Oshōgatsu お正月, the New Year period in Japan, is a time to be spent together with family enjoying numerous special events. From the first shrine visit of the year to digging into elaborate preserved lunchboxes to making mochi, there’s a lot of traditions to be enjoyed. Like any other capitalist country, however, New Year in Japan is also a time for shopping and bargains! And that means it’s fuku-bukuro 福袋 time.

Fuku-bukuro, literally Lucky Bags, are bundles of leftover merchandise from the previous year sealed in special bags and sold by stores at heavily discounted prices of 50% - 70% RRP. The bags are hugely popular with Japan’s consumers who will try to reserve them months in advance and queue from midnight just to get a fuku-bukuro from their favorite brand.

What’s more, the bags are not only limited to clothing and merchandise, but restaurants also offer lucky bags which contain store goods and discount coupons for food. One of the most popular food fuku-bukuro comes from grape Japan’s favorite yeast meister, Mr. Donut. The donut chain loads their bags with obscene amounts of donut coupons and, in partnership with the Pokemon Company, adorable Pokemon-themed character goods. As arguably the store’s number one fans, we’ve been given a sneak preview of the 2021 Mr. Donut lucky bag, and we’re doughlighted to share it with our readers below!

Mr. Donut’s 2021 Pokemon Lucky Bag

The 2021 Mr. Donut fuku-bukuro is based on the theme: “Great things come out of Mr. Donuts and Pokemon”. There’s certainly plenty of great things going into the collaborative lucky bag too, like a range of character goods featuring Pikachu, Chansey and Sword and Shield starters; Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble.

Mr. Donut will offer 3 different lucky bags with different contents and prices. Inside each bag are varying amounts of donut coupons in addition to stylish Pokemon character goods that can be used throughout the year, such as tote bags, calendars, a scheduler, and more! Check out the contents below!

1,100 JPY (inc. tax) Bag

• 10 Donut coupons (1 coupon can be used in exchange for 1 donut of up to ￥160 in value)
• 2021 Calendar
• Snazzy tote bag

2,200 JPY (inc. tax) Bag

• 20 Donut coupons (1 coupon can be used in exchange for 1 donut of up to 160 JPY in value)
• 2021 Calendar
• Snazzy tote bag
• Adorable pokemon pouch
• Pokemon masking tape

3,300 JPY (inc. tax) Bag

• 30 Donut coupons (1 coupon can be used in exchange for 1 donut of up to 160 JPY in value)
• 2021 Calendar
• Snazzy tote bag
• Adorable pokemon pouch
• Pokemon masking tape
• Pokemon zip bag
• Pokemon 2021 scheduler

Each bag contains one of every item listed but with each item having two possible designs, you won’t know which version of an item you get until you open your lucky bag. Enjoy this delightful note of surprise with your delicious donuts!

How can I get lucky with a Mr. Donut’s Lucky Bag?

If you’re hungry for a Mr. Donut Lucky Bag, they go on sale this year on December 26th, 2021 at all Mr. Donut stores across Japan. Sale times may differ depending on the store though so we recommend checking in advance with your local Mr. Donut.

Come December 26th, a wonderful new world filled with Pokemon and donuts awaits you at Mr. Donut. Be advised that queues will form early and grow long fast, so if you want the chance to get your hands on the coveted 3,300 JPY bag, better arrive early on the day!