A unique way to get a taste of limited-edition flavours from the past.

Häagen-Dazs is a high-quality ice cream that has the power to silence even crying children. However, the selling price of around 300 yen (US$1.91) per tub is enough to silence any hard-working adult, so whenever there’s a chance to get them at a discounted price, we always jump at the opportunity.

New Year’s is a great time to get these ice creams at a discount, as the brand releases a special fukubukuro “lucky bag” to start the year. While supermarkets and online sites like Amazon might release their own Häagen-Dazs-filled fukubukuro, true fans know to head to the directly operated store for an official lucky bag, which often gives you the best deal.

There’s only one official Häagen-Dazs store in Japan, and it can be found at Gotemba Premium Outlets, an outlet mall located in Gotemba City in Shizuoka Prefecture.

The place was crowded on New Year’s Day, with customers jostling to get their hands on a lucky bag, so our reporter Maro was lucky to pick one up before they sold out.

There were three types of lucky bags, priced at 1,550 yen, 2,550 yen and 3,750 yen. Maro picked up the 2,550-yen bag, which came with a limited-edition carry bag, 12 mini tubs, two bonus mini tubs, and a load of dry ice to keep it all frozen for up to five hours.

Lovers of Häagen-Dazs will recognise some nostalgic faces here, as the outlet store stocks flavours that are no longer sold at other retailers.

▼ The “Creamy Gelato” series, in Pistachio & Cacao and Rich Peach, for example, was a summer 2023 product.

▼ The popular Hana Mochi series, in Ginse Kinako Kuromitsu and Matcha Azuki flavours, was released in autumn 2023.

The Italian Chestnut Tart was another limited-edition autumn product, while the Aged Vanilla was first released in August 2023.

▼ Rounding out the ice cream haul are two bonus tubs — the Green Craft Soy Milk Vanilla and Brown Butter Biscuit.

Ice creams in Japan generally don’t come with a use-by-date, as they can be eaten for an indefinite period of time if kept frozen, so there’s no problem with consuming these ice creams from 2023.

Tallying up the regular retail price of each tub, the 14 ice creams here would normally set you back around 4,200 yen, which is 1,650 yen more than the price of the bag. For what Maro paid, each tub worked out to be around 182 yen, which is close to half the regular retail price, making it an excellent deal.

With an offer this good, it’s worth stocking up on more than one bag to keep your Häagen-Dazs cravings satisfied all year long. The bags are only available from 1-3 January, though, so ice cream lovers will definitely want to add this store to their fukubukuro shopping list for next year!

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