Lifestyle shop KEYUCA is known for its eclectic collection of original clothing, food, and home goods. On December 24, the company will release the new ‘Saiun’ series to its popular Hagi ware line, which will include new cups and plates perfect to use during the New Year’s holiday!

[Hagi ware] Colored Cloud Cup: ¥1,650 (Tax Included)

[Hagi ware] Colored Cloud Plate: ¥2,350 (Tax Included)

KEYUCA’s colorful new items remain classy while offering a different take on traditional tableware. Hagi ware is a type of Japanese pottery that originated from the town of Hagi, Yamaguchi, and these pieces usually feature natural and subdued colors. This made them popular with feudal lords, but modern audiences are looking for something a little more chic.

Simple Color Chopsticks, 5-piece Set:  ¥1,760 (Tax Included)

[Mino ware] Small Dish: ¥429 (Tax Included)

Along with these new Hagi ware pieces, a number of other items are also available at reasonable prices, such as colorful small dishes perfect for kaiseki and festive chopsticks.

From December 31, 2021, until January 3, 2022, Ginza Cozy Corner locations nationwide will be selling a limited edition New Year’s cake featuring the Tiger from the Chinese Zodiac! 

Chinese Zodiac Tiger Cake

Fortune Cookies (10 pieces)

New Year Madeleines (6 pieces)

New Year’s Grab Bag (24 pieces / 40 pieces)

Ginza Cozy Corner began selling a variety of New Year’s-themed sweets starting in 2011. Traditionally, families in Japan enjoy a luxurious boxed meal called osechi on New Year’s Day, and the company wanted to provide something to satisfy people’s sweet tooth afterward! This year is the Year of the Tiger, making this chocolate and banana cake the perfect way to welcome 2022. Shops will also be selling other sweets like fortune cookies and mini Madeleine cakes, so there’s something to bring a smile to everyone’s face.

Until the New Year, the Roppongi Hills Observation Deck will be hosting a number of winter events for those wanting to celebrate with the Tokyo skyline. 

The Observation Deck will be decorated especially for the New Year’s holiday, and in addition to being able to see the first glimpse of Mt. Fuji for 2022, guests can take advantage of a special photo service and Twitter campaign. Seeing Japan’s most famous mountain covered in snow is a magnificent way to bring in what will hopefully be a better year. 

THE SUN & THE MOON, the restaurant attached to the 52nd floor indoor observatory Tokyo City View, will also feature a special Tiger-themed drink inspired by the 2022 Chinese zodiac. The Geminids meteor shower viewing event will also be held on the Sky Deck on December 13 and 14, while the Christmas star gazing event can also be enjoyed on these dates.

The ‘60th Anniversary Sanrio Exhibition: The Beginning of Kawaii’ exhibition is currently underway at Tokyo City View. Starting on December 26, the exhibition’s main piece called the ‘Unforgettable Tower’ will be transformed into its anniversary edition. At THE SUN & THE MOON, both the cafe and restaurant will also offer anniversary-themed dishes for a limited time in collaboration with the Sanrio exhibition. Photo spots around the venue will also be revamped for the New Year. 

The Roppongi Hills Observation Deck is currently hosting ‘Christmas in the Sky 2021.’ 

Ginza Cozy Corner, a popular cake store in Tokyo, has started accepting preorders for its beautiful selection of New Years’ mini-cake sets, called Sweets Osechi. In Japan, osechi refers to traditional foods eaten on New Years Day, which come in a special box, not unlike a bento box. Of course, they aren’t usually packed with sweets, but these look absolutely scrumptious. 

In 2011, Ginza Cozy Corner started the ‘First Sweets’ tradition to invite people to welcome the new year by enjoying some sweets after finishing the traditional osechi dishes. This is when the idea of Sweets Osechi was born, sure to put a smile on your face going into 2022!

9-piece Sweets Osechi: ¥2,400 (Tax Included) 

12-piece Sweets Osechi: ¥3,000 (Tax Included) 

This year’s selection includes tarts featuring the Chinese zodiac sign of the Tiger and the first sunrise of 2022. Each set will come in a special box in a bright red design perfectly exemplifying the holiday spirit!

Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi is set to celebrate the New Year with a festival that will run from January 2 to 11 in 2021.

New Year’s Feast

From Left: Miyagawacho Suiren / SILIN Fuan Long Yuen / UNION SQUARE TOKYO／Kisentei

Restaurants in Tokyo Midtown will be serving up a feast for the New Year from Japanese wagyu beef to seafood and more, all to prepare everyone for a luck-filled and positive 2021.

Running: January 2, 2021 – January 11, 2021
Participating Restaurants: Miyagawacho Suiren / SILIN Fuan Long Yuen / UNION SQUARE TOKYO／Kisentei SILIN / Philippe Mille Tokyo / Le Pain Quotidien / RIO BREWING & CO. BISTRO AND GARDEN / Pizzeria-Trattoria Napule / HAL YAMASHITA Tokyo / NIRVANA New York / Maruya / THE COUNTER Roppongi

New Year’s Greeting Souvenirs

SAKE SHOP Fukumitsuya / Toraya

There will be no shortage of New Year’s greetings souvenirs at Tokyo Midtown, whether it be a set of sake with a special 2021 Year of the Ox label from SAKE SHOP Fukumitsuya or a fruity and colourful confection from Toraya. The pictured confection is made up of colourful layers to represent building up the fruits of one’s labour to achieve your dreams.

Shishimai Lion Dance

The traditional shishimai lion dance is an annual New Year’s-must in Japan. This year’s performance will see the return of taiko drumming and the fue flute, all carried out with proper social distancing measures.

Running: January 2, 2021 – January 3, 2021

Time: 4 times per day

Location: Tokyo Midtown Galleria

McDonald’s Japan is collaborating with the camping and outdoor brand Coleman to release fukubukuro lucky bags for the New Year in limited quantities.

McDonald’s Fukubukuro 2021 | ¥3,000 (Tax Included)

Those in Japan can sign up to enter a lottery to win one of the bags up until December 22, 2020 at 23:59 (JST).

Tote Bag / Square Pouch / Mug

Fries Clock / McDonald’s Voucher

The lucky bags include a variety of merchandise combining McDonald’s and Coleman designs as well as an alarm clock, a McDonald’s voucher priced at ¥3,160, and more.

Gold McCard | ¥500

One in every ten lucky bags also contains a Gold McCard voucher worth ¥500 too.

GOODGLAS Japan is releasing a new cow design double wall glass this month for the New Year as 2021 will mark the Year of the Ox. This is the third in the company’s Chinese zodiac design, following from their boar and rat designs, and like those will be available in a limited quantity of 500.

Zodiac Series – “Cow” | ¥3,200 (Before Tax)

Glass products at GOODGLAS are all handmade and use the traditional glass blowing method. Perfect for hot drinks and dessert, the cow design also makes as a great New Year’s decoration.

GOODGLAS has released many cute designs in the past such as Hello Kitty, a Shiba Inu, Miffy, and more.

LINE Friends Japan has announced that it’s releasing “2021 BT21 Happy Bag” fukubukuro lucky bags on December 12, 2020. Fukubukuro is a Japanese New Year custom where customers can buy bags filled with unknown contents, usually at a discounted price.

The Japan-exclusive lucky bags feature a set of nine limited-edition items and are based on the seven BT21 characters KOYA, RJ, SHOOKY, MANG, CHIMMY, TATA, and COOKY.

The bags will be available to purchase on the LINE FRIENDS online store, LINE FRIENDS Harajuku store, and 34 branches of LOFT in Japan. The LINE FRIENDS line-up features the BT21 Baby Series while LOFT will be selling the BT21 Basic Series.

2021 BT21 Happy Bag Baby – LINE FRIENDS Store Designs

¥6,600 Each (Tax Included)

If buying the fukubukuro at the LINE FRIENDS online store or Harajuku branch, the bags come in pastel colours along with the BT21 Baby design.

2021 BT21 Happy Bag Basic – LOFT Store Designs

¥6,600 Each (Tax Included)

If buying at LOFT or LOFT’s online store, you get bags with the BT21 Basic design which features the seven characters wearing colourful berets.

Walt Disney Japan has announced the release of a new collection of merchandise to celebrate the New Year which will hit Disney Japan stores on December 1, 2020. Pre-sales items will also open at select stores and on ShopDisney on November 27.

The line-up includes a selection of traditional Japanese New Year decorations and more, all with Disney motifs, like daruma dolls, kadomatsu pine decorations, and more.

<Daruma Plush Toy Sets> Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse or Chip & Dale – ¥2,750 Each | <Mascot Figure> Donald Duck – ¥2,750 | Shimekazari – ¥2,860 | Kadomatsu – ¥1,980 (All Before Tax)

Welcome the year with good fortune with the red and white Mickey and Minnie or Chip & Dale daruma dolls. They are sure to brighten up any house entrance or room.

Winnie the Pooh Plush (Large) ¥3,300 | Roo or Piglet – ¥1,760 | Eeyore – ¥1,980 (All Before Tax)

The faces of the Hundred Acre Wood arrive dressed in cute cow outfits to represent the Year of the Ox in 2021. Each of them is holding a bottle of milk.

Tsum Tsum Plush Toys  – ¥990 Each (Before Tax)

Disney Japan is also releasing a collection of Tsum Tsum plush toys, each of which is also dressed in cow clothing.

nuiMOs Kimono Plush Toy Set – ¥2,530 Each | Year of the Ox Costumes – ¥1,980 Each | UniBEARsity Plush Toy Costume – ¥3,630 (Before Tax)

nuiMOs and UniBEARsity have created their own New Year’s plush toy outfits too in celebration of the Ox.

©Disney
©Disney. Based on the “Winnie the Pooh” works by A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard.

Shiraito Highland Way has announced that this year’s Karuizawa Shiraito Falls Midwinter Light Up will run from December 19, 2020 to February 14, 2021.

The illumination event will take place at Karuizawa Shiraito Falls, a 3-meter tall waterfall that spans 70-meters in length. The lights will add a warmth to the cool evening and glow under a starry night sky.

The event creates a different atmosphere from the summer light-up, allowing visitors to enjoy the enveloping nature in a way that they normally can’t and see beauty they may not have noticed in the area before. The waterfall is located in Jōshin’etsu-kōgen National Park, a protected area which means the lights will be set up in a way that’s considerate to the park.

If you’re in Japan this winter then don’t miss out on this year’s Karuizawa Shiraito Falls Midwinter Light Up which will be split into three sessions: the Christmas Session, New Year Session, and St. Valentine Session. More details below.

Laforet Harajuku has finally dropped details on its 2020 fukubukuro. Fukubukuro is a New Year custom in Japan where stores make up grab bags full of random items for people to purchase at a discounted price. Around 50 stores in Laforet are set to participate, with pre-orders now running until December 31, 2019.

As always, the line-up this year is diverse, from the unique fukubukuro you can actually look inside to see what they have—which is a popular one every year—to the Laforet Gentei Fukubukuro which contains items exclusive to Laforet Harajuku, and more.

Those who pre-order a lucky bag will receive one of two things: either a coupon to get a random free item at one of the eateries at the GOOD MEAL MARKET on the second floor, or a ¥200 discount voucher to spend at Laforet Harajuku.

On New Year’s Day and January 2, a taiko performance by Yushima Tenjin Shiraume Taiko will take place at the first floor entrance to drum in the New Year.

Around 70 stores in the shopping complex will also sell items at a special price between January 1 and 7 to celebrate 2020. Select stores will be handing out bag hooks in collaboration with the popular South Korean boy band SEVENTEEN.

The “Look and Choose” Fukubukuro

OLIVE des OLIVE (Floor 5F) – Set of up to 6 items priced at ¥7,700 (Tax Included) (Original Price: ¥25,000)

Cosme Kitchen (Floor 1.5F) – Set of 7 items priced at ¥5,500 (Tax Included) (Original Price: ¥14,000)

Laforet Harajuku Exclusives-Filled Fukubukuro

POU DOU DOU (Floor 4F) – Set of 7 items priced at ¥13,200 (Tax Included) (Original Price: ¥56,000)

la belle Etude (Floor B0.5F) – Set of 6 items priced at ¥11,000 (Tax Included) (Original Price: ¥70,000~¥80,000)

Other Fukubukuro

Ank Rouge (Floor 4F) – Set of 6 items priced at ¥16,500 (Tax Included) (Original Price: ¥50,000)

jouetie (Floor 4F) – Set of 5 items priced at ¥11,000 (Tax Included) (Original Price: ¥39,600)

This is just a small look at just some of the fukubukuro set to be sold, there are so many more to get your hands on. Start your 2020 year with some delicious discounts from Laforet Harajuku.

*Contents subject to change without notice

*Listed photos are select look only – more fukubukuro to be sold

Walt Disney Japan is celebrating the New Year by rolling out a new batch of celebratory character merchandise at Disney Stores across Japan as well as the online website on December 3.

From the quintessential Japanese daruma to pine decorations and more, take home some of Japan with you for friends and family in the form of classic Japanese New Year items made into Disney souvenirs.

Plush Toys: Mickey/Minnie Mouse ¥2,000 Each, Winnie the Pooh ¥2,800, Piglet/Roo ¥1,500, Eeyore ¥1,600, Chip/Dale ¥1,200 Each Mascots: All ¥1,000 Each Memo Pad: ¥650 Pine Decoration: ¥1,500

The line-up includes a selection of daruma-dressed Disney character plush toys, plush toys of Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Roo in rat costumes for the 2020 Year of the Rat, and more. Perfect as gifts, souvenirs, and for decorating your room and desk.

Celebrate the New Year with your favourite Disney characters.

©Disney ©Disney. Based on the “Winnie the Pooh” works by A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard. ©Disney/Pixar