kyburg | This year's fukubukuro take -

This year's lucky bag from Marukai.

This year's take includes dessicant for the shoes in the closet, shaving cream, two kinds of waterproofing for your shoes, moisturizer, measure spoons, a calculator, a loofa, a Japanese bath towel, four placemats, shower soap (two kinds), a tea and cup set (rustic, hand-built-like) and FM/AM transistor radio (BONG).

It also includes a complete set of baby dishes (a cosmic hint?) and some storage items.

But this year, they had a line snaking around the building for this thing - you could only get one bag of either kind (non-food or food - this is a non-food bag, natch) - and the cost was only $20, but you had to have cash.

They sold out in an hour. Next year, I get there earlier! But note - little old Japanese people are frightening on New Years Day. Frightening, I tell you.

Welcome to 2005 - so far, so good.

And now, we pack up Christmas and put it away until next year.