fukubukuro

n. a gift bag or package containing unknown and varied merchandise, sold at the New Year for a large discount. Subjects: Japanese, Japan

Etymological Note: From Japanese 福 fuku ‘good fortune; luck’ + 袋 fukuro ‘bag’

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Citations: 1988 Japan Economic Journal (Jan. 2) “Town scenes: Y15 mil. ‘fukubukuro’ up for grabs” p. 11: Grab bags, known as fukubukuro (lucky bags), are popular items in almost every store during the New Year holiday season in Japan. Some are especially large, such as one selling for Y15 million by the Takashimaya & Co. department store in Tokyo. That bag contains Y27 million worth of clothing, jewelry, a suitcase, a video camera and two round-trip tickets to Hawaii on the luxurious Queen Elizabeth II ocean liner. Fukubukuro are usually sold for price less than their contents as a New Year attraction. 1990 Yumiko Ono Wall Street Journal (Jan. 5) “Too Bad Wobbly S&Ls; Can’t Fit Real Estate Into a Pretty Pouch” p. B1: The bargains come in grab bags, called fukubukuro, or sacks of fortune. The bags used to be a traditional way for stores to unload unwanted merchandise. But now that more Japanese have money to burn, department stores are turning fukubukuro into a lavish New Year’s event. 2004 Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Hawaii) (Dec. 30) “Style File”: Fukubukuro, practiced by Japanese merchants, is one way for retailers to say thanks to their customers, and Ala Moana Center will start 2005 with the tradition. Fukubukuro literally means “surprise bag” and is a grab bag with mystery contents priced at least 50 percent off the retail value of the merchandise inside.

Posted 31 Dec 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend