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Snap up great deals during the New Year – even wait in line for Sendai’s “Hatsuka-uri”

Published: 2026-09-25 👁 100 views

Last updated 2026-09-25 — Among the New Year celebrations in Japan, besides visiting shrines to pray for peace, there are also many festivals and grand events to enjoy. One of Sendai’s nationally renowned New Year events, “Sendai Hatsuka-uri,” which takes place every year on January 2...

Among the New Year celebrations in Japan, besides visiting shrines to pray for peace, there are also many festivals and grand events to enjoy. One of Sendai’s nationally renowned New Year events, “Sendai Hatsuka-uri,” is hugely popular for selling limited-edition lucky bags or lucky boxes on January 2 each year, giving people a chance to test their luck for the new year and drawing huge crowds to the shopping streets.

The annual “Sendai Hatsuka-uri” always attracts large crowds. (Photo provided by Sendai Convention Bureau for Tourism International)

The “Sendai New Year Hatsuka-uri,” which begins on January 2 right after the New Year, is a commercial event that dates back to before the era of Date Masamune. During this period each year, major department stores in Sendai, along with shops in various shopping streets, pack several featured items into lucky bags or lucky boxes and sell them at super-discounted prices. Many popular shops see customers lining up from the night before, and the items often sell out within a short time the next day.

People rush to grab lucky bags at “Sendai Hatsuka-uri,” believed to bring luck for the entire year. (Photo provided by Sendai Convention Bureau for Tourism International)

This traditional event, with a history of over 300 years, draws visitors from other prefectures each year who come to snap up these great-value lucky bags. No matter what’s inside the bags, they are sure to bring good fortune for the coming year.