After Christmas comes Oshogatsu, or New Year’s, a very special time in Japan. While January 1st is usually spent relaxing at home, visiting with relatives or taking a trip to a shrine for hatsu-mode (ha-tsoo moh-day), the first prayer for happiness of the new year, it’s a big time for shopping, too, with stores having start-of-the-year sales to get customers in the door. One of the more popular customs of the New Year’s season is lining up to buy fuku-bukuro, sealed “lucky bags” filled with unknown contents which feature items valued at much more than the price of the bag. These bags are so popular, you can see lines of customers waiting to buy them at department stores, and everyone hopes to get something really cool for the discounted price. This year J-List is bringing this Japanese tradition to our customers, too, with four different “lucky bags” offering different anime toys and figures, traditional and bento items, and more. What mysterious items will your bag hold?
