Ichiban Kuji: What are they and how to get them

If you're a fan of anime, manga, and Japanese collectibles, you may have come across the term Ichiban Kuji. But what exactly is Ichiban Kuji, and how can you get your hands on these exclusive items?

Ichiban Kuji is a popular lottery system in Japan, regularly organized by Bandai Spirits to promote anime, manga, and video game franchises. The system is simple: participants purchase a raffle ticket—typically priced between 500 and 1000 yen—and receive a guaranteed prize drawn at random.

The uniqueness of Ichiban Kuji lies in the element of surprise. Unlike traditional shopping, where buyers select specific products, Ichiban Kuji participants rely on luck. Prizes range from consolation items like mugs, posters, and keychains to high-value collectibles such as large anime figures, rare statues, and even exclusive merchandise.

Since Ichiban Kuji prizes are distributed through lotteries, you might wonder: can fans outside Japan buy these exclusive collectibles? Let’s explore the best ways to purchase Ichiban Kuji prizes internationally.

What is Ichiban Kuji? 

As mentioned, Ichiban Kuji refers to a Japanese lottery system offering anime and manga-themed prizes, primarily organized by Bandai Spirits, a subsidiary of Bandai Namco.

Most Ichiban Kuji lotteries take place in Japanese convenience stores (conbini), arcades, anime shops, and shopping malls. Participants purchase a raffle ticket and receive a randomly drawn prize. Ticket prices vary depending on the lottery series and the exclusivity of the items.

In each Ichiban Kuji draw, common prizes are widely available, whereas rare and premium items are significantly limited. This system allows buyers to choose which lotteries to enter based on their preferences and the likelihood of winning high-value collectibles.

For fans of popular anime franchises such as Demon Slayer, One Piece, Sailor Moon, Monster Hunter, and more, Ichiban Kuji is a fantastic way to obtain limited-edition goods.

For information about current and upcoming lotteries, you can rely on the official Ichiban KUJI website .

How does it work and what can I win?

The easiest way to buy KUJI Ichiban products in Japan is to buy them at most common convenience stores (conbini), like Lawson, Family Mart and 7-elevens.

To purchase one of these Ichiban Kuji raffle products at Japanese convenience stores, look for the billboard or prize rack and grab one (or more!) available raffle tickets, like the ones circled in the photo below, and take them to the cashier.

Once you have taken the ticket, take it to the cashier and make the payment. Participation tickets usually range from 600 to 1000 yen (tax included) depending on the series.

After you've paid, the clerk will give you a box full of small tickets to take out your prize. Once you've grabbed your ticket, remove the cover to reveal the type of prize won!

Typically, different types of prizes are indicated by a letter of the alphabet, the best prizes are indicated by the letter "A", and the rest follow in order of rarity. Depending on the lotteries, there may also be special prizes marked with the letter "S" or extra prizes for those who draw the last or penultimate ticket.

Typically the least rare prizes are items such as keychains, glasses, clear folders, notebooks, pins, dishes, wipes, stickers, etc...

The most popular prizes tend to be items such as larger figures, puppets and pillows and other rarer items such as high quality prints and home items. These rewards are generally only available in one copy per store.

As mentioned above, there are also "Last" prizes , which can only be won by purchasing the last remaining ticket . These prizes are often the hardest to win per drawing, so much so that die-hard fans sometimes decide to buy all the remaining tickets to get the ultimate prize!

Finally, in addition to the prizes mentioned above, it may occasionally happen that you also come across Ichiban KUJI "Double Chance" campaigns, that is, events in which you can use your ticket to try to win more prizes, usually through an online system.

Tickets for these events, in fact, have a double serial number printed on them: after collecting your prize at the convenience store, you can use the second number on the "Ichiban KUJI Club" website to participate in a second lottery. The prizes available on the site are usually only fifty, so you have to be very lucky!

Other Types of Lotteries

AMUSEMENT Ichiban KUJI

Available exclusively in Japanese arcades, these lotteries feature high-cost tickets (around 5000 yen) but guarantee high-end anime figures. Popular series include One Piece, Demon Slayer, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

Buy from AMUSEMENT Ichiban KUJI

COFFRET Ichiban KUJI

A cosmetics-themed Ichiban Kuji featuring anime-inspired makeup such as eyeshadow, lipstick, and face powder. Past editions include collaborations with Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Idolish7.

Buy COFFRET Ichiban KUJI

Ichiban Charm

A keychain and charm-based Ichiban Kuji series, often themed around popular anime franchises like Cardcaptor Sakura.

Buy Ichiban Charm

Where can I buy these Products?

Since Ichiban Kuji lotteries take place in Japan, international buyers have limited access to tickets. However, you can still obtain Ichiban Kuji prizes through various methods:

Of course, we can't all go to Japan just to buy random products, nor are we guaranteed to win exactly the product we want. So, what to do to get the most tempting prizes?

Fortunately, since these are raffled products, many times those who buy them are not satisfied with their prize and therefore second-hand product sites such as Mercari, Rakuma and JDirectItems Auction!  They are full of Ichiban Kuji products!

How can I purchase Ichiban Kuji rewards?

1. Buy an Ichiban Kuji ticket directly in Japan

The simplest, but most expensive method is undoubtedly to try your luck by buying them directly during your trip to Japan . As we have seen in the previous paragraphs, the process is quite simple and you can also enjoy the excitement of receiving a raffled prize.

However, while not everyone has the ability to travel that far, it should also be noted that prizes purchased this way are invisible - there's never any way of knowing what you'll get!

If you're looking to purchase a specific product, fear not: there are plenty of Japanese online stores where you can purchase Ichiban KUJI prizes!

2. Buy your Ichiban KUJI prizes on second-hand Japanese sites

What do Japanese people do when they receive an Ichiban KUJI award that they don't care about? Easy! They resell it on second-hand platforms such as Mercari, Rakuma and JDirectItems Auction.

Well yes, it is not that difficult to find practically new Ichiban KUJI products on second-hand platforms, even long after the draw has taken place.

But you should be careful when purchasing: some very rare products can increase exponentially in value depending on the popularity of the series they come from!

3. Buy the whole lot at launch

Another possibility is to reserve the entire set of lottery products: this is a lottery that includes all the prizes of a given lottery. They are usually ordered in advance about a month before the lottery launches in real stores.

The price of the lot may vary depending on the seller and the popularity of the series, but usually the prices are around 30,000 ~ 60,000 yen. Of course, many lots remain available to purchase even after the lottery ends!

With ZenMarket you can freely buy Ichiban KUJI products and lots for sale on the main Japanese trading platforms.

We strongly recommend that you read the product description carefully and check the various additional details such as seller reputation, domestic shipping costs, etc. If in doubt, do not hesitate to contact our customer service: we will answer all your questions!