Shoppers flock to New Year sale at major department store in Japan

Shoppers out for seasonal staples, discount merchandise and "lucky" New Year bags whose contents remain unknown prior to purchase flocked to the first such sale of this year on Thursday at a major department store in western Japan.More than 2,000 people lined up in front of a Kintetsu department store in Osaka, a core city in Japan's second-largest business district, with the doors opening at 9:10 a.m., 20 minutes earlier than scheduled.A lion dance was performed to liven up the festive mood in the store located in the 60-story Abeno Harukas complex in the city's Abeno Ward.For the first ti…READ FULL ARTICLE