What Is the Lucky Bag (Mystery Bag)?
The lucky bag (福袋 fuku-bukuro), also known as mystery bag is a bag containing random goods to sell at department stores on new year’s first sale (hatsu-uri*).
It’s a secret what’s in it until you open the bag. The amount contained depends on the size of the bag, and customers choose from among the many bags.
At online stores, there are quite a few stores that sell lucky bags at any time of the year.
Although the word “lucky bag” is with “bag”, items wrapped in other than bags, for instance, boxes are also called lucky bags.
*Hatsu-uri means that retailers start business for the first time in the new year.
What’s In the Lucky Bag?
Clothes are the most common contents of lucky bags.
Besides that, accessories, cosmetics, games, toys, and foods are also the popular contents of them.
Items that do not fit in the bag may also be traded under the name of “lucky bag”, for example, furniture, home appliances, real estate, cars, etc.
What Does Lucky Bag Mean?
Originally, the lucky bag is a large bag that Daikokuten has. Daikokuten is famous as the god of good fortune in Japan.
As you can see the picture, the large bag is actually held by Daikokuten with his launched gavel and rice bales.
It is said that this bag doesn’t contain money or rice, but contains good luck and happiness. Furthermore, he will share the fortune from the bag when that Daikokuten comes.
3 Best Things About Buying the Lucky Bag
There are three main attractions of the lucky bag.
Excitement that you do not know what is in
When you buy a lucky bag, you can know in advance what kind of genre it is (clothes, toys, etc). But, you don’t know the details until you open it. That’s one of the biggest excitement of buying the lucky bag.
Good value for money
Usually, a lucky bag is sold at a price below the total price of the combined product. In other words, there is a possibility that happiness and luck can be drawn.
Meet new products
The store will pick up various types of products. Therefore, you may get something that you don’t usually buy it yourself, but you wish you had it.
Wouldn’t it be nice if it’s great product that you couldn’t find yourself.
