Japan: Tears of the Kingdom lottery has office workers carrying Master Swords to work 

A lottery in which fans can win The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom merchandise started in Japan on May 9. Since the lottery is available at 24-hour convenience stores across Japan, fans were able to try their luck before going to work in the morning. Those who were lucky enough to draw the grand prize, the Master Sword shaped lamp, had to deal with the mixed joy and awkwardness of having to go to work while carrying a somewhat large sword around. 

The lottery in question is called “Ichibankuji The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom”. Ichibankuji (Number One Lottery) is a popular lucky draw event in Japan organized by BANDAI SPIRITS, subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. It takes place nationwide and features popular anime and game titles such as Pokémon and Gundam. 

The Ichibankuji is a sure-win lottery game, meaning that when you buy a ticket, you are sure to draw a prize. The rewards are ranked from A to Z, with A rewards being the most valuable and rare. The anime and game merchandise available in the lucky draw are all event-exclusive, meaning they cannot be purchased in stores. Tickets to participate can be bought in convenience stores, bookstores and Bandai Namco stores all over Japan, and recently online as well.  

The currently ongoing Ichibankuji campaign is The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom lucky draw, being held in anticipation of the upcoming release of the title. The lineup of goods which can we won can be found on the official website. The campaign features various prizes such as keychains and stationery, but the most valuable, “A” rank prize is the Master Sword. More accurately, a decorative Master Sword shaped lamp. It is 32 cm (about 1.05 ft) long and the blade portion lights up. 

Since the start of the campaign, social media has been buzzing with people showing off the prizes they’ve won. However, posts of people finding themselves in amusing predicaments due to the lucky draw have been gaining attention in particular. 

As mentioned earlier, convenience stores play a big part in the popularity of the Ichiban kuji draw, as most of them are open 24/7 and can be found anywhere. This means even busy office workers can drop by in the morning before their shift starts to try their luck with the lottery. Due to this, some have found themselves in the situation of unexpectedly pulling the “A” rank prize on their way to work. The lucky winners were at a loss as to how to discreetly take their Master Swords with them. 

A user also commented “My TL today is full of office workers carrying legendary swords around”. 

On a side note, in anticipation of the upcoming release of the game, there is also an ongoing collaboration campaign between the convenience store chain Lawson and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, bringing products such as the Mighty Banana Au Lait, the Big Hearty Truffle Focaccia and the Spicy Pepper Fried Chicken.