fukubukuro
Latest
Snowmen? No -- just people waiting in line at an Apple Store
Photo credit: @buckedplatypus That picture above? Well, you might think it's a bunch of snowmen in a line. That's pretty close to the truth, as it's a line of snow-covered people waiting in the dark in Sapporo, Japan early in the morning of January 1. Why would anyone sit in the cold and snow for hours? Well, there's a New Year's tradition in Japan of Fukubukuro, or "Lucky Bags". Merchants sell sealed bags of items at a substantial discount so that everyone walks away with a bargain, but Apple has sweetened the pot over the past three years by often putting much more expensive swag into random bags. The Lucky Bags sold this year for ¥36,000 or about US$340, with some really lucky buyers getting MacBooks or high-end iPads tossed into the mix.
Opening Apple's 'Lucky Bags' in Japan, where $300 can get you a MacBook Air
Happy New Year. And when it comes to shopping in Japan, that means sales and fukubukuro. These "lucky bags" are sold by all kinds of stores, and typically contain products equal in value to what you pay, but sometimes a whole lot more. Even Apple's bricks-and-mortar stores have followed the tradition since 2004, with a handful of bags housing a coveted MacBook Air. All of the bags cost 35,000 yen, roughly $300, but if you're shopping for an Apple laptop, it's a gamble. There's no guarantee what will be inside yours. This year, for the first time, Apple has added a handful of limited edition products for its crowd of dedicated Japanese fans. We visited the store in Ginza, Tokyo, today, which alone (there are three stores in the city) managed to attract 900 people before the store even opened. Let's see what 300 bucks can buy, if you're willing to risk it.
Apple's Lucky Bag sale kicks off in Japan
Last week TUAW covered the annual Japanese New Year's tradition of Fukubukuro or "Lucky Bag," in which merchants sell sealed bags of items at a substantial discount. Apple Stores are participating today (January 2, 2013) with bags selling for ¥33,000 (US$380). So what was in the bags this year? Former TUAW blogger Rick Martin writes for TechInAsia and The Japan Times, and he says that some of the more lucky participants actually came away from their favorite Apple Store with a lot more than $380 worth of goodies. Japanese blogger @Kazuend did some quick math and figured that his bag was worth about ¥95,000 ($1,100). He was able to get everything from a Lightning USB Camera Adapter ($33) to a 16 GB Wi-Fi iPad ($450) with several other accessories thrown in for good measure. That's @Kazuend's pile of goodness seen in the photo at the top of this page. Some of the luckiest Lucky Bags contained a MacBook Air. There's a summary of some of the swag on this Japanese site, with @Ryowxyz stating that the "jackpot was hit" with his Lucky Bag for 2013. He stayed in line for 16 hours at the Shinsaibashi store, and received the 45th Lucky Bag sold at the site.
Japanese customers line up for Apple's Lucky Bags
Apple Stores in Japan have continued the fukubukuro or "mystery bag" tradition, where sealed bags of merchandise are offered on New Year's Day at a hefty discount. If you're extremely lucky, you'll come away with a piece of coveted merchandise. Apple has been doing this in Japan since 2005. The bags this year cost 33,000 yen, MacNN reports, which is about US$428 as of this writing. Items spotted in the bags both this year and in the past include the following: Headphones Cases An 8 GB iPod touch Various high-end accessories Speakers A special 2012 New Year's t-shirt The exceptionally lucky shoppers got to walk away with a MacBook Air or an iPad 2.
Japan's Apple Stores continue Lucky Bag tradition
Fukubukuro, or "Mystery Bag," is a Japanese New Year's Day tradition during which merchants sell sealed bags of various items at a substantial discount, often as high as 50%. Shoppers may get some great deals on the contents of these bags - even if they don't know what exactly they're buying. Japanese Apple Stores have participated since 2005. Once again, this year, they're offering mystery bags to Japanese Apple Store customers. Stores will begin selling a limited number of Lucky Bags for the equivalent of $380US on January 2nd. But the fun doesn't end there. Each store will offer workshops on photography, video-making and presentations to kids aged eight to 12-years-old. Adults can share in the fun too, as a contest will be held to find the best New Year's greeting card created on a Mac. All contest participants will receive a small gift. If you attend, let us know. Last year, a reader received an 8 GB iPod touch, a Nike iPod sensor and armband, a Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere2 speaker set, a cool, re-useable bag (above), a commemorative T-shirt and a 2009 calendar for the approximate equivalent of $384US. Shoppers began to line up at midnight the day before in 2009, so hop to it. Those lines aren't going to get any shorter. Update: The sale has begun. Here's what one shopper received. [Via ifoAppleStore]
Lucky Bags sold in Japanese Apple Store
Fukubukuro, or "Mystery Bag," is a Japanese New Year's Day tradition during which merchants sell sealed bags of various items at a substantial discount, often as high as 50%. Apple participated this year, and one lucky shopper, Justin, blogged his experience. For the approximate equivalent of $384US, Justin received an 8 GB iPod touch Nike iPod sensor and armband Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere2 speaker set Cool, re-useable bag (at right) Commemorative T-shirt 2009 calendar Quite a haul! Shoppers lined up at midnight on January 2nd for a chance to buy one of Apple's Mystery Bags. I'm thinking that US retailers need to adopt this tradition. [Via ifoAppleStore]
