Winning at 一番くじ: Japanese Phrases for the Convenience-Store Anime Lottery

Hi everyone — Sakura here 🌸, your guide for Japanese fan stuff.

If you've walked past a Japanese convenience store and seen a giant poster with anime figures, you've met 一番いちばんくじ (Ichiban Kuji) — a lottery where you pay around ¥700 and always win something. For under $5 you can pull a high-quality figure, towel, or mug.

The catch: you have to ask the cashier. Let me give you the Japanese to do it.

🗣️ Starting: how to talk to staff

Ichiban Kuji tickets live behind the counter. You can't just grab them.

一番いちばんくじ、やりたいんですが… — I'd like to do Ichiban Kuji...

Tacking ~んですが (it's that...) on the end softens it. If the cashier asks which series, point at the poster: これです (this one).

📖 Core vocab

Word	Reading	Meaning
回かい	kai	times (count for draws)
枚まい	mai	sheets (count for tickets)
選えらぶ	erabu	to choose
引ひく	hiku	to draw / pull

🎯 How many draws?

Cashier asks how many you want to do. Answer with number + 回:

📝 Examples

5回かい、お願ねがいします。 — 5 times, please.
3回引かいひきたいです。 — I want to do 3 draws.

📊 Asking what's left

Before committing money, find out which prize tiers still have stock. There's usually a tracker board with 終了しゅうりょう (sold out) stickers on used-up tiers — but boards aren't always updated. Just ask.

A賞しょうはまだ残のこっていますか？ — Are A-tier prizes still available?

💡 Tip: Higher-tier prizes are called by name — A賞, B賞 — or by the umbrella term 上位賞じょういしょう (top-tier prizes). Asking about fig-yu-a (figure) directly works too.

🗣️ At the counter

You: すみません、残のこり枚数まいすうを確認かくにんしてもいいですか？ — May I check the remaining ticket count? Staff: はい、こちらの表ひょうをご覧らんください。 — Yes, please see this chart. You: A賞しょうは何枚なんまい残のこっていますか？ — How many A-tier tickets are left? Staff: あと2枚まいです。 — Two left.

🎁 The Last One Prize strategy

Ichiban Kuji's signature mechanic: whoever pulls the very last ticket wins a special ラストワン賞しょう (Last One Prize) — often the rarest item in the set.

If only a few tickets remain on a popular series, you can sometimes 'sweep' the rest to guarantee Last One:

残のこり全部ぜんぶください。 — I'll take all the rest.

This is a real strategy, but only worth it if the Last One Prize is the one you want and the remaining count isn't huge.

🗣️ Things staff say during the draw

📖 Cashier phrases

Phrase	Meaning
こちらからお選えらびください	Please pick from here
お会計かいけい、2,100円えんです	Bill comes to 2,100 yen
めくってください	Please peel back (the ticket)
お好すきなものをどうぞ	Pick what you'd like

That last one — お好きなものをどうぞ — applies when your draw lets you pick a specific item (e.g., a character variant within one prize tier).

✨ Sakura's takeaway

Opener: 一番いちばんくじ、やりたいんですが…
Count tickets: 数 + 回. 3回願おいします.
Check stock: A賞しょうはまだ残のこっていますか？
Sweep for Last One: 残のこり全部ぜんぶください。
Have fun — you always win something.

Good luck with the A-prize. 🎯