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We grab a bargain with the Muji Fortune Can, because Lucky Bags are so 2014

Fran W Jan 3, 2015
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With its classic, minimalist style and unbranded goods, Muji is a popular and enduring brand. And whereas its international stores tend to mainly sell household goods and furniture, Muji in Japan has dipped its toe in a wide range of sectors, from show houses to cafés to a Muji car.

While Muji’s Lucky Bags always sell out, the store also sells this Fortune Can for, appropriately, 2,015 yen (around US$17)! As well as a 2,015-yen gift card – that’s right, every can contains a gift card that’s the same value as the retail price of the can! – each one also contains a traditional Japanese ornament from the Tōhoku, Kansai or Chūgoku regions.

Well, when our Japanese reporter Sachi Ojiya heard about that, he rushed down to Muji and bought not one but three Lucky Cans! This is his report.

Sachi started by checking out the can itself. It was nicely packaged, with the distinctive red Muji branding, and 2015 fuku-kan (福缶, literally “lucky can”) written on the side. He popped off the plastic lid, and found a ring-pull opening. This was a nice surprise! Sachi carefully peeled back the metal lid…and was pleased to see that the can was jam-packed with goodies.

First of all, on top was this 2015 yen gift card!

Each can also contains a Muji tote bag, decorated with drawings of traditional Japanese ornaments. While Sachi felt that the bag would be a little small to take to the shops, it’d be perfect for putting his wallet and phone in while going for a stroll.

▼ Totes cute though. Totes.

But the gift card and the cotton bag were just the warm-up act. The main event was still yet to come! Sachi pulled the first traditional ornament from its can…this awesome fugu!

On reading the booklet that accompanied the ornament, Sachi discovered that it’s actually an earthenware bell. Very cool. He was very pleased with this, declaring: “I’ll take good care of it, Muji!”

▼ Fugu sounds like fuku (福 luck), y’see. Extra lucky!

On to the second of our three lucky cans – what lucky ornament would this one contain? It was…Oh. Another fugu! “Um…I’ll take good care of this one too, Muji!”

The third can contained a cute little kokeshi doll, a kind of traditional Japanese wooden doll. The booklet told Sachi this one was a Yajiro Kokeshi, from Fukushima Prefecture. It even contained a letter from the craftsman who made it!

▼ Kokeshi-chan!

Overall Sachi was delighted with his Lucky Cans and can’t recommend them highly enough – even if he did get two of the same fugu bells. The Muji website shows that there are actually 30 different ornaments available, so your chances of getting two the same aren’t even that high! I guess we could say Sachi was lucky to get a matching pair, really.

Original article by Sachi Ojiya
Photos: RocketNews24
Related: Muji Fuku-kan