Chiikawa Shanghai Flagship Store Bonus Hairy-Crab Vinyl Bag: Checking the "Not for Sale" Print, Air Valve and Strap in Real Photos

Character shops sometimes hand out bonus items that are not sold over the counter. Using the shop's own listing photos, this guide looks at a hairy-crab design vinyl bag sold by Loop KOBE on Mercari Shops and described as a bonus from the Chiikawa Shanghai flagship store. It separates what the photos show, such as the prints on each side, the air valve and the included strap, from what they cannot tell you.

About the Chiikawa Shanghai flagship store

According to Hong Kong's Sing Tao Headline, Chiikawa's first official flagship store in mainland China opened on 27 September 2025 at 139 East Nanjing Road, Shanghai. It occupies two floors with a total area of more than 500 square metres. More than 30 mainland-only items were on sale at the opening, including a Shanghai-only plush charm of a hairy crab.

A Kyodo report dated 2 October 2026 says more Chiikawa goods shops have opened in China since then, with five opening this year in cities including Nanjing, Jiangsu. In Shanghai, a special exhibition called CHIIKAWA DAYS runs from 12 September to 1 November 2026, featuring the characters dressed as Shanghai foods such as xiaolongbao.

The front: a character dressed as a hairy crab

The front is printed with a large face surrounded by a brown crab shell, claws and legs. The product name identifies the character as Usagi, shown here dressed as a hairy crab. Like the Shanghai-only plush charm, the design is based on Shanghai's famous hairy crab. The bag is made of cream-coloured vinyl and lies flat in the photos.

The bottom left of the listing photos shows the phone model and the date taken (14 October 2026), added automatically by the camera. This marks when the listing photos were taken and is not printed on the item. For one of the article's cover images, the bottom of the photo was trimmed to remove this stamp.

The back: 非卖品 and ©nagano

In the middle of the back is the CHIIKAWA logo, with 非卖品 and ©nagano printed below it. 非卖品 is simplified Chinese for "not for sale", the same meaning as the Japanese 非売品. It marks items that are given away, for example as bonuses, rather than sold with a price tag. ©nagano is the copyright notice of Nagano, the creator of Chiikawa.

Above the logo is a clear air valve, with MADE IN CHINA moulded around its rim. Small eyelet-like tabs on the left and right edges appear to be where the strap attaches. In the photos the item is not inflated and looks like a flat vinyl pouch.

The included strap

The strap is a thick natural-colour rope with two brown stoppers for adjusting the length. Both ends are finished with brown wrapping and fitted with gold-coloured metal rings, which presumably clip onto the tabs on each side of the bag so it can be carried by hand or over the shoulder.

Hairy crab season

Shanghai hairy crab (Chinese mitten crab) is an autumn delicacy. A 2019 news release from Hotel New Otani Osaka says the best time to eat it is from September to late November, as the crabs build up reserves before winter, with egg-bearing females at their best in October and males in November. That makes the design especially seasonal right now.

Checklist before buying

• Check the front and back photos for faded print or scratches
• The size is not stated on the product page, so ask the shop before buying if you need it
• There may be no instructions on whether or how to inflate it
• Check the strap length and metal fittings in the photos
• The conditions under which the bonus was given out are not known, and Koetsu does not authenticate items or verify how they were distributed

This vinyl bag is listed as new and unused by Loop KOBE on Mercari Shops. Stock, price and shipping can change, so please check the product page for the latest details, and send the shop a question before buying if anything is unclear.

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