2019-01-03

Hats Off to Hatsuuri!

January First is a day of reflection, praying at a temple or shrine in the hopes that the following year will be prosperous. Then the next day, all that is forgotten and the masses go forth and shop till they drop. 初売り (hatsu-uri) is the first shopping day of the year and it's a lot like Boxing Day or Black Friday with far fewer riots. Everyone's goal is to find that special 福袋 (fukubukuro), a "Lucky Bag" that includes sale items. 




Almost every year I fight the crowds downtown in order to buy a Bag from the Totoro Flower Shop which always has an awesome bag stuffed full of Ghibli goodies. I arrived at 12:30 and they were sold out; usually they sell out between 2-3 o'clock. Ah well, not to be dissuaded, I popped into the Disney Store and they had over two dozen bags stuffed to the hilt with a Mickey Mouse menagerie for 3000 yen. I popped upstairs for a moment and when I came back down, the last one was being sold. I did purchase some Marvel figures at half price though, so my efforts weren't wholly in vein.



These were the only two left. Too bad, for I'd love to get a Thanos.



I couldn't resist some KitKats with original Disney packaging.



Speaking of Disney, I won a nice Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey at UFO Catcher



I popped into BookOff cuz I knew they had a sale. I found a few Movie Pamphlets and this awesome Funasshi (Fun Pear? Mascot) cosplaying as Godzilla.





I didn't buy much else for the crowds were getting too crowded. I grabbed three Lucky Bags from the 3 Coins Shop (a high-end Dollar Store) on spec, just to see what I'd acquire.


Bag one: some cleaning supplies and a mini throw rug. Always useful.


Bag 2: a couple of mini-bags for hauling around your iPhone, a tissue box holder and a "make your own box". Not quite as useful, yet I know someone who'll appreciate the Hedgehog bag.


Bag 3: ten bottles of fingernail polish and some press-on designs. Not very useful for me but I know some gals who'd like to receive them.




Not bad for under ten bucks.

I saw this outside a Drugstore and I had a chance to win a roll with a purchase of 10,000 yen. I didn't want it that bad.


Ultimately an unsatisfying haul, though the sale should continue on tomorrow and the next day...





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