Starbucks Japan releases New Year’s mugs and travel cups featuring lucky cats, daruma and Mt Fuji

Adorable Japanese drinkware range pays homage to traditional Japanese motifs and traditions.

Starbucks has been satiating our desire for new flavours with a seemingly neverending lineup of limited-edition releases over the years, but it’s not only their drinks menu that gets a shakeup every season, as their drinkware range gets updated too.

So as 2018 draws to a close, it’s time for Starbucks to roll out their New Year’s range of collectibles, and this year they’re featuring some of the country’s most famous traditional seasonal motifs. With roughly a dozen new items in the limited-time range, let’s take a look at some of the exclusive items in the collection below.

First up is a selection of travel mugs, with the Daruma Tumbler leading the way in a festive red-and-gold design. Retailing for 2,200 yen (1,982 yen), this item features a gorgeous little mini daruma at the bottom, which rolls around happily as you enjoy your drink. The tumbler itself is a clever play on words here, as daruma are designed to tumble, rocking back and forth but never falling down.

The stainless steel Maneki Neko Tumbler (3,300 yen) comes adorned with cute little maneki neko, or beckoning cats. In Japan, these lucky cats have either their left paw raised to attract people, friends and customers or their right paw raised to invite good fortune and money. Cats with both paws raised are said to beckon both people and fortune, and this tumbler has all three types of maneki neko to bring you all the good luck you need in the coming year. 

For 4,000 yen, customers can enjoy a view of Mt Fuji and the rising sun on this gorgeous bright blue tumbler. A popular New Year’s Day activity in Japan is to view hatsuhinode, the first sunrise of the year, and Mt Fuji is a lucky symbol when it appears in Hatsuyume, or the first dream of the year, making this tumbler an extra lucky deal.

To celebrate the upcoming Year of the Boar, Starbucks has designed this cute 2019 zodiac year cup (1,900 yen), featuring an adorable boar character. The mug is decorated in traditionally lucky New Year’s colours of white, red and gold.

This glass mug (2,000 yen) comes in the distinctive shape of Mt Fuji, in a beautiful blue-and-white colour scheme. Fill this with some hot milk and you’ll recreate the famous snow-capped mountain amidst a clear winter sky. 

One of the most eye-catching items in the whole collection is the Daruma Mug (1,800 yen), which looks exactly like a red-and-white daruma. While daruma are usually purchased with one eye only, so people can make a wish and draw in the other eye when their dream is fulfilled, this mug comes with a complete pair of eyes, suggesting your fortunes have already come true just by purchasing the cup.

The limited-edition drinkware range went on sale on 26 December and the items have been so popular that they’ve already sold out online. Stocks are still available at some stores so be quick if you want to get your hands on a new Starbucks cup or travel mug for the New Year!

Source, images: Starbucks Japan

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