Blue Lace
ブルーレース
Lottery and tobacco specialist on the 2nd floor of Kintetsu Department Store Ikoma, Nara
Published
Blue Lace (ブルーレース) is a lottery and tobacco specialty shop on the 2nd floor of Kintetsu Department Store Ikoma — the Entre Ikoma complex right in front of Kintetsu Ikoma Station (近鉄生駒駅) in Ikoma, Nara. The storefront says what it is in one line, 宝くじ & たばこ専門店 ("lottery and tobacco specialty shop"): a lottery window on the left, the glass door in the middle and a cigarette vending machine on the right.
The selection is the surprise. A lottery shop usually keeps only a small choice of cigarettes; Blue Lace carries a huge one, with the everyday Japanese brands alongside imports and hard-to-find names such as Ark Royal and Black Jack, plus Sobranie, Djarum, Black Devil, L.A. and Seven Stars. By its own description the shop has been in business in Ikoma for 25 years.
For rolling your own there is a wall of rolling tobacco with papers, filter tips and accessories; for pipes, tins and pouches of pipe tobacco; for cigars, a humidor of single cigars and shelves of little cigars; and a rack of snus and snuff. The shop also stocks kiseru tobacco and heated-tobacco products, and says it takes special orders — ask at the counter. At the window it sells lottery tickets, and by its own account it has paid out more than ¥1 billion in winnings in total.
Opening Hours
Hours shown in Japan Standard Time, per the shop's Google listing. Closed Sundays; public-holiday hours are not listed, so check with the shop before a holiday visit.
Amenities
Cigarette Vending Machine
A cigarette vending machine stands beside the shop door.
Lottery Window
Lottery tickets are sold at the window beside the door: Takarakuji jumbo draws, Loto 6, BIG, scratch tickets and toto.
Special Orders
The shop says it takes special orders for items it does not stock — ask at the counter.
Payment
Credit cards and e-money are accepted, per the shop's own website. For tobacco, cashless payment is by PayPay or a contactless-enabled credit card only.
What's Sold
What the shop stocks, grouped by kind. Brands are those named in the shop's own online catalogue or legible on its shelves in the photos above.
Cigarettes — Ark Royal, Black Jack, Black Devil, Sobranie, Djarum, L.A., Seven Stars, Peace, Black Stone
Heated Tobacco — Ploom
Rolling Tobacco (RYO) — Ark Royal, Black Spider, Three Dogs, Lumber Jack, Bali Shag, Manitou, Pueblo, Che, Pepe, Camel, Amber Leaf, Redfield, Choice, Colts, Mac Baren, Golden Virginia, Drum
Pipe Tobacco — Peterson, Rattray's, Captain Black, Borkum Riff, W.O. Larsen, Amphora, Orlik
Cigars & Little Cigars — Don Tomás, Joya de Nicaragua, Macanudo, La Estrella, Cohiba, Montecristo, Partagás, Romeo y Julieta, Trinidad, Keith, Swisher Sweets, Handelsgold, Toscanello, Villiger, Clubmaster, Café Crème, Neos
Kiseru & Japanese Cut Tobacco — 宝船 (Takarabune), Koiki
Snus & Snuff — Odens, Siberia, Zerostyle, Velo, Lucy, Gletscherprise
Rolling Papers, Filter Tips & Accessories — RAW, OCB, Zig-Zag, Pure, Sharrow, Zippo
Lottery Tickets — Takarakuji jumbo draws, Loto 6, BIG, scratch tickets and toto, sold at the window.
Getting There
From Kintetsu Ikoma Station
Kintetsu Department Store Ikoma stands right in front of the north exit of Kintetsu Ikoma Station (近鉄生駒駅). Blue Lace is on its 2nd floor.
In the Building
Look for the blue Blue Lace sign and the red 宝くじ & たばこ専門店 banner on the 2nd floor of the Kintetsu Department Store Ikoma building (Entre Ikoma 1); a cigarette vending machine stands beside the door.
By Car
The department store has an underground car park, and there are public car parks nearby. Its 90-minute parking benefit is for purchases at the store and excludes some shops, so ask whether a purchase here counts (per the department store's website).
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Blue Lace sell?
Cigarettes — a huge choice, including hard-to-find brands such as Ark Royal and Black Jack — plus heated tobacco, rolling tobacco and accessories, pipe tobacco, kiseru tobacco, cigars and little cigars, snus and snuff, and lottery tickets.
Where is Blue Lace, and how far is it from Ikoma Station?
On the 2nd floor of Kintetsu Department Store Ikoma (Entre Ikoma 1), 1600 Tanidacho, Ikoma, Nara. The building is right in front of the north exit of Kintetsu Ikoma Station.
Does Blue Lace sell lottery tickets?
Yes. It is a lottery and tobacco specialty shop: Takarakuji jumbo draws, Loto 6, BIG, scratch tickets and toto are sold at the window. By its own account the shop has paid out more than ¥1 billion in winnings in total.
Is there anywhere to smoke at Blue Lace?
Smok has no confirmed smoking spot at Blue Lace. It is a shop for buying tobacco, and the shop does not list a place to smoke.
When is Blue Lace open?
Monday to Friday 10:00 to 20:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 17:00. It is closed on Sundays; its public-holiday hours are not listed, so check before a holiday visit.
Can I pay by card at Blue Lace?
Yes, per the shop's own website — credit cards and e-money are accepted. For tobacco, only PayPay or a contactless-enabled credit card works.
Can Blue Lace order tobacco it does not stock?
The shop says it takes special orders (お取り寄せ) — ask at the counter.
Map
Address
Kintetsu Department Store Ikoma, 2F, 1600 Tanidacho, Ikoma, Nara 630-0251, Japan
〒630-0251 奈良県生駒市谷田町1600 近鉄百貨店生駒店 2F