
It’s not déjà vu, Mr. Sato; it’s just luck.
Every year of New Year’s “lucky bags,” or fukubukuro, brings a rollercoaster of ups and downs to the SoraNews24 team. We try to test out new ones every year, but we also find ourselves repeat customers of some shops (even if it’s disappointing).
Mr. Sato got relatively fortunate last year with a household electronics lucky bag from a shop in Akihabara called Tokka Bazaar, which only cost him 5,000 yen (45.79). He got a smart music lamp, a foot warmer, a calculator, an electric razor, and more!
▼ That’s worth well over 5,000 yen, especially if you’ve been dying to have some of this stuff.
This year, Mr. Sato decided to up the ante and buy a lucky bag worth 10,000 yen. He was pretty pleased with last year’s results, so he thought it was worth it.
Mr. Sato said he even checked to see if there was one worth 50,000 yen, but he was out of luck in that department. That may or may not have saved his wallet.
Well, aren’t you dying to see what’s inside? Mr. Sato was. He wasted no time in opening it, and his eye was immediately captivated by the large box inside. “This has to be good,” he thought. It could even be a laptop!
But when he excitedly took it out of the bag..
…
…
(ellipses intensify)
…
…
It was another foot warmer!
“It’s you again!?” Mr. Sato thought. After trusting the shop enough to double his paying price from last year, he felt betrayed.
Luckily, one of our writers was there to find the silver lining.
▼ “Look, they’re different colors!”
Oh well, time to move on. The bag also contained some other items of value, including this hair straightener.
The rest of the items weren’t that appealing; there was an FM transmitter for your car, but everything else was kind of random.
You probably don’t need this egg tray…
“I really don’t need this Moomin cup…” Mr. Sato thought.
Mr. Sato was out of luck this year, but he’s also looking forward to next year’s bag. Positive thoughts! Besides, you can get plenty of other exciting goods for less money in other stores…
Photos ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]












Mr. Sato hunts for New Year’s lucky tablets in the wilderness of Akihabara
Mr. Sato goes back to the junk shops of Akihabara, where the real lucky bag action is
Mr. Sato gets his heart broken by a 2019 Akihabara Junk Shop Lucky Bag
Mr. Sato tries his luck with a lucky bag of mystery underwear
【Lucky Bag Roundup 2018】Akihabara Junk Shop Lucky Bags: Now with less junk!
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
Move aside, convenience store egg sando – there’s a better version of the iconic sandwich in Japan
Almost all Japanese women say they dislike random gacha/blind-box toys in survey
Pokémon hot spring footbath opening in Japan this spring
Studio Ghibli croquettes not to eat, but to keep your stuff in, going on sale in Japan[Photos]
Visiting Japan’s one-and-only, and only-for-a-limited-time, Dragon Ball noodle restaurant[Photos]
What does a kanji with 12 “kuchi” radicals mean? A look at weird, forgotten Japanese characters
Japan’s leading maker of giant cat heads needs your help!
Nintendo’s controller capsule toys are so cool, even the machine you buy them from is awesome【Pics】
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Injuries on stairs in Tokyo highlight an overlooked design flaw
Japanese trains in Sapporo might be better than those in Tokyo, thanks to one special feature
Japanese government wants overseas anime market to roughly triple in 10 years, but are they crazy?
Starbucks Japan releases FIVE new Frappuccinos in a day, and we try them all in 90 minutes
Japanese bento shop sells croquettes for 13 cents, but are they any good?
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
【Lucky Bag Roundup 2017】Mr. Sato and his crew model 12 outfits from this year’s GAP fukubukuro
Akihabara capsule toy lucky bag is filled with cute characters and cool crap (literally)【Photos】
Akihabara junk shop offers “Guaranteed iPad and other various items!!” lucky bag in 2022
We bought a “Plastic Model Vegeta” lucky bag from Laox, got a model we really didn’t expect
The Akihabara ? Bag lucky bag may disappoint you if you yourself are a pretty weird guy
【2016 Lucky Bag Roundup】We buy a 3,000-yen, 5-kilo Lucky Bag of junk in Akihabara
The Thanko lucky bag overfloweth with interesting products
Demon Slayer lucky bag from Akihabara slays us with awesome anime merch
Mr. Sato divulges the contents of a 2015 Apple Store Lucky Bag–will he get a lame t-shirt again?
【Lucky Bag Roundup 2017】 We push our luck with a 3,000 yen “lucky bag” from Akihabara junk shop
Can our writer get lucky with a lucky bag of outlet sexy underwear?
Godzilla Store crushes New Year with king of the 2020 fukubukuro lucky bags
Get a piece of space with this lucky bag sold by a half-man, half-alien
Uniqlo Japan’s lucky bag creates chaos at Tokyo store
What’s inside the lucky bag from Akihabara’s largest adult toy shop?