Comparing Starbucks lucky bags in Japan proves some bundles are better than others

Sakura, tumblers, ornaments and mugs…which of our three reporters scored the best Starbucks fukubukuro? 

As we head into a new year, people around the country have been enjoying the time-honoured Japanese custom of purchasing fukubukuro, lucky bags filled with products that are worth more than the price you pay for them.

Not all of these discounted bundles are made the same, though, even when they come from the same retailer, and to prove that, our reporter Egawa Tasuku recently sized up three of the Starbucks lucky bags, all priced at 7,500 yen (US$65.16).

The Starbucks fukubukuro are notoriously hard to get as they’re sold via advance lottery applications. This year, only three out of our 16 reporters who applied for one were able to purchase a lucky bag, so let’s take a look first at the one Tasuku had delivered to his door during New Year’s.

1. Tote bag large
2. Tote bag small
3. Voucher for free coffee beans
4. Drink tickets
5. Pike Place Roast Coffee Beans

6. Starbucks Lucky Bag 2022 Stainless Steel Bottle A
7. Sakura 2021 Stainless Steel Bottle Colour Blocking
8. Starbucks Lucky Bag 2022 Storage Basket
9. Tokyo Roastery 1st Anniversary Mug Cup
10. Holiday 2020 Starbucks Campus Ring Note Green

The items listed from one to five are all standard products that remain the same from bag to bag. However, the items on the last half of the list are all randomly selected, and Tasuku received arguably the best lucky bag out of all three of our reporters, so let’s take a look at what makes it so special.

▼ First up, we have the Starbucks Lucky Bag 2022 Stainless Steel Bottle

As the name suggests, this product is only available in lucky bags, and not sold separately. However, while the artwork itself appears to be the same, if you look closely at all three bottles, you’ll see that Tasuku’s (right) is the “A” style, which has a more curved neck and rounded lid.

▼ Reporters Masanuki Sunakoma (top left) and Chie Nomura (bottom left) both received the “B” style bottle.

Next up, Tasuku scored a “Storage Basket”, whereas Masanuki and Chie each received a set of two small blankets (pictured below).

Tasuku’s storage basket was made of thick, durable felt, and needed to be assembled using the small rope that was included in the set.

When assembled, the basket measures 20 centimetres (7.9 inches) by 13 centimetres by 13 centimetres, which is large enough to fit around four bags of Starbucks coffee beans.

As for the remaining three items in the set, these differed widely, with Masanuki’s trio on the left, Chie’s trio in the middle, and Tasuku’s on the right.

While all these items are different, what they do have in common is the fact that they’ve all appeared as part of previous collections at Starbucks. Each set has its own undeniable charm, but Tasuku was chuffed with his, as it contained a bottle from last year’s limited-edition sakura range, with the price tag hidden beneath the white sticker reading 4,510 yen.

▼ That’s over half the price of what Tasuku paid for the whole bag!

The mug was a rare find, as it looked to be commemorating the first anniversary of the Reserve Roastery Tokyo. It was considerably large too, large enough to hold the stainless steel bottle.

Finally, instead of receiving another tumbler, a handkerchief or a small ornament, Tasuku scored a notebook, which was perfect for him as he’d been eyeing these off ever since they were released in 2019.

▼ Made from recycled milk cartons.

So there you have it — three Starbucks lucky bag customers, three very different lucky bags. Which one was your favourite? Let us know in the comments section below, and don’t forget to check out all the details behind Masanuki’s Starbucks lucky bag over here. Happy New Year!

Photos: ©SoraNews24
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