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We buy a kitchen gadget lucky bag that was so heavy we had to call for help to bring it home

Dale Roll Jan 4, 2022
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The “Otoshidama Box of Dreams” is a box worth taking home…if you can carry it.

‘Tis the season to be shopping! Our reporters have been diligent in reporting on the 2022 fukubukuro lucky bags, and with fashion, food, and collectibles already covered, the next logical step would be to find a lucky bag of items for the home. Our Japanese-language reporter Ikuna Kamezawa went to electronics chain Yodobashi Camera with this goal in mind…and the lucky bags she bought there turned out to be more than she bargained for.

The lucky bag in question was called the Otoshidama Box of Dreams–where “otoshidama” is the Japanese word for the money envelopes traditionally given out on New Year’s. The name sets quite a few expectations: for one, that it’s a box and not a bag (though that’s not really important), and for another, that it’s full of valuable treasures (as an otoshidama would be…since cash is the most valuable treasure). Lastly, the lofty claim of being “A Box of Dreams” makes it sound like there’s actually stuff we would want in there, which is not always the case for lucky bags.

Ikuna was delighted to see such a promising fukubukuro, and she was ready to claim two different kinds. But before she made a decision with her heart, reason took over. There was no way she would be able to carry both boxes by herself back to the office. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t buy them! She quickly called for backup.

“Hello? Hey. Sorry…could you come to Shinjuku Station right now? Yeah…Yeah, the East Exit!”

Within 15 minutes, fellow reporter Takashi Harada came trotting along. Of all the staff, Takashi is the person who’s the easiest to ask a favor of. Everyone in the office is always asking things of him…in one way, Ikuna says, it’s almost like a special talent he has.

That makes us wonder if Takashi feels that way himself. Nevertheless, he’s a truly nice guy, so without complaint, he began to tote the Otoshidama Box through the streets of Shinjuku. Ikuna was beyond grateful.

…But after about 300 meters (less than 1,000 feet), Harada came to a sudden stop.

“It’s really heavy…” he said.

So he tried to carry it another way.

Ikuna was impressed by his quick thinking. It was a heavy load to carry with one hand, so angling it so he could carry it with two was a smart idea.

But the process still required frequent breaks. The box was so big it was almost hard to see where Takashi ended and the box began.

Though it usually only takes 10 minutes to get from Shinjuku Station to the office, at this point, it had already taken 25 minutes.

Now, you may be wondering, “Why didn’t Ikuna help?” But Ikuna was helping; she was carrying the smaller box. And of course, someone had to record the process. For journalism.

And even though he was exhausted from carrying the one box, Takashi still offered to carry the smaller box too. What a guy!

▼ Ikuna only let him carry it for the purposes of this photo, however.

The goal was close, but Takashi rested the box on a pole for one last, brief break.

And then…

They finally made it!

So let’s see what was inside this “Kitchen Gadget Box of Dreams”, which sold for 10,000 yen (US$86.71). Harada estimated, based on how heavy it was, that it must have had some kind of small refrigerator in it, but it actually had four things in there:

The Aladdin Graphite Toaster…

The Yamazen Low-smoke Yakiniku Grill…

The Siroca Cooking Kettle Mini-Pot…

and Keen Masks!

Ikuna thought the indoor yakiniku grill was a great item. Though she wasn’t certain about its true ability to keep the smoke to a minimum, she could appreciate an indoor grill that produces a decent amount of char on the meat without causing smoke. This particular product also seemed easy to clean, which is a bit of a rarity with this kind of product.

Ikuna also liked the nice, stylish retro look to the toaster, and the kettle/pot combination looked like it could be a very handy tool, especially since she’d been seeing increasing numbers of similar products on the market lately.

In fact, Ikuna decided to use the Cooking Kettle Mini-Pot to treat Takashi to a meal as thanks for hauling the box to the office for her. First, she boiled water in the pot…

Then she added Takashi’s favorite instant noodle brand, Shin Ramen.

It actually kind of looked like the pot was made for making Shin Ramen.

She added an egg and some green onions…

Closed the lid and waited one minute…

And then the simmering, delicious-looking special-made spicy ramen was ready!

And now, the moment of truth. Takashi slurped up some noodles…

“That’s good! Anytime you need something, just call!”

As expected from the generous Takashi Harada.

By the way, the pot part of the Cooking Kettle Mini-Pot comes off, which makes it easy to wash. This would be a great item for the One-Person Nabe craze that’s been going around lately. In fact, this Otoshidama Box of Dreams had a lot of really great products in it, though for Ikuna, who had only just bought a new toaster and hot plate, it wasn’t as useful as she’d hoped. But if you’ve found yourself thinking about getting any one of these items lately, then this fukubukuro is definitely a bargain that meets all the expectations its name provides!

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[ Read in Japanese ]