An Argument For Bringing Ichiban Kuji to the U.S.

For those not familiar with Ichiban Kuji (一番 くじ), or “number one lottery” games, they’re a staple of Japanese convenience stores. They’re usually created to promote various anime, video games, and even Western properties like Disney, and give you prizes that aren’t found anywhere else. (This is literal, as prizes are produced by BANDAI subsidiary BANDAI SPIRITS, who handle both lottery/prize creation and prize distribution.) The lottery is fairly simple, with most tickets costing 650 yen, or around $5.99 USD a ticket. However, more popular properties can come with a more expensive ticket price. The tickets will correspond with a letter and that letter corresponds with a prize. The most popular prizes are usually given A or B letters, while smaller, more numerous prizes can be found under letters D or E.

The lottery only ends once all tickets are bought and even if you buy the very last ticket, you don’t lose out as the last ticket in a lottery comes with an exclusive prize. Depending on the lottery, a “Double Chance Campaign” might also be held. This is usually limited to between 50 and 100 people and usually includes an extra chance at the “A” prize in the lottery or a special variant of the “A” prize.

Since they’re usually found at Japan’s numerous 7-11’s, I’ve devised an argument based on the benefits of bringing Ichiban Kuji’s to the U.S. My first point is: 7-11 is already owned by a Japanese company.

While 7-11’s were originally brought to Japan by the franchise’s original parent company Southland, 7-11 has been a Japanese company owned by Seven & I Holdings, since 2005. Which, when you think about the major differences between 7-11’s in Asia and 7-11’s in the West, is mind-boggling. 7-11’s in Asia are one-stop shopping at its finest. You can pay your bills, pick up an extra change of clothes, exchange money, and get fresh, delicious hot and cold food. In the West, the most you’ll get is gas, lottery tickets, a Slurpee, junk food, and the high possibility of food poisoning from one of those continuously rotating hot dogs. Bringing Ichiban Kuji’s to the U.S. could be the first step in making Western 7-11’s more like their Japanese counterparts in the best way. Fun lotteries today, actual convenience tomorrow.

My second point is: having Ichiban Kuji’s in the U.S. would make fandom merchandise more widely available, and make obtaining prizes less costly for those in the U.S. As mentioned earlier in this article, prizes in Ichiban Kuji’s are made by BANDAI SPIRITS. BANDAI also happens to have a U.S. subsidiary, but out of the six product lines they’re currently managing, only three have anything remotely to do with anime or manga related merch, and one is solely dedicated to Tamagotchi’s. Clearly, BANDAI could use some help. In theory, if they begin producing and distributing prizes for Ichiban Kuji’s, then it stands to reason that sales of Ichiban Kuji tickets and any merchandise related to them would drum up support for more merchandise to be produced and distributed, which in turn would lower prices. Money talks, as they say.

Currently, people who want to participate in Ichiban Kuji’s while living outside of Japan have to do so through an online distributor. These sites will allow you to buy both tickets and individual prizes, and in some cases allow you to buy the entire prize catalog for a lottery. While these sites have their benefits, (allowing those outside of Japan to participate, letting you pick specific prizes instead of buying tickets, etc.) they can be costly, with both Kuji tickets and individual prizes being sold at significantly higher prices. Factor in the costs of shipping and customs and your wallet will be emptied faster than you can say PayPal.

While it can be argued that bringing Ichiban Kuji’s to the U.S. would severely undercut the profit margins and traffic to these distributor sites, they could still continue to sell products from Japan-exclusive Ichiban Kuji’s while leaving the U.S. side to their own devices. The cost of participation in Ichiban Kuji’s would just be less for the U.S. consumers, and who doesn’t love the instant gratification that comes with winning something and getting your hands on it immediately?

But what if you’re not into a specific lottery? What if you’re not into anime & manga, or if you think every fandom featured outside of Japan either falls into the category of adult-related or Pokémon? Never fear! Japan adores Western properties. Disney-related items are everywhere, and loveable Peanuts characters Snoopy and Woodstock are even the faces of Japan’s Baskin-Robbins. Star Wars is a popular franchise with a long history in Japan. Japan even likes Minions, which should honestly cover the “middle-aged woman who memes” demographic here in the U.S.

Honestly, if the U.S. was ever worried about making money from Ichiban Kuji’s, they shouldn’t. There’s literally something for everyone. Big business, convenience stores, toy production, Ichiban Kuji’s can help benefit them all. Plus if it means more merchandise from our favorite fandoms, I’m all for it. I can always use a giant cushion with a plush Kero on it, or a set of Animal-Crossing themed plates. Plus, it’ll always give you one more reason to visit a 7-11.