Japanese Apple Store shoppers get “Lucky Bags” for New Year’s

Every New Year’s Day, Japanese consumers line up to take place in the annual tradition of the Fukubukuro, in which merchants sell sealed bags of mystery gifts at huge discounts. For example, if you go into your local video game store, you might pick up a bag of game discs for $100, while walking into the local butcher’s, and you can take your pick of any number of dripping canvas sacks of mystery meat for a nominal fee.

Apple’s Japan Stores have been taking part in the Fukubukuro celebration since 2005, and starting on Saturday, customers have been lining up to buy a limited number of Lucky Bags for about $380.

Once torn open and disgorged of their contents, this is what Japanese shoppers got from Apple for Fukubukoro:

• An iPod nano (Product) Red
• An Apple USB adapter
• A Nike + iPod Sport Kit
• An inCast Sports Armband Pro
• A Crystal Jacket Set for iPod Nano 5G (special Lucky Bag version)
• A set of Atomic Floyd TwistJax headphones
• An iHome iP38 portable iPod dock
• 2 free iTunes song card
• An Apple Store special T-Shirt
• An InCase Nylon Compact Backpack

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The end value of the items in the bag was around $800, so it seems like a very good Nano-themed deal indeed. I doubt anyone would object if American Apple stores turned a bit more Japanese if these are the sort of deals we can expect every January 1st. In the meantime, a fukubukoro to you too, Apple.

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