Sendai's first sale is amazing! Get a luxurious lucky bag in Sendai on the 2nd of the New Year!

When it comes to New Year's in Sendai, it's all about the first sale!

The first sale is now held all over Japan, but its origin was a business event held in the Sendai domain during the Edo period!

Did you know that the Sendai hatsuri is the most luxurious hatsuri in Japan?

This time, I will tell you how and why Sendai's first sale is so luxurious!

What are the amazing products sold for the first time in Sendai?

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The symbol of the luxury of Sendai's first sale can be found in the lucky bags of each department store.

Speaking of department stores in Sendai, there are many such as Sendai Mitsukoshi, Fujisaki, S-PAL, Parco, and Aeru, and each department store has a line of over 1,000 people every year!

What you're looking for is definitely a lucky bag.
These department stores not only sell regular lucky bags that contain 50,000 yen worth of products for 10,000 yen, but also sell lucky bags that are unique to Sendai, such as Rakuten's support lucky bags and lucky bags that come with tickets to Umino-Mori Aquarium. There are even lucky bags on sale where you can win a one-story house!

The most expensive lucky bag sold at Sendai Mitsukoshi in 2017 was a ``prayer beads made of 108 red corals,'' which cost a whopping 200 million yen!

Among the most luxurious Sendai products in Japan, the most popular one is the tea box from Ocha no Igata.

Tea boxes are popular! Get gorgeous prizes at Ocha no Igata!

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10 minutes walk from JR Sendai Station.
At Ocha no Igata, located in the middle of the shopping district, a huge line forms from the evening of New Year's Day when the store is closed.

Its purpose is a tea box.
Unlike lucky bags, Ocha no Igata's tea box is a gift given to the first 100 people who spend 5,000 yen or more.
The tea boxes are ranked as large boxes, medium boxes, and small boxes, and the large box is a special item that only the first three people can receive.
This large box is so popular that some people line up from New Year's Day, or in some cases New Year's Eve, or even December 30th!

Spending more than two days outside in the cold Tohoku skies can be very physically demanding, so if you're up for the challenge, be sure to take proper measures to protect yourself from the cold!

I'm curious about what's inside, and although the items are different every year, even a small box is guaranteed to cost over 10,000 yen!

In some years, the big box even contained a TV!
It's an amazing deal that such prizes are given away for free.

However, why are such luxurious prizes not available in other prefectures?
Actually, there is a deep legal reason for this!

Sendai's first sale is a violation of the Premiums Act! ? Why can you get luxurious prizes for free?

In fact, distributing such expensive premiums is prohibited under the Act on Premiums and Representations.
Therefore, it is prohibited in other prefectures.

So, why is only Sendai recognized?

The reason for this is that Sendai Hatsuuri is a traditional event.

In a document that Date Masamune's father, Terumune, is said to have sent to his son, there is a phrase that says, ``The first sale of rice and salt was delivered to people in the castle town,'' and it is said that the first sale was being held around this time. There is also a theory.

Additionally, in the ``Sendai Annual Events Guide'' written in 1849, there are ``Urisome Baikai'' and ``Keeping up shops that are closed early in the morning and making purchases.'' ``Regardless of whether the price is high or low, it is customary to give a gift to the person who buys it,'' which proves that it was a beloved traditional event at the end of the Edo period.

Against this background, the Fair Trade Commission has recognized the Sendai Hatsuuri as a traditional event, and has authorized the special distribution of luxury prizes within three days within the territory of the former Sendai domain.
By the way, even if there is a store that is holding "Sendai Hatsuri" for more than four days, please be aware that after the fourth day, they will only be selling regular discounts.

Also, Sendai's first sale only starts on the 2nd of the New Year!
Even if the store is open on New Year's Day, it will be open as usual, not the Sendai Hatsuuri, so make sure to use the first day to save up your energy for the Sendai Hatsuuri!

INFORMATION