You win some, you lose some, and it’s all in the luck of the bag.

Japanese stores have a tradition of selling fukubukuro (“lucky bags“) at New Year, filling them with coupons and exclusive goods worth more than the cost of the bag, making them an irresistible purchase for customers.

Out of all the many fukubukuro on the market, one of the most sought-after hails from Starbucks, with demand for it exceeding supply to such an extent that it can only be purchased by winners of a lottery held at the end of the year. Only four of our 20 reporters who applied for the fukubukuro were able to purchase it this year, at a price point of 8,800 yen (US$55.83), and as the bags are said to differ, we’ve been peeking into each one to see what the differences are between them.

▼ Now it’s time to find out what’s in the third bag, obtained by our reporter Ahiruneko.

First, though, let’s recap with a look at the contents of the first bag, owned by Masanuki Sunakoma…

▼ …and the second bag, from Seiji Nakazawa.

At first glance, the bags don’t look dissimilar, but upon closer inspection you’ll find there’s one major difference between them.

That’s right — whereas the first bag contained a pink sakura tumbler, the second bag had a plainer tumbler, in more subdued, gradated hues.

This made the first bag a slightly better deal in terms of value, as the pink tumbler was larger and more expensive, with its retail price set at 4,900 yen while the green one was originally sold for 4,400 yen.

So how would Ahiruneko’s fukubukuro fare in this comparison between bags? Let’s start by checking out each item he received.

▼ First, we have the bag-in-bag, which was the same across the board.

▼ Then we have the 250-gram (8.8-ounce) pack of Pike Place Roast ground coffee…

▼ …the voucher for a free 250-gram pack of coffee, valid until 4 July, 2025…

▼ …and the seven drink tickets, which can each be exchanged for a beverage priced up to 700 yen for dine-in or 687 yen for takeout.

As for the other items in the bag, let’s line them up side by side, with Ahiruneko’s on the left and first-bag-owner Masanuki’s on the right.

▼ Lucky Bag Limited Stainless Steel Bottle A (355 millilitres)

▼ Four stickers

▼ Zippered pouch

And finally, we have Ahiruneko’s tumbler on the right, which, as you can see, is identical to the one received by Masanuki on the left.

So in the end, Ahiruneko’s haul (left, below) turned out to be exactly the same as Masanuki’s (left, right).

This was a surprising result that none of us were expecting, but it just goes to show that although Starbucks’ lucky bags might not always be the same…sometimes they just might be. What you get is all part of the luck of the bag, and it’s a gamble we’re willing to take a chance on at the start of every year!

Photos © SoraNews24
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