As per Japanese tradition, Apple has started handing out its Fukubukuro (a.k.a. “Lucky Bags”) to customers at its brick-and-mortar retail stores in Japan — giving some fortunate buyers massive discounts on the latest Apple products and accessories.
The bags are part of a special New Year offer, and are available in only limited quantities, with customers not knowing which they’re going to get until they’ve stumped up their ¥36,000 (around $300).
Check out the bag’s contents (as well as how you can get your hands on one, even if you don’t live in Japan!) after the jump:
This year there are four classes of bag available. The most fortunate of these includes a 128GB 11″ MacBook Air, Air Jacket case, and Twelve South PlugBug. The second and third bags include a 16GB iPad Air 2 or 16GB iPad mini 3, plus an Ultimate Ears Boom Bluetooth speaker. Finally, the fourth bag contains a 16GB fifth-generation iPod touch and iTunes gift card.
All bags also contain an Apple TV, set of Beats Headphones, Mophie Power station, and iTunes Gift Card — not to mention the backpack itself!
Sadly, this is a Japan-only offer, although if you’re eager to get your hands on one, some of the collector’s item bags do invariably show up on eBay. One such auction can be seen here, saving you a considerable wait (and a trip to Japan).
While the popularity of these grab bags isn’t a surprise given the savings they offer, it’s still pretty amazing when you consider that, just a few years ago, Japan was considered a dead market for Apple. How times have changed!
Source: Macotakara.jp
Via: iClarified
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
7 responses to “What’s in Apple’s Japanese ‘Lucky Bags’ — and how you can get one”
They change indeed. In Tokyo, pretty much every other people uses an iPhone. This is very apparent on the main train lines (eg. Yamanote)
What a joke. “And how you can get one” on EBay that’s good advice, stop with the BS click bait headlines already. Would have still read the article if it just said “what’s in this years lucky bags”
does anyone know how long this promo usually lasts for?
It’s only on Jan 2. But they sell out fast within hours.
How do you get one if you were in Japan or knew someone in Japan?
I think Tokyo has at least a couple Apple Stores. One is in Shibuya (thats where I was planning to go) and the other is in Ginza. From last year’s reports there were at least 400 backpacks at the Shibuya store. You could have lined up fairly late in the morning and gotten one.
‘Lucky Bag’ is not just celebrated at Apple Store. It’s all over the place. Starbucks has a Lucky Bag too, just about every freaking retailer in Japan has ‘Lucky Bag’ on Jan 2. People go crazy over these things.
Japan market is not dead for Apple, only the iPhone market was stumbling while introducing to Japanese.
This is because they already have smarter smartphone market that is less dumb than rest of the world. Those smartphone mostly have large clamshell screen , camera also carriers have well developed services, apps & email system.
Apple was spending time to deal carriers to migrate traditional users.
Not sure about the Mac market, but I know there were the very first to get laser printing and Desktop publishing on Mac.