In France, winter sales generally begin on the second Wednesday of January, whereas in Japan, Most retailers launch their eagerly awaited sales as early as January 1st (ganjitsu 元日 in Japanese). What makes Japanese sales so special? The ubiquitous fukubukuro 福袋, or "lucky bags"!
There is no official date for the creation of fukubukuro 福袋. However, it is generally accepted that these famous "surprise bags" originated during the Meiji period (1868-1912) and the establishment of the first department stores.
Indeed, it was to clear out the remaining stock from the previous year that the idea of a bag containing numerous items at drastically reduced prices was born. It was so successful that the fukubukuro (福袋) has become a true institution, inseparable from the beginning of January in Japan. They can be found in front of many stores from the 1st.er January and throughout the sales period. Many stores have given in to the call of the fukubukuro 福袋: clothing stores of course, jewelry stores and other cosmetics shops, but also electronics stores, drugstores and supermarkets.
Stores are not obligated to offer fukubukuro (福袋); for those that choose to do so, the concept is simple and the same for all stores. Inside these bags, you will find a selection of items whose total value is generally 30 to 501 TP3T less than the original price. Note that this is an average: therefore, while some fukubukuro (福袋) may be worth up to three or four times the bag's retail price, it is also possible that the value of the bag's contents may be only slightly higher than its purchase price.
While fukubukuro (福袋) bags are generally an (excellent) way for businesses to clear out their stock, some stores also offer exclusive products. And although the concept relies on a mystery contents, some retailers reveal what's inside their bags to avoid disappointing customers. Needless to say, these bags sell like hotcakes!
You're probably wondering if it's worth it? From a purely financial perspective, yes, because generally, the difference between the price of the bag and the value of the items inside can be enormous. From the perspective of the contents, however, the question arises. You have two options to avoid being disappointed by the contents of your fukubukuro (福袋): 1/ focus on stores that reveal the contents of their bags in advance; 2/ get an idea by watching videos of "mystery bag" unboxings shared on social media.
One last piece of advice: even if some stores offer fukubukuro 福袋 throughout January, you should know that the "lucky bags" from the most popular stores sell out in a few hours (or even a few minutes!) because people do not hesitate to queue for several hours (!) before opening time in order to be sure to get their hands on one of these precious bags!
