Whenever a new Ichiban Kuji line-up is announced in Japan, fans overseas tend to ask the same question: can I get these prizes where I live? Ichiban Kuji is a Japanese character-merchandise lottery, with prizes ranging from collectible figures to towels and other goods, and getting them outside Japan is not always straightforward. This guide explains how the lottery works, why the official online version is closed to buyers outside Japan, where it is sold officially in other countries, and what fans abroad usually do instead. Everything below was checked against official pages on October 13, 2026.
The short version
- Ichiban Kuji is a paid lottery run by BANDAI SPIRITS. Every draw wins one of the prizes in that set.
- The Japanese online version, Ichiban Kuji ONLINE, is for users in Japan only: it does not ship overseas, does not accept cards issued outside Japan, and restricts access from abroad.
- Official Ichiban Kuji is also sold in eleven other countries and regions, with their own line-ups. The United States, Canada and Australia are not among them.
- Everywhere else, the realistic routes are drawing in person on a trip to Japan, or buying a prize secondhand.
How Ichiban Kuji works
Ichiban Kuji is BANDAI SPIRITS’ character lottery, which the company describes as one “in which everybody wins.” Each set has a fixed price per draw; the two sets released on October 3, 2026 that we checked, FAIRY TAIL 20th ANNIVERSARY and Mobile Suit Gundam UNIVERSAL CENTURY SAGA2, both cost 850 yen per draw including tax. Every ticket wins a prize, with prize tiers labeled A, B, C and so on; the FAIRY TAIL set, for example, runs from A Prize to G Prize.
In addition to the regular prize tiers, many sets offer a Last One Prize, given to whoever draws the final ticket in a store’s box. In the FAIRY TAIL set, it is a figure of Erza Scarlet about 25 cm tall. The Last One Prize is not offered in every online release. The official pages tell you to check the number of tickets left at the store.
Some sets also run a Double Chance campaign, which gives buyers a second chance at an extra prize. For tickets bought in a store, you enter the campaign number on your ticket through the Ichiban Kuji LINE account or on the website, where entry needs an Ichiban Kuji Club membership. Draws made on Ichiban Kuji ONLINE are entered from the purchase-complete page or the purchase history instead. Either way, campaign prizes are shipped within Japan only.
Where it is sold in Japan
Ichiban Kuji is sold mainly at convenience stores, but which chains and shops carry it changes from set to set. The Gundam set above is sold at Seven-Eleven, Ito-Yokado and Youme Town stores, in stores only; the FAIRY TAIL set is sold at Ministop, Daily Yamazaki and other convenience stores, at Ichiban Kuji official shops and online. Bandai Namco Amusement runs more than 60 Ichiban Kuji official shops across Japan.
The official store search works per set: choose the set first, then search by prefecture, by map or by your current location (within 2km). The site warns that start dates differ by store and that a sold-out store is not always marked as sold out, so treat the list as a guide.
Why Ichiban Kuji ONLINE is intended for Japan only
Ichiban Kuji ONLINE lets you draw on the web and receive your prizes by mail. Its own pages are clear that this is a service for Japan:
- Its terms of use say the service is provided only for users in Japan (Article 2) and that the delivery address must be in Japan (Article 4).
- Its sales terms confirm that delivery is limited to Japan. The service accepts credit cards, mobile carrier billing and PayPay, but its official FAQ states that cards issued outside Japan cannot be used, and that orders placed from overseas are not recommended because they may not work properly.
- Since August 24, 2026, the site has also restricted access from outside Japan, so overseas users may be unable to use some or all of it. The same update added the “users in Japan only” clause to the terms.
- Membership is required, and the terms allow BANDAI SPIRITS to refuse members it judges to be buying for profit or high-priced resale.
- The sales terms also say that items received through a forwarding service, or any carrier other than the one the shop uses, may not be supported.
Because the terms limit the service to users in Japan, we do not suggest using a forwarding address for it, the way you might with other shops in our guide to official shops.
Official Ichiban Kuji outside Japan
The official site’s overseas page lists product pages for eleven countries and regions. Prices and stores there are announced on each region’s official social media accounts, linked from that page, and each region has its own product list.
| Asia | Europe | Americas |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar | United Kingdom, Spain | Mexico |
China is also listed, with social media accounts but no product list. If you live in one of these places, check your region’s official listings to see which sets are sold near you. If you do not, the overseas page has nothing for you yet: the United States, Canada and Australia were not on it when we checked.
Getting the prizes from outside Japan
Draw in person on a trip
If you are visiting Japan while a set is on sale, you can draw it yourself in a store. Check the store search for the set before you go, and go early in the sale, since stores can sell out.
Buy the prize secondhand
Even after a set has sold out in stores, prizes sometimes turn up on Japanese secondhand marketplaces and at secondhand chains such as Mandarake, which runs an online store in English. Proxy services such as ZenMarket and Buyee can buy from the Japanese marketplaces for you. How proxy fees work, and what customs charges to expect, is covered in our guide to buying from Japan’s official shops.
Buying secondhand means you can pick the exact prize you want instead of leaving it to luck. The trade-off is price: resale prices are set by sellers, not by the price of a draw, and sought-after prizes such as A Prizes and Last One Prizes can cost far more than a single ticket. Buy from established sellers.
Before you try: a checklist
- Is the set sold in your country? Check the official overseas page.
- If you are in Japan, which chain carries this set? Check its product page and the store search.
- Does the set have a Last One Prize? Is the set available online, in stores, or both?
- If you are buying a prize secondhand, have you added the proxy fees, international shipping and your country’s import charges?
Policies in this guide were checked against official pages on October 13, 2026. Anime On Record has no affiliate or business relationship with BANDAI SPIRITS or any shop or service mentioned.