In Tokyo
FOR many Japanese, the New Year means observing two rituals.
One is going to the nearest temple or shrine to pray for good luck. The other is sprinting to the local department store to grab a “fukubukuro” or “lucky bag”.
This “lucky bag” usually contains a selection of items, the combined value of which is a fraction of the price of the bag.
But the bags do not necessarily contain items that one can lug home.
Some stores offer bags containing luxury cars or even brand new apartments – all costing well below their normal price tags.
Although most major department stores open for business on January 2nd, in recent years, an increasing number are also doing so on New Year’s Day itself.
At Takashimaya’s main store in Tokyo’s Nihombashi district, there was reportedly a queue of some 12,000 people before opening time - all with “lucky bags” on their minds.
Some people even camped overnight to be ahead in the queue.
But with the economic recession very much in the air this year, shoppers everywhere are clearly extra choosey as to what they bought
The best-selling “lucky bags” were not for luxury items, but stuff meant for everyday use, from canned food and confectionery, to towels and underwear.
At the Seibu department store in the Ikebukuro district, an unexpected hit item was a 1,000 yen bag that allowed buyers to stuff up to 10 kg worth of fresh vegetables of their choosing.
Many Japanese insist that their New Year does not really kick in until they have purchased a lucky bag or two. It is not unusual to see shoppers with both their hands full of such bags by the time they are done with shopping for the day.
The custom of selling lucky bags apparently began around 1907 when a kimono shop – now the Matsuya department store – started offering them for sale during the New Year season.
However, buying lucky bags in the past was an entirely different experience from what it is today.
Previously, buyers could not see the contents of the lucky bags before paying for them.
Because of this, the bags were something of a test of one’s luck for the rest of the year. Buyers also experienced a genuine thrill when opening the bags at home.
Several years ago, however, in a bid to drum up sales, some stores started unveiling the contents of their bags several weeks before the New Year.
Takashimaya, for instance, even took advance orders for some of its bags containing dresses and accessories, and allowed customers to specify the colour and size of the items in them.
These days, the contents of most lucky bags are displayed in the stores so that shoppers can compare before buying - effectively turning the purchase of the bags into nothing more than a bargain-hunt.
Thankfully, there are still many specialty shops where buyers of lucky bags are still not told what exactly they are paying for.
As such bags are usually prepared and sealed at other locations, not even the sales assistants are aware of what they are selling.
So, if you're visiting Japan during the first few days of the New Year, these are perhaps the sort of lucky bags to look out for if you want to truly test your luck and get a real thrill at the same time.
Happy hunting!