Tokyo's Lucky Bag

Retailers in Japan have a New Year shopping tradition of selling "lucky bags," which contain an assortment of items whose value typically exceeds the price you pay for the bag. Major department stores kicked off business for 2011 on Sunday as crowds of shoppers sought ‘‘lucky bags’’ filled with discount goods and other New Year bargains.

Department stores are hoping the New Year sales will help lead to a recovery in consumption among thrifty consumers.

Mitsukoshi Ltd’s flagship store in Tokyo’s Nihombashi district opened at 9:45 a.m., 15 minutes earlier than scheduled, as many people were lined up in front of the store. As one of the features of its New Year sales, the store was offering lucky bags filled with clothing for 10,500 yen.

Takashimaya Co prepared luxury lucky bags containing tickets for a cruise tour to the Antarctica, priced at 1.8 million yen, to mark the 180th anniversary of its founding.

The Seibu flagship store in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro, meanwhile, offered a series of lucky bags named after recent booms in Japan. They included lucky bags containing outdoor items for ‘‘yama (mountain) girls,’’ the nickname for the growing number of women taking to the hills in fashionable garb, and those including lunchbox and other items for ‘‘bento danshi,’’ or men who fix their own home-made lunches.

To the delight of many Apple fans in Tokyo, "lucky bags" are also sold at the Apple store. But at 30,000 yen (about $370), they don't come cheap.

Even at that price, demand is sky-high, and only the most dedicated of Apple fans can get them. Shoppers typically start lining up the day before the lucky bags go on sale, because every year at least a couple of people hit the jackpot and get a MacBook in their bag. From those who braved the cold overnight, here's a summary of what most are saying they found in their respective bags. I haven't seen any reports of MacBooks yet:

• Sennheiser earphones, smart remote with mic (iPod, iPhone, iPad)
• Mophie Juice Pack reserve
• iWires 3.5mm to 3.5mm stereo plug retractable cable
• iPod nano OR iPod touch
• Griffin Slap case for iPod nano
• Nike+ sensor
• iHome speaker system for iPhone/iPod
• red limited edition Apple T-shirt (view at end of video)