fukubukuro

A couple of weeks ago, I ordered some things from DHC. I knew of DHC when I was in Hawaii (they were originally a Japanese company which sold out of SF in the U.S. I would order some of their cosmetics and skincare off and on when I was in Hawaii.) When I moved to Japan, I kept ordering their cosmetics off and on and noticed that the company had also branched off into clothing and gourmet foods.

So when I ordered some things online and they said that I had collected enough points to redeem them for a fukubukuro. I wrote about fukubukuro in the past and was kind of leery as to what I would receive, but decided to redeem my points anyway (if you don't redeem them by a certain date you lose them).

My package was delivered a few days later...I opened it to find the items I ordered, plus a 750 ml bottle of olive oil!

Since the price of gasoline went up, so did the price of our cooking oils (as well as many other products). Apparently this one is worth 2000 yen (about US$20).

Also in the box were several instant products...curry, o-kayu (gruel) & okara (soy lees) cookies. Things I wouldn't buy but grateful as they are great for lunches in a pinch.

Here's a little review of the products I received: okara cookies...healthy maybe, but very bland, I imagine this is what styrofoam must taste like. If you are ordering this, please tell me what flavor is the best....

Keema curry: spicy and delicious. Portion probably not enough for guys.

Curry flavored o-kayu (gruel): 12 different grains + rice and curry flavor...spicy but kind of sweet....seemed like there was a lot of cardamom or coriander in it. Again, the portion is probably not enough for guys.

I'm glad I redeemed my points and happy that they didn't send me anything that I couldn't or wouldn't use.