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Fukubukuro Fever: The Thrill of Japan’s New Year Mystery Bags
Japan has no shortage of New Year traditions, but the fukubukuro is possibly the most fascinating of them all. The fact that you don’t know exactly what these “lucky bags” contain makes the experience even more thrilling!
Find out how fukubukuro works, its history, cultural impact, and etiquette. You will also learn what to expect at shops that sell these bags, as well as some shopping tips for finding the best deals. Let’s get started!
Introduction to Fukubukuro
In English, fukubukuro translates to “lucky bag.” The entire concept is a Japanese New Year’s tradition in which traders fill grab bags with random products from their store and offer them to customers at a heavily discounted price.
In most cases, a lucky bag is sold at a discount of more than 50% of the selling price of all the items in it. The term fukubukuro is a combination of two Japanese words: fuku (“lucky” or “good fortune” in English) and fukuro (“bag” in English).
Fukubukuro typically starts on the second day of the New Year (January 2), as the first day is a public holiday for most stores. It may extend to the end of the first week of the year, depending on when all of the bags are sold. The bags are sealed, and there is no way of knowing the items they contain or their market value. If you were to partake, you could be lucky enough to get some useful items or unfortunate enough to score a bag of disappointing products.
Why is Fukubukuro So Popular?
The uncertainty involved is why fukubukuro is so popular in Japan. Before popular stores open for the new year, Japanese people form long lines spanning several blocks in a bid to snap up as many lucky bags as possible. All kinds of stores, including traders of household items, jewelry, fashion accessories, and beauty products, partake in the custom. For some of these shops, fukubukuro is a way to offload excess goods. This practice is in line with the Japanese belief that the New Year is an opportunity to discard unwanted burdens and start afresh.
The History of Fukubukuro
The origins of fukubukuro can be traced back to the early 20th century. A Tokyo department store called Matsuya Ginza wanted to unload unwanted goods, so they put them on sale, offering a discounted price. The claim was that they wanted to begin the New Year in a clean way, without the burden of unsold goods. Their simple strategy worked, and many people bought the discounted products. This was the first ever fukubukuro.
Other merchants began to follow the same strategy in subsequent New Years. Soon, the practice of giving fukubukuro evolved into a widely anticipated annual event, not just in Japan but in other countries, including the US and the UK.
What to Expect in a Fukubukuro
The idea behind the lucky bags is to sell you a bunch of random items at a significant discount. Keeping that in mind, you should know that there’s as much a chance of getting fantastic and extremely useful products as there is of getting awful items that didn’t sell well in the past year. That’s why they’re called lucky bags; they depend almost entirely on luck.
These bags are only available in limited quantities. Many stores offer fukubukuro on a first-come, first-served basis, while others use a lottery system to determine the buyers.
The items in a bag can range from clothing and electronics to gourmet foods and beauty products. Expect to find 4 or 5 products per bag. Even though you can’t 100% predict the contents of a fukubukuro, the specialty of the store could give you an idea. You want to go to stores that generally stock high-quality products to maximize your chances of striking gold.
Top Stores for Fukubukuro Shopping
Let’s highlight some of the top lucky bag sellers. Our carefully curated list includes physical shops in Japan and online stores accessible from the comfort of your home.
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Sugoi Mart: This is an online store that sells all of the latest trendy products from Japan. You can buy all kinds of goods from the website, including anime and video game merchandise, food, drinks, and collectibles. Sugoi Mart is famous for its wide range of themed lucky bags. You can buy lucky bags with random goodies from Sanrio, Snake Attack, Pokemon, and Ghibli.
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Starbucks: Despite its American origin, Starbucks is one of the best places to get a lucky bag in Japan. The coffee seller offers annual fukubukuro to people who have a registered account with the company. They choose buyers via an online lottery. If chosen, you can buy a high-quality tote bag filled with random goodies such as coffee, drink bottles, and coupons.
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Muji: The fashion and household goods store brings a unique concept to fukubukuro in Japan. Instead of bags, they sell cans. The cans contain decorative objects featuring a zodiac animal representation of the New Year and a generous gift card.
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Bokksu Boutique: Your No. 1 supplier of gift boxes from Japan is also a regular source of fukubukuro bags for online shoppers. It's the best place to buy lucky bags filled with traditional Japanese snacks for the purpose of gifting your loved ones.
How to Get the Best Fukubukuro Deals
With the right knowledge, both locals and tourists can score the best fukubukuro deals in Japan. The following are tips and strategies to remember when shopping for lucky bags:
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Do some research and find out what day the shop will be open. Some of them are closed on January 1 and open on January 2.
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Always arrive early in the morning.
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There tends to be lots of crowds at these events, so consider bringing ear plugs to cancel out the noise.
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If you’re grabbing lucky bags from multiple department stores, keep your spoils in a nearby coin locker, as they can be pretty heavy.
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Some people hang around the shops after getting their bags to trade unwanted items with other shoppers. Unless the store prohibits exchanges, feel free to join them and find products you need.
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Check social media to see what other people got in their lucky bags from a specific shop. This could give you an idea of what to expect.
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You can lightly shake the bag, weigh it, or squeeze it to get an idea of what’s inside.
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Some online stores offer a wide variety of lucky bag options with a list of possible combinations in each. If you love treats, take advantage of Bokksu Boutique fukubukuro offerings such as The Mystery Bundle, Sweet Snack Lucky Bag, and The SOS (Save Our Snacks) Bundle.
Cultural Impact of Fukubukuro
The concept of the lucky bag marries commerce and culture in Japan. It’s similar to Black Friday sales in the US, but with a bigger emphasis on tradition. Fukubukuro is also a part of other New Year traditions in Japan, such as ōsōji, the annual custom of cleaning, tidying, and decluttering. Most importantly, it reflects the Japanese values of thrill, trust, and the joy of a surprise.
Fukubukuro in the Digital Age
The tradition of Fukubukuro has adapted to the digital world, with online sales on virtual stores like Sugoi Mart and Bokksu Boutique. Online merchants also offer international shipping, widening the bracket of people who can participate.
Thanks to the influence of social media hype, more people are aware of these in-store sales, and companies outside of Japan have adopted the practice. The actual selling process has also improved with merchants applying lottery and ticketing systems on official websites in place of the traditional first-come, first-served method.
Sustainability and Fukubukuro
Most people who buy lucky bags only care about the content. Hence, they tend to discard the bags almost immediately. As more traders adopt the practice of fukubukuro, retailers are concerned about the negative impact of discarded lucky bags on the environment. Many of them are addressing waste and consumer concerns through eco-friendly practices, such as reusable bags or carefully curated contents to minimize unwanted items.
Some of the retailers in Japan have turned to mottainai, a traditional anti-waste practice that has evolved into modern-day sustainability efforts. To learn how it works, read the recent mottainai guide we posted on our blog.
Fukubukuro Etiquette and Shopping Tips
While you shop for the best lucky bag deals, keep in mind certain dos and don'ts to maximize satisfaction for yourself and others.
The most important etiquette is to maintain courteous shopping behavior, no matter the size of the crowd. When shaking or squeezing a bag to predict its content, be extra careful not to break the seal or damage any items.
If the store prohibits exchanges, we urge you to respect their wishes. Also, remember that there are no refunds when it comes to fukubukuro lucky bags, so choose wisely.
Conclusion: The Enduring Charm of Fukubukuro
The thrill of the unknown and the joy of discovery make fukubukuro appealing for people within and outside Japan. Its popularity is proof of what an intersection of commerce and culture can achieve with the right strategy.
As next year's fukubukuro approaches, shop for lucky bags and all kinds of Japanese gifts at Bokksu Boutique. We have detailed product descriptions to give you a clear idea of what to expect in each package. We also offer unbeatable free shipping offers to help you save even more!
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