On November 11th, Isetan Mitsukoshi announced its 2015 New Year's Lucky Bags to the press at its Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store, Ginza Mitsukoshi Store, and Isetan Shinjuku Store. The 2015 lucky bags share a common theme: "Enjoying the Future." Focusing on the "Japanese sense of happiness" and the "spirituality" underlying Japan's culture, which the company hopes will remain cherished into the future, the lucky bags offer a rediscovery of Japan's best qualities, as well as playful designs. Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi focuses on art, culture, and dreams, presenting a new way to showcase Japan's globally recognized skills and culture. The "Popular Highland Train, Shinano Railway 'Rokumon' Full Car Rental" (limited to one group, up to 24 people, ¥46,297) is a lucky bag that will make train enthusiasts' dreams come true, traveling from Karuizawa to Nagano, passing through Shinshu with the majestic scenery of Mount Asama. You can rent the Rokumon (car 1), designed by Eiji Mitooka, who produced the cruise train "Seven Stars" and sparked the local train boom. The reservation is valid from Karuizawa (departing at 10:41) to Nagano (arriving at 12:59) on April 6, 2015.
The "Your Own Masterpiece Nameplate" (185,186 yen) is a lucky bag in which the Mitsukoshi Art Department commissions a masterful nameplate from a top artist. The calligraphy will be done by Toshio Matsuo, a Japanese painter and recipient of the Order of Culture, and the carving will be done by Akira Murayama, a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property and Living National Treasure. You can enjoy a dream collaboration between Japan's leading artists in both the fields of painting and crafts.
"Finally, make your kimono debut at a traditional Japanese restaurant with a pair kimono set for men and women with custom tailoring, dinner at the Ningyocho traditional Japanese restaurant Hamada-ya, and a time to enjoy the art of geisha" (700,000 yen), where geisha (male geisha) Yugentei Tamahachi will perform parlor entertainment based on the popular performing arts that flourished during the Edo period.
Ginza Mitsukoshi is also offering the "Ginza Mitsukoshi Restaurant Eating Tour DREAM PAIR TICKET" (limited to one ticket / 64,815 yen), which can be used by couples. This ticket allows you to enjoy as much as you like of what you like at your favorite restaurant on seven occasions during the event (January 15th to March 31st, 2015) from 18 restaurants on the 11th and 12th floors, including the menu of Les Rogers Eguzzirore, a Michelin-starred French restaurant on the 12th floor, as well as Japanese, Chinese, and Italian cuisine.
Isetan Shinjuku is also selling a "Daiwa House Dream Home for Living with Pets" (100 million yen, limited to one person), and is also offering a lucky bag (250,000 yen) in which cooking expert and foreign talent Francesco Bellissimo will visit you at home for a cooking lesson and dinner party.
