Japanese convenience store serves up two fukubukuro packed with surprises.

As we enter the last week of the year, fukubukuro lucky bag sales in Japan are heating up, with more and more stores releasing blind-buy grab bags in what’s become an ongoing Japanese New Year’s tradition.

Our reporters are always on the lookout for the best bags on the market, and this year, our local Family Mart brought the goods with not one but two fukubukuro that have been widely praised by customers.

▼ These lucky bags are special in that they’re not official but “indie” varieties put together by the store operator.

As is often the case with fukubukuro, the contents may differ from bag to bag but you can rest assured that you’ll always get your money’s worth, as the products inside are worth more than the cost of the lucky bag.

So what’s inside the fukubukuro we picked up on our recent visit to Family Mart? Let’s start with the big bag, below.

・Bite Size Kabukiage Rice Crackers (128 yen [US$0.82])
・Green Tea (108 yen)
・Lightly Salted Potato Chips (150 yen)
・Chocolate Filled Cream Puffs (138 yen)
・Shrimp Tempura Soba (170 yen)
・Meat Sauce (190 yen)

The big bag cost 500 yen, giving us a saving of 384 yen as the six products inside were valued at 884 yen. That was a good deal for both the customer and the chain, as all the products were own-name “Famimaru” exclusives, helping to introduce customers to items they may not have tried before.

▼ So what about the small bag?

・Milk Doughnut (108 yen)
・Financier Made with French Lactic Butter (145 yen)
・Waffle Made with French Lactic Butter (145 yen)
・Chocolate Pound Cake (180 yen)
・Baumkuchen Made with French Lactic Butter (180 yen)

Despite being smaller in size, this lucky bag was also priced at 500 yen, and it offered a great deal too, as the total cost for the five sweets inside was 758 yen, giving us a saving of 258 yen.

The large bag might’ve offered a greater saving, but the smaller bag was sweeter, in all senses of the word. Out of all the products, however, the one we were most surprised by was the Shrimp Tempura Soba, which we didn’t even know existed.

▼ The shrimp flavour was fantastic, and in balance with the moreishness of the other ingredients.

It was so good that we returned to the store to pick up another bag in the hopes of netting another shrimp soba, but by that time, they’d already sold out. It just goes to show how good the fukubukuro are, so if you’re lucky enough to spot one during your travels, be sure to grab it before it’s gone!

Photos©SoraNews24
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