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New Year's Lucky Draw A packed venue for a hilarious lottery draw
Japan Post held the "2018 New Year's Greeting Card Lucky Draw" at JP Tower in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on January 14.
This lottery originated from a civilian's idea in 1949. Amidst the ongoing postwar turmoil, it began with the belief that "precisely because of such times, something that gives people dreams is needed." The grand prize for the first draw was a sewing machine, and the first prize was pure wool suit fabric. Since then, the prizes have evolved with the times, shifting to home appliances, leisure goods, digital products, and more.
This year's first prize is a select gift (worth 120,000 yen) or 100,000 yen in cash. Second prize is a hometown gift package (choose one from 39 items), and third prize is a New Year's money stamp sheet.
Taking the stage at the venue packed with spectators, President Kunio Yokoyama stated, "New Year's cards with lottery tickets offer three moments of excitement: 'writing while thinking of the recipient,' 'seeing the postcard arrive,' and 'drawing the lottery ticket.' The catchphrase for this year's New Year's card campaign is 'Oh, right! It's Heisei 30!' I hope everyone will reflect on these past 30 years and continue enjoying New Year's cards."
The drawing method involved shooting a crossbow arrow at a rotating target to determine the winning numbers.
Taking the stage were freelance announcer Ayako Kato as the witness, and judoka Toshihiko Koga and the comedy duo Wagyu as the drawers.
While Ms. Kato, dressed in formal attire, spoke of the weight of her responsibility as witness, and Mr. Koga discussed the tension of the glamorous stage, Wagyu's Shinji Mizuta began his stiff, scripted greeting matter-of-factly. His partner, Kenshiro Kawanishi, immediately poked fun at him, drawing laughter from the audience.
The four discussed the 30 years of the Heisei era and memories of New Year's cards. Mizuta revealed, "This moment, standing before Mr. Koga, my hero, is the happiest for me."
When the prizes were introduced, Wagyu's duo joked, "This contains every human desire," and "We want to make our Kohaku manzai costumes with the ¥100,000 cash prize," drawing laughter.
During the raffle, Wagyu eased the tension by mimicking the campaign girl's movements and gestures. Later, in the New Year's comedy live show, they performed a manzai routine based on the "Cinderella" story. The audience roared with laughter, impressed by the skills of the runners-up from the M-1 Grand Prix 2017 manzai tournament.
At the end, Kato said, "Not only did I fulfill my important duty, but I got to make people laugh this much—it looks like it'll be a good year," while Koga remarked, "It was a wonderful experience. If I'm not invited next time, I'll come as an audience member."
The two members of Wagyu stated, "Even if we won the M-1, we'd prefer New Year's postcards with 10 million yen in lucky money instead of the prize money," and "We hope the New Year's card culture spreads among the younger generation like Halloween."
Winning Numbers
1st Prize (Last 6 digits) 784640
2nd Prize (Last 4 digits) 3260
3rd Prize (Last 2 digits) 27, 86
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