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Popular Japanese ramen restaurant Ichiran’s lucky bags are great value for money

Even at the cheapest option, you’re getting a fantastic deal.

With its hearty pork bone broth noodles and unique dining experience, whereby customers are able to order, dine, and interact with staff all without saying a single word, Ichiran’s popularity is not surprising. It’s not uncommon at all for lines to sprawl out of the door and around the building.

Our Ichiran-loving Japanese language reporter K. Masami makes it a yearly tradition to check out what the restaurant has in store for fans each year when fukubukuro (“lucky bag”) season comes around.

Lucky bags are a way for Japanese companies to celebrate the new year by filling up a bag with random goods and selling them at a discounted price, often without revealing exactly what is inside.

Ichiran usually sells three types of lucky bags, with this year’s prices being:

● The smallest, Ume (“plum”), at 9,000 yen (US$57.87)
● The medium size, Take (“bamboo”), at 12,000 yen
● And the largest, Matsu (“pine”), at 19,000 yen

Last year, they also included a slightly cheaper “Hana” (“Flower”) size, but it seems that Ichiran has decided to return to its original three this year.

Masami had been thinking she’d want to pick up the Hana lucky bag this year, but since it was unavailable, her quest for more original goods overrode her concerns about a higher price tag, and she opted for the Ume size.

Upon receiving the Ume lucky bag, the first thing that stuck out to her was the box’s original design, which incorporated elements from the “Ramen Focus Booth” in which individual customers sit to enjoy their meals.

▼ On the top left is an image of the chain’s ordering sheet, and on the right, the button to call staff.

Looking into the box, Masami was greeted by an impressive assortment of goods.

First came the food.

▼ Five servings of both Kamadare Tonkotsu and Hakata-style Thin Straight Noodles (usually 2,300 yen each)

▼ Five servings of Curly Noodles (2,150 yen)

▼ Two packs of Fried Tonkotsu Ramen, each containing two servings (a total of 1,160 yen)

With the normal cost of the food reaching 7,910 yen, that leaves only 1,090 yen left until it reaches the value of the Ume lucky bag.
So, what other goodies were included in the box?

▼ A small Ichiran-themed Japanese sake cup, perfect for sipping some alcohol.

Masami was a little bit disappointed on receiving this, since she received one as part of the 2024 lucky bag. However, upon closer inspection, the design was a little bit different. The original cup was designed to be a miniature version of Ichiran’s iconic bowl, however this one uses a horse motif, alluding to 2026 being the Year of the Horse. So, in the end, Masami was pretty pleased with her new adorable variation of the sake cup.

▼ Alongside the original Japanese sake cup

After buying Ichiran’s lucky bags for so many years, Masami has amassed quite the collection of goods, to the extent that she felt that she might just have everything that Ichiran has to offer… until she took the next objects out of the box.

▼ Ichiran chopsticks and a renge spoon

Masami had yet to get a renge spoon, so she immediately tried it out with a bowl of ramen, and it added an extra layer of enjoyment to the experience. Her at-home Ichiran set has quite possibly reached its ultimate form, with the ramen noodles tasting even better than usual.

Rounding off the box, there is also a calendar in the shape of the Ramen Focus Booth, and a message card.

With a lucky bag that is filled to the brim with food that can satisfy your stomach and goods that can make you happy, Ichiran’s lucky bags are truly not to be missed.

▼ The full contents of the lucky bag

They went on sale to the general public on December 2 through the online store, but as of writing this article, only the Take size is left. If you happen to miss out, you can still pick up most of the items through their online store, and perhaps start to create your own at-home Ichiran experience.

Related: Ichiran 2026 Lucky Bag, Online Store
Photos ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]

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