10 items, recipe cards, and a culinary bonus for $49.95.
- Inky Crate: Japanese stationery boxes. There may be 8 - 10 items from notebooks, pens, markers, funny accessories, and more for $35.59.
Japan Crate ships boxes to the US and AU for free, with 2-3 days lead time. The rest of the world will pay fees depending on the region.
Zen Pop
Source: Flickr
Zen Pop is a subsidiary of Zen Market Inc, headquartered in Osaka. The company was established in 2016 to bring its cuisine to the world. Zen Pop offers monthly surprise boxes featuring interesting and different products.
The company offers six different packages: Sweets ($31); Ramen ($31), Sweets and ramen mix ($27), Stationary ($30), Limited edition - premium anime ($45), Mystery ($21.9).
The ramen package includes full-sized seven premium and authentic instant noodles. The typical noodles of this country are tonkotsu, shoyu, udon, shio, yakisoba, etc. Meanwhile, the mix will have two instant noodles with some snacks.
Each item comes with a product description, cooking instructions, and key ingredients that may cause allergies. Besides, Zen Pop also offers ramen according to the season or theme according to different periods. Some are Tempura Udon, Evangelion Tonkotsu Shoyu, and Rich Curry.
My Japan Box
MJB is a Japanese ordering website. Its goods are all products of the country of the Rising Sun, selected and packed in a box. Its goal is to send these boxes to local Japanese enthusiasts worldwide.
MJB has more than 40 different boxes divided into five themes: Food, Characters, Manga & Anime, Video games, and others. Also, on special occasions like Halloween or Christmas, they release limited edition event boxes.
These themes sort the products in the box. You only know what products are inside rather than being specific, besides Ramen brands such as Yakisoba, MJB with candy, snacks, tea, keychains, figures, plushies, stickers, pens, etc. Some of them can only be found in Japan in limited quantities.
MJB offers four different main versions: One time Box, Mega One time Box, Subscription Box, Mega Subscription Box.
- One-time box: customers only receive the box once. Its prices range from $29 - $59.
- Mega One time Box: same as above, but the products inside will be more advanced. Its price is $99.99.
- Subscription Box: Customers will have options such as monthly, 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month plans. You will receive one box each month until the end of your package, continuously every month until you decide to stop. The minimum prices for each package are $25, $75, $147, and $291, respectively.
- Mega Subscription Box: you have the same options and delivery time as above. However, the received products will have higher values. The prices per pack are $99.99, $296.97, $593.94, and $1,187.88, respectively.
The above costs included the delivery fee. The company will send order boxes in the next month after booking. If customers want faster delivery, you can choose express shipping and pay an additional fee.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Conclusion
Each online store knows how to bring different surprises to its customers. But they all have the same goal of bringing the country's culinary culture closer to the world.
Not only are the noodles unique and different, but customers also have more choices, unlike subscription levels. They ensure customers can enjoy a wider variety of seasonal and festive noodles.
The ramen box is one of the great cultural bridges. Hope this article can help you find a way to enjoy this famous noodle without ever having to set foot in Japan.