Fortune bags from Isetan … only available on on 2 Jan!, originally uploaded by artchow.

In Japan, retailers participate in a traditional custom called Fukubukuro, in which they prepare small bags of merchandise, and sell them as “Lucky Bags”; in connection with the New Year’s celebrations. The buyer doesn’t know the contents of the bag until they pay for it and open it up. The value of the bags is usually rather small, and the surprise is not only what’s in the bag, but an occasional extra item the store includes to bump up the value of the bag.

I got 4 bags while my wife got only one (for her, it’s quality instead of quantity). I paid JPY20000 each for the DKNY and the CK bags and there were close to JPY120,000 worth of goods inside. The whole experience was quite remarkable.