October 6, 2011
Japanese department store Takashimaya Co. has just announced its $229,000 osechi New Year's meal set -- a splurge in any economy -- but the crown jewel is the $168,684 lunchbox in which it's packaged. The three-tier box is made of 3.3 kilograms of 18-carat gold that's been shaped by famed goldsmith Koichi Ishikawa; sculptor Hoseki Okuyama will carve grapes and grape leaves into its surface.
The osechi meal is the most expensive Takashimaya Co. has ever offered -- even luxurious versions rarely retail for more than a few hundred dollars -- and was jazzed up to honor the company's 180th anniversary. The meal will contain several colorful, well-balanced items from "elite Japanese restaurants," according to the Wall Street Journal.
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