Twist, Turn, Collect: Exploring the World of Gacha Machines in Japan

If you’ve ever been to a Japanese train station, airport, or convenience store, you may have noticed a vending machine filled with small round capsules. These capsule vending machines in Japan are called gashapon, and the majority of the items they dispense are toys.

Let’s uncover facts about the exciting world of Japanese gacha machines by exploring their history, contents, best locations, and national appeal.

What Are Gacha Machines? Japan’s Beloved Capsule Toy Dispensers

Gacha machines, also known as gashapon, are special vending machines that dispense round capsules containing toys or other small items. These machines feature an external handle, a coin slot, and a container filled with round capsules. They are also smaller than regular vending machines. The toys dispensed from these machines are called capsule toys, gacha, gachapon, or gashapon.

Names of capsule toys are trademarks of the manufacturers of the vending machines and toys. Those made by Bandai are called “gashapon” or “gachapon.” Tomy, another Japanese toy manufacturer, has trademarked “gacha.” It’s generally acceptable to use all of the names interchangeably when referring to capsule toys in unofficial contexts.

There are over 700,000 capsule-dispensing vending machines in Japan today. The entire market for these small vending machines is worth billions of yen, thanks to the recent boost in their popularity. Both adults and kids love the thrill of the mystery capsule. The toys in many capsules are also of high quality, driving up the appeal of gacha among adults.

How Gacha Machines Work

The user inserts a coin in the machine and turns a lever to receive one of the capsule toys from the machine at random. The actual toy is in the plastic capsule released from the machine. Examples of items in capsule toys are keychains, plushies, action figures, other merchandise, and collectibles. These items typically feature a specific theme, which is based on an anime, manga, popular brand, video game, or fictional character. Although selection is random, capsule toys from one machine often come from the same featured collection and are advertised as such.

There are several types of gachapon machines based on the denomination of the coins they accept. You can find 10 yen, 50 yen, 100 yen, and 500 yen coins in Japan. In most cases, the higher the acceptable denomination, the more valuable the items in each capsule. 100 yen and 500 yen variants are the most common capsule machines in Japan.

Not all gacha machines contain small toys, although most do. Some are full of capsules containing themed accessories like keychains, plushies, and collectibles.

A Brief History of Gachapon Culture in Japan

Although capsule vending machines are an integral part of modern Japanese culture, they originated in the United States. In the 1960s, gumball machines that dispensed chewing gum and other candies were popular in the US. Several adaptations existed that dispensed snacks and cheap toys as well.

The concept of the capsule vending machine was introduced to Japan in 1965 by entrepreneur Ryuzo Shigeta, who owned a shop in Tokyo. Shigeta had received a gumball machine from the US and was unimpressed by what he got. He wanted a cleaner, more controlled release of the toys, so he invented the gachapon machine we know and love today.

In the 1970s, more Japanese manufacturers appeared, and the gacha machine spread throughout the country. Some of them began to use licensed characters from anime and manga to create themes for items in the capsules, further increasing the appeal of gachapon culture in the country. Japanese toy conglomerate Bandai entered the capsule toy business with the launch of their Gashapon machines in 1977. They remain a major player in the market today.

Capsule toy machines have evolved into a cultural and collectible phenomenon across generations. You will find them in specialty stores, tourist destinations, train stations, airports, candy stores, and many other locations across the country. Japanese manufacturers are currently exporting the machines to foreign countries, including the US and Singapore.

What Can You Find Inside a Gacha Capsule?

The mystery of not knowing exactly what is inside the capsules keeps fans coming back for more. However, most users often have a faint idea of what could be lurking behind those round plastic balls. There is a wide variety of capsule toy surprises ranging from anime figures and mini foods to everyday objects with quirky twists. The following is a list of the types of items commonly found in gachapons:

• Small figurines

• Toys (E.g mini cars, building blocks, etc.)

• Keychains

• Wristbands

• Redeemable winning tickets (for larger items like plushies)

• Miniature food items

• Miniature appliances

• Accessories

Where to Find the Best Gacha Machines in Japan

The best places to hunt for capsule toys are gashapon stores and shops in Japan. To help you find the very best, below is a brief guide on top locations to spot these gems.

• Shopping Districts: Certain shōtengai (Japanese shopping districts) are known for having an abundance of centers and shops filled with gacha machines. Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan Hall is arguably the most popular gachapon shop in the country. It’s located in Akihabara, a major shopping district in Tokyo that focuses on items related to anime, manga, video games, and electronics. Another notable location is Bandai Namco’s Gashapon Department Store in Sunshine City, Ikebukuro. With over 3,000 gacha machines, it holds the Guinness World Record for the most capsule toy vending machines in a single venue. Other popular gachapon stores in shopping districts include GachaGacha no Mori (Nipponbashi, Osaka), Kyoto Gachapon (Teramachi, Kyoto), and Gachapo (Chatan Town, Okinawa).

• Discount Shops: Japanese discount stores pride themselves on selling quality items at low prices. It makes sense that some of them will set up gacha machines in their stores. The biggest example of this phenomenon is the gacha machines in Don Quijote, a discount store chain in Japan. When you head to the 7th floor of MEGA Don Quijote in Shibuya, you will find a space called Gacha Gacha Land packed with capsule toy machines. There are more machines at the entrance of the store.

• Local Specialty Gacha Shops: Local shops near tourist centers often display gacha machines full of great souvenirs. Tourists love to stop by these places to pick up a few items to remember the city by. Examples are #C-pla (Hokkaido Tourist Information Center, Sapporo) and Gacha Town near Sensoji Temple (Taito City, Tokyo).

• Airports and Train Stations: There are gacha machines scattered across various airports and train stations in Japan. Look out for them at Tokyo Gachapon Store in Character Street (Tokyo Station), GachaGacha Corner (Hankyu Osaka-Umeda Station), Narita International Airport, and Kansai International Airport.

Themed Gacha: Collaborations and Seasonal Series

Themed gacha are the most in-demand capsule toys in the world. They typically use themes from popular licensed characters created by Japanese entertainment companies, including Pokémon and Sanrio. Themes based on anime characters are just as popular, with Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and Studio Ghibli movies leading the line. To attract die-hard fans and dedicated collectors, manufacturers promote their gacha machines as collaboration collections, limited editions, seasonal series, and regional collections.

Gacha Machines vs. Regular Vending Machines

Unlike regular drink and snack vending machines that dispense a wide variety of edible items, gacha machines dispense toys, figurines, and small kids’ items. However, both are iconic to Japan and reflect the country's vending culture from two distinct perspectives. Japanese people use gacha machines for the thrill of finding random souvenir gifts related to otaku culture, but they use regular vending machines to get low-cost food and save shopping time.

The Allure of Collecting: Why Gacha Becomes Addictive

The appeal of gacha shares a strong link with the psychology of the “blind box” model. The blind box is a package with hidden contents. It offers you the chance to choose a specific collection or series but keeps the actual items in each package hidden, adding a sense of mystery to the purchase experience. This model builds curiosity, which encourages repeat tries. Collectors also end up coming back to get more toys as they chase full sets of miniatures. Besides gacha machines, other examples of the blind box model in action include the following:

• Pop Mart designer toys

• Sonny Angel figurines by Dreams

• Squishmallows by Kelly Toys

• Dunny series by Kidrobot

• Smoko Friends collection by Smoko Inc.

Surprising and Strangest Gacha Toys Ever Released

Let’s explore quirky examples of bizarre gacha toys that amuse and amaze fans.

• Koppu no Fuchiko character: a female office worker figurine designed to balance on any cup.

• Mini trash cans

• Reclining office chairs

• Bowing miniature animals

• Mini sushi conveyor belt

• Underwear for mobile phones

• Realistic rice grains in bowls

How Gacha Machines Reflect Japanese Creativity

The ability to turn small plastic toys into treasured keepsakes is a clear display of Japan’s humor, design innovation, and attention to detail. These toys use minimal technology but have been painstakingly designed to function as mini replicas and iconic figurines. The manufacturers hire talented teams to brainstorm creative ideas that range from cute and quirky to weird and unusual.

Conclusion: Why Gacha Machines Are a Must-Experience in Japan

Embrace play, surprise, and cultural curiosity in a small capsule by trying your luck at the gacha machine on your next trip to Japan. The experience is unique to what regular vending machines can give you.

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