It's time for Fukubukuro!

Close your eyes and imagine - it’s the New Year. The world is full of possibilities! You have a table full of lucky bags in front of you, stuffed to the brim with amazing mystery Kākou Collective mea, and now it’s time for the big question…which one do you choose??

That’s right, back by popular demand, we’re doing a fukubukuro event!

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Huh? Fukubu-what?” No worries beef curries, read on to learn all you need to about this fun shopping phenomenon.

The name, fukubukuro comes from the Japanese words fuku which means ‘good luck’ and fukuro which means ‘bag.’ That’s how we get the name ‘lucky bag!’ The fukubukuro craze started in Japan, though there is some debate as to when and where it began. Some say it dates all the way back to the Edo Period (1603-1867), when a kimono shop in Tokyo sold fabric by the bag at hugely discounted prices. Others argue that the first lucky bags didn’t come around until 1912, when the Ginza Matsuya Department store premiered fukubukuro mystery bags to boost their sales.

Either way, this fun Japanese New Year’s tradition of buying mysterious lucky bags has spread worldwide! Fukubukuro are sealed bags, full of unknown products from a specific store. While you typically don’t know what exactly is in each bag, one thing is for certain: the items inside are sold at a huge discount! You never know what you’re going to get, but you know it’s going to be a DEAL!

If you didn’t get a chance to check us out in person at the Ho‘omau Hawaii mākeke (market), our online shop is now open and bursting with all our new mea. Don’t forget – we will be closing on December 12 at midnight, so make sure you get your shopping done now!

However, in honor of fukubukuro, we will be re-opening our online shop for a *very limited* lucky bag event. From December 31^st until January 1, our online shop will be open for you to choose your fukubukuro bag, so mark your calendars!

We know that half the fun of fukubukuro is the excitement of selecting your specific lucky bag. The one that calls to you and you can just tell has all your favorite mea in it! To bring this element online, we are numbering our bags ahead of time, so when you go online to buy one, you’ll get to choose your special lucky number. Once you buy that number, that bag will be marked as sold, and no one else will be able to select that same number. 

What’s in the bags? Well, obviously we can’t tell you exactly what’s in them! Part of the fukubukuro fun is the surprise of finding out what you picked!

What we can tell you is this:

1. They will be stuffed full of limited-edition items that dropped this year.
2. We will include products that we used to make but no longer sell (*cough rulers and coasters cough*).
3. There will be a few never-before-seen shirts that will be sold exclusively in the lucky bags!

Ok, enough spoilers!

Lucky bags will each contain items that will be worth DOUBLE whatever you paid for it. Yes, you read that right! A $30 bag will have $60 worth of amazing Kākou Collective mea!

Apparel bags will be sold by sizes, so don’t worry, you’ll get something that will fit, (even if its design will be a surprise).

All right, that’s all for now! Make sure you’re subscribed to our Hap-E-Mail list so you can be the first to know when exactly on December 31 our shop will be re-opening.

 Happy holidays and a hui hou! (Until next time)

 Mahalo to the resources that were used for this article:

1. Fukubukuro: The Traditional Japanese Lucky Bag, Sugoi Mart by Japan Crate, 12 Aug. 2022, sugoimart.com/blogs/sugoi-mart-blog/fukubukuro-the-traditional-japanese-lucky-bag.

2. Japanese New Year Traditions: Fukubukuro Lucky Bags!, Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), 12 Jan. 2023, www.japan.travel/en/uk/inspiration/fukubukuro/.