[/floatl]Star Bulletin: Ala Moana honors Japanese tradition
...New Year's Day traffic at Ala Moana is anticipated to be heavy as shoppers come to take a gamble on gift bags as well as to cash in their gift cards and return unwanted gifts. Fukubukuro, which literally means a gift bag or package containing unknown and varied merchandise that is sold on New Year's Day for a large discount, has long been a lavish retail tradition in Japan and its popularity is growing in Hawaii...The center is expecting hundreds of shoppers to line up at their favorite participating Fukubukuro store hours in advance for the chance to get their hands on one of the event's specially designed bags, which will retail for $20 to $1,000 each...Stephany Sofos, a Honolulu-based retail consultant, said that given Hawaii's penchant for gambling and for borrowing from other cultures, it's not surprising that Fukubukuro has been well received...more...
