Studio Ghibli fukubukuro: The lucky bag everyone in Japan wants to get their hands on at New Year

Anime merchandise haul comes with a few unusual surprises.

Our Japanese reporter K. Masami looks forward to a lot of things at New Year, like receiving nengajo, watching the annual kohaku song battle on TV, and eating osechi New Year’s dishes.

One of the things she most looks forward to, though, is purchasing one of the country’s most sought-after fukubukuro lucky bags, which comes from Donguri Kyowakoku, the retail chain renowned for selling official Studio Ghibli goods.

Like all lucky bags, this one contains a selection of items worth more than the price you pay for it, and one of its main draws is the fact that the contents inside are never revealed beforehand. So, like a box of Ghibli chocolates, you don’t know which ones you’re gonna get.

▼ The items differ from bag to bag too, so what’s inside really is up to the fukubukuro gods.

Masami reserved her fukubukuro at her nearest branch of the chain as soon as reservations opened at the beginning of December, and she returned on 2 January to pick up her bag of goods, which are only being made in limited numbers.

So what did she get? Let’s take a look at her haul below!

▼ The “Otanoshimi Bukuro” (“Enjoyment Bag”) cost Masami 4,000 yen (US$34.75)

The bag contained the following products:

・My Neighbour Totoro Pocket Tote
・My Neighbour Totoro Eyelet Curtain
・Whisper of the Heart Pocketable Eco Bag
・Whisper of the Heart Fernanda Fragrance Body Mist Pear Bouquet (Facial toner)
・Kiki’s Delivery Service Jiji Magnet
・Kiki’s Delivery Service Petit Jiji Handkerchief
・Kiki’s Delivery Service Stainless Steel Portable Thermos
・Mary and the Witch’s Flower Handkerchief

▼ The My Neighbour Totoro Pocket Tote was beautifully adorned in Soot Sprites and Totoros, interspersed with woodsy images.

The bag was well made, using thick, sturdy fabric, and it came with a nice, smooth lining and handy pockets as well.

▼ Masami particularly liked the snug corner for drink bottles.

One of the most surprising items in the haul was the My Neighbour Totoro Eyelet Curtain, which ended up being the perfect length to cover the passage between hall and bathroom at Masami’s place.

The Whisper of the Heart Pocketable Eco Bag was another nice surprise, seeing as Masami has been using eco bags since free plastic bags were abolished at stores in Japan in July 2020.

▼ A “Hopeful Story” for anime fans, and the environment.

The Whisper of the Heart Fernanda Fragrance Body Mist promised to deliver good anime vibes to Masami’s daily beauty routine…

…while the Mary and the Witch’s Flower Handkerchief promised to add some anime magic to her wardrobe.

Masami is a big fan of Kiki’s Delivery Service, so she was overjoyed to receive this adorable magnet of Jiji peering at her over his shoulder.

▼ The magical black cat also peered out at Masami from this adorable little handkerchief.

▼ One of the biggest surprises in the bundle was the beautiful Kiki’s Delivery Service Stainless Steel Portable Thermos.

In Japan, Thermos flasks are called “mahoubin” (literally “Magic Bottle“), making this a particularly apt item for Kiki’s Delivery Service, which is known here as “Mahou no Takkyubin“, or “Magic Delivery Service“.

Masami was happy with absolutely everything she received, not just because of the sheer cuteness of it all, but the fact that she’ll be able to use all the products on a daily basis.

And speaking from experience, after picking up the Ghibli lucky bags in 2020, 2019, and 2018, adding a touch of Ghibli magic to your day 365 days a year is Masami’s idea of a very good year!

Photos: ©SoraNews24
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