Since the spring of 2020, the gold market has been on the rise, with demand for rare metal creations reaching almost record highs, reminiscent of the gold rush era.
To celebrate, the Matsuzakaya Ueno Store will be holding a ‘Gold Festival’ – from Wednesday 2 December to Monday 7 December – featuring more than 300 gold products.

Amongst the impressive treasure collection, a pure gold ‘Thank you Shan Shan medal’ will be displayed in appreciation of Ueno Zoo’s resident panda youngster ‘Shan Shan’. The display will also welcome in the upcoming New Year with ‘2021 zodiac Ox’ ornaments and a pure gold ‘Seven Lucky Gods Phoenix Train Set’. Altogether the gold collection has been valued at around 800 million yen.

Seven Lucky Gods Phoenix Train Set

Carrying the Seven Lucky Gods, this pure gold train set will be running on a model train track at the venue around a golden Mount Fuji ornament.
Worshipped for more than a millennium, the seven lucky gods are associated with and are believed to bring good luck with the following virtues; longevity, fortune, generosity, popularity, dignity, sincerity and kindness.

The Seven Lucky Gods Phoenix train at the Matsuzakaya Ueno Gold Festival weighs around 323g and is valued at a whopping 14,300,000 yen!

Thank You Shan Shan Pure Gold Medal

A special gold medal thanking Ueno Zoo’s resident panda cub ‘Shan Shan’ for three wondrous years since her birth is part of the display at Matsuzakaya Ueno’s Gold Festival.
The panda cub has become a symbol of resilience and hope for Tokyo’s Ueno district, and each year thousands of fans flock to the zoo in order to celebrate her birthday.

Weighing 50g, the ‘Thank you Shan Shan Gold Medal’ features a print of Shan Shan on the front, and a cute print of her behind on the back of the medallion. The medal is valued at 650,000 yen.

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2021 Zodiac ‘Ox’ and Gold Buddhism Ornaments

Also included in the Gold Festival display at Matsuzakaya Ueno is a collection of pure gold New Year 2021 zodiac animals (Ox) and a range of ornaments tied to Buddhism.

Complete with an onyx stone eye and a glass case, the 2021 zodiac Ox pays tribute to the upcoming New Year. The ornament weighs in at 20g and is valued at 660,000 yen.

What could be more pure than a pure gold Buddha footstone? Weighing 1,320g and accompanied by a prayer for ‘good health and strong legs’, this ornament is priced at 49,500,000 yen.

Made from 18K gold and featuring a pure gold striking stick, these Japanese Buddhist singing bowls can’t be beaten for a purifying converse with Buddha. The bowl itself weighs 200g whilst the striking stick is an additional 15g, and the pair are priced at 2,800,000 yen.

With the hefty price tag that accompanies gold, there is no real expectation for visitors to purchase any of the products at the Matsuzakaya Ueno Gold Festival, however, the collection is definitely worth taking a gander at before it ends up in someone’s private treasure trove.

The Gold Festival will be held on the 6th floor Exhibition Hall of the Matsuzakaya Ueno Store from 2 December to the 7 December 2020.