Apple Is Giving Away Special Limited-Edition AirTags — But Only in Japan
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New Year’s is kind of a big deal in Japan, with many retailers kicking off “Hatsuuri” sales and other promotions to rival November’s Black Friday deals, and Apple is joining in the fun, not only offering its usual gift card promotions, but also throwing in a specially engraved AirTag for customers buying a new iPhone.
That’s a twist that would be nice to see in other countries. While Apple’s Gift Card promotion in the country is essentially the same as what it did on Black Friday, offering values of up to 38,000 Yen (~$250 USD), customers in the Land of the Rising Sun can also score a special AirTag if they buy an iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, or iPhone 16e.
As with Apple’s usual holiday promotions, the latest iPhone 17 and iPhone Air models aren’t eligible for any gift cards, which is also likely why they’re being left out of the AirTag promotion as well. These sales are typically intended to try and encourage customers to buy older models and clear out last year’s stock.
However, customers buying any of the three iPhone 16 models that Apple still sells new will receive an 8,000 or 12,000 Yen gift card (~$50/$75 USD) and an AirTag featuring a special engraving of Daruma, a traditional Japanese talisman that represents good luck and perseverance.
Unlike the gift card, the AirTag offer comes with a catch: it’s “limited edition” not just for the run of the promotion, but also because Apple is only making 65,000 available. Once they run out, customers will only be able to walk away with the gift card and their shiny new iPhone.
While only the iPhone will net users the limited-edition AirTag, other Apple products are eligible for gift card offers that are very similar to what we saw on Black Friday, with equivalent amounts in Yen instead of US dollars.
For instance, only Apple’s flagship M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pro models qualify for the full 38,000 Yen gift card, which is roughly the same as the $250 gift card Apple was giving out in the US on Black Friday. Similarly, the 12,000 Yen for an iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Plus or the 8,000 Yen for the iPhone 16e are equivalent to the $75 and $50 USD gift cards. Other products — from the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard to the MacBook Air and iPad — are similarly aligned with the US Black Friday offer.
It’s the AirTags that make the Japanese promotion unique, and Apple has been running these for as long as the AirTags have been around. It kicked things off in 2022 with its first limited-edition AirTag to celebrate the Year of the Tiger, featuring an exclusive white tiger emoji. However, Apple only produced 20,000 of those, and the promotion had a more limited two-day run; Apple gave these away to iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, and iPhone SE buyers from January 2–3, 2022.
Apple increased the production runs for the special edition AirTags in subsequent years, producing 30,000 for the Year of the Rabbit in 2023, and then 50,000 for the Year of the Dragon and Year of the Snake in 2024 and 2025. However, this year’s limited-edition AirTag is unique in that it’s not only boosted the quantity to 65,000, but it’s also the first to feature a non-year-related theme. Daruma is not only a generic symbol for luck and perseverance, but it’s also a traditional Japanese icon for “Hatsumode” New Year’s visits, making it an appropriate choice for the occasion.
This year’s Hatsuuri event kicks off on January 2 and runs until January 5. To receive the AirTag, the eligible iPhone must be purchased directly from Apple in Japan at an Apple retail store or via the Apple Store app, web store, or by phone.
Apple has also offered special edition AirPods with custom engravings for the Lunar New Year in China and other Asian countries. It has yet to announce a Year of the Horse version for 2026, but that might still come, as the Lunar New Year isn’t celebrated until later in January.
