Gachapons in Japan - 43 Cool Gachapon Capsule Toys

A visit to a Gachapon / Gashapon toy capsule store is one of the most popular (and fun!) things to do in Japan.

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Like convenience stores, you are never further than a few metres away from a gashapon vending machine or dedicated store. No trip to Japan is complete without bringing home a quirky or unusual gachapon as the most sublime of souvenirs.

From cat hats to small sushi conveyor belts, animals in scaled down saunas to tiny food and miniature cement mixers, here is our guide to the gachapon stores in Japan and our favourite and most unusual gashapon capsule toys (2024).

Table of Contents

What is a Gachapon / Gashapon toy in Japan?

Popular with otaku (オタク – Japanese pop culture) and visiting tourists, Gachapon machines in Japan are vending machines that dispense capsule toys in a small round plastic case.

Most gachapon machines and sub varieties have four to six types in each machine meaning you often don’t know which one you are going to get.

Gachapon / Gashopon toys originated in Japan in the 1960s, originally conceived by famous Japanese toy and video game manufacturer Bandai.

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Where can you find Gachapon / Gashapon vending machines in Japan?

EVERYWHERE. Like literally on most shopping streets or busy retail areas – like the soft drink vending machines, gashapons are very VERY popular in Japan.

As well as lots of dedicated gachapon / gashapon stores which contain hundreds of separate machines, lots of convenience stores in Japan (like 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart) also have gachapon machines outside or inside their stores.

There are millions of gachapon machines in Japan with thousands of different series of toys to collect. The more popular gachapon brands have several series – when we visited in spring 2023, the Animal Shower series was now on volume 8 (now that is a lot of showering animals!).

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What is the Japanese word for Gachapon / Gashapon?

The word for Gashapon in Japanese is ガシャポン. They are also called gachapon which is ガチャポン in Japanese. The original term is trademarked by original manufacturer Bandai.

Gachapons capsule toys in Japan Milk light up advert truck

What is the origin of the word Gachapon?

The way the capsule toys were termed “Gashapon” is kinda neat, like the gashapon capsules themselves.

The word gachapon actually derives from the sounds made as you collect your capsule toy – ‘gacha / gasha’ for the ratchet noise as you crank the turning wheel on the vending machine – whilst ‘pon’ relates to the noise of your round capsule landing in the toy tray at the end. Cool!

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Where is the biggest gachapon store in Japan?

The largest gachapon store in Japan is the Gashapon Department Main Store in Ikebukuro in Tokyo (in the Sunshine City complex). In fact, Gashapon Department Store is the largest gachapon shop in the world! Now that is a lot of capsule toys!

The Ikebukuro store has between 3,000 and 4,000 gachapon machines at any one time although note some of these are repeats e.g. we noticed certain gachapon series repeated several times throughout the store (we visited Gashapon Ikebukuro Main Store in February 2023).

Ikebukuro is a district in Tokyo known for its cool shops, awesome arcades, manga and comic shops plus of course gachapon – a very cool ‘otaku’ day out.

How much do Gashapon toys cost in Japan?

The price of gashapon toys varies but typically most of the standard gashapon machine toys cost around 300 to 400 yen a time ($2 to $3 USD, £1.80 to £2.50, 2 to 2.75 Euros). We have seen some of the more basic gashapon capsules start at 200 yen but this is generally for stickers.

We also spotted one gachapon store in Kyoto that was doing special cuddly toy horse gashapons for 2,000 yen a time, plus also several jewellery and fossil stalls with gachapon machines outfront selling pricey rings or fossils – so lots of gashapons to choose from.

Gachapon machines in Japan require 100 yen coins to operate them and most gachapon stores have change machines e.g. put in a 1,000 Yen note to get 10 x 100 Yen coins back.

The Most Unusual and Coolest Gachapon Toys

We spent several months exploring most of the big cities in Japan in early 2023 and these were the coolest gashapons we encountered (and many of which we bought).

There are so many weird, wonderful and unusual gashapons to choose from – all from this coolest gachapon list were available to buy in Japan as at February to April 2023:

1. GASSHO Takumi Nekohai Cat Worship / Temple Cats

One of the coolest gachopons we encountered in Japan, this gashapon capsule toy series sees several types of cats preying. GASSHO Takumi Neko Hai Cat is a popular gashapon series with several series to collect. Purrfect!

GASSHO Takumi Nekohai Cat Worship / Temple Cats gachapon toys in Japan

2. Japanese Ad Disco Trucks

When visiting Japan (particularly Shinjuku and Akihabara in Tokyo), we were amazed to see so many brightly lit advertising trucks with loud music.

You can also get miniature advertising disco trucks in gachapon form which include a small LED battery so you can switch on and light up the trucks. A very good gashapon capsule toy!

3. Animal Sauna Gashapons

So popular, they are now on ‘Animal Sauna series 8’ gachapon in Japan (March 2023) consisting of a gorilla hurling his towel, a crocodile in a hat, a baby polar bear with a towel, a red panda, a hippo and a chihuahua.

4. Sushi Conveyor Belt Gashapon

A miniature masterpiece of engineering, this is your very own small-scale sushi conveyor belt that automatically goes around when you wind it up.

It has several sushi pieces to add to the belt plus a shop sign. Unlike other gashapon capsule toys (where you discard the outer package), the capsule itself forms the base of the sushi conveyor belt so there is no waste. By far and away the best gashapon we bought.

Check our Tik Tok video on the moving miniature sushi conveyor belt:

@planmyjapan Our favourite Japanese gachapon toys part 1! Mini sushi conveyor belt restaurant! Found in Kyoto, Japan #toycapsule #gachapon #gashapon #japan #japanesetoys #japantoys #toys #sushi #conveyorbelt #conveyorbeltsushi #kawaii #gashaponmachine #japantrip #japantravel #otaku #capsuletoy #bandai #sushilover #japantiktok #japanlife #japaneseculture ♬ SUSHI食べたい feat.ソイソース – ORANGE RANGE

5. Miniature Bread Stew

There are lots of food gashapons to collect, especially relating to the Japanese chain restaurants like Mos Burger, Denny’s and Yoshinoya.

One of our favourite food gashapons is the miniature bread stew series, all handmade and looking delicious – we could seriously spend all our ‘dough’ on these gachapons.

6. Business Hotel Furniture

This was one of the more unusual gashapons we spotted when we first started looking for gashapons in Japan. Basically a whole set of miniature business hotel room items like a trouser press, wardrobe and room key drop box. Brilliantly bizarre!

Japanese Gachapon toy - Business Hotel Furniture

7. Keyless Car Fobs Miniature Replicas

One of the more interesting car related gashapons we encountered, this replica keyless car fob series is now on volume 2.

Costing around 400 yen, these contain batteries so you can click them and pretend to unlock costs with the beep.

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8. Toy COVID Body Temperature Sensors

Possibly one of the most topical gashapons, you can now get miniature temperature sensor hand-gun toys in capsule form.

Not something we thought we’d ever see but hey, still quite cool and unusual as gashapons in Japan go. Press the trigger button to turn on the temperature display and hear a voice (to note it doesn’t really measure your temperature; it is just a toy).

Toy COVID Body Temperature Sensors Japan

9. Miniature Dried Squid Racks

Although this sounds quite a fishy gachapon, dried squid is a culinary delight in Japan and a very popular street food.

There are five different small dried squid racks to collect in gashapon form each with different fish types like conger eel, mackerel and akamutsu. 300 Yen a pop.

10. LED Light Train and Traffic Signals (Shingouki)

With working lights powered by LEDs, this is one ‘flashy’ gachapon toy in Japan – there are five different signal lights (shingouki) with red, amber and green bulbs.

11. Hot Snack Cabinets and Tobacco Cigarette Machines

All the ‘fun’ of visiting a convenience store (‘Konbini’ in Japanese) in gashapon form.

There are five to collect including three different types of hot snack cabinets (complete with miniature meat like yakitori skewers) plus two tobacco vending machines (these even have tiny tobacco pouches and small cigarette packets inside).

A smoking hot gashapon to add to your collection.

12. Sanrio Character Animal Bum Fridge Magnets

Although a bit of an ‘arse’ to find, there are now gashapon toy capsules that dispense fridge magnets in the shape of animal bums. So you can have a magnet of Hello Kitty’s bum, Kuromi’s bum, Cinnamoroll’s bum plus pompompurin’s cheeks.

Very ‘cheeky’ gashapons, these cost 300 Yen a piece (or 150 yen per bum cheek).

Sanrio Character Animal Bum Fridge Magnets Japan Gachapon capsule toys

13. Chopping Board Mascots

These food related chopping board Japanese gashapons are wicked – you can actually cut miniature food on a cute chopping board with real chopping sounds; ‘cutting edge’ gachapon technology eh! There are three cabbage chopping boards to collect plus two onion gashapons.

14. Okonomiyaki Pencil Sharpeners

We’d been searching for this particular gashapon in Japan for weeks and finally tracked it down in Kyoto. This is a gachapon pencil sharpener made to look like an okonomiyaki pancake (five different Okonomiyaki gachapon pencil sharpeners to collect).

The best bit is when you sharpen a pencil in it, the pencil shavings look like bonito flakes, like you’d get on a real okonomiyaki.

Okonomiyaki Pencil Sharpeners gashapon toy capsules Japan

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15. Miniature Ringing Bell Temples

A gachapon with an apparent practical use, these five tiny temples complete with ringing bells are said to help calm people’s nerves or worries.

You can ring the temple bells to your heart’s content – all five temples have different bells and different colours.

16. Arcade Machine Coin Slot Replicas

Otaku heaven! You can now get five different arcade machine coin slot replicas that light up and can be used in places such as your car key slot. Retro as!

Arcade Machine Coin Slot Replicas gashapon japan

17. Entrance Gates

We thought this might be quite niche, but you can also get miniature entrance gates in gashapon forms (like the ones you see in stadiums or at big events).

Available in metallic grey, ivory, grey and black; these are very turn-style-ish gashapons indeed. 4 types of entrance gates are available, all at 300 Yen.

18. Horse Racing Starting Gate

Keeping with the gachapon gate theme, you can also get small horse racing starting gates in toy capsule form. Pull the lever on the back to open the gates – alas horses are not included.

19. Kasapon Gashapon (Umbrella Bagging Machines)

OK, this is a very groovy gashapon – a miniature kashapon stand (umbrella covering machine) doubling as a measuring device and pen holder. How do they think of these things?

20. Mobile Stepladders

Just like the real things, these are mobile step ladders but very small – metallic too. You can even use them as a desk toy to display other gashapon character toys.

21. Historic 80’s Electronic Devices / HMV Gashapon

As children of the 1980s, this retro gashapon capsule collection is totally our bag.

Billed as the HMV Victor miniature collection, this collection has a tiny video tape camera, small stereo cassette player, a VHS recorder with mini cassette, old school TV complete with blocky remote control plus huge historic headphones.

500 yen per gashapon – take our money now!

Historic 80’s Electronic Devices / HMV Gashapon toy Japan

22. School Tannoy / PA System

The thought of returning to school doesn’t fill us with joy but if you miss your school days, relive them with this gachapon school tannoy system series.

There are five to collect – press the button and words and music reminiscent of your school days will start to be heard – wow! School’s out.

23. Mini Wacky Gator / Whack Attack

Remember the arcade machine where you’d whack crocodile heads in the fastest time to get points? Well this well whack game is now available in gashapon form complete with mini malletes. The crocodiles talk as you hit them – have fun.

Mini Wacky Gator / Whack Attack Mini Japanese gachapon capsule toy

24. Hanging Gallows Jewellery Hook

A ‘gem’ of a gashapon, you can now hang your jewellery and earrings of a miniature hanging gallows – delightful but deadly, and hopefully easy to get the ‘hang’ of.

25. Pon! Pon! Popcorn

We had to add this gachapon to our personal collection – we ‘popped’ our 400 yen into the money slot and happily got the red popcorn machine.

Each gachapon popcorn machine also has tiny popped corn which you can make explode and pop when you turn the handle.

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26. Electronic Money / Cashless Card Devices

Ironically, the only way to buy these tiny toy electronic payment devices and cashless machines is by popping four 100 yen coins into the vending machine.

Use the small credit card provided and tap it onto the scanner to make it beep! Brilliant.

Electronic Money / Cashless Card Devices Gachapon Japanese

27. Bird Watching Boots Gachapon

Another quite nice gachapon in Japan, these new bird watching boots are in conjunction with the Wild Bird Society of Japan, complete with very realistic soles and 5 different boots in different colours. This gachapon is available for 300 yen.

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28. Grill Pan Food Miniature

A grill-iant gachapon; so good you could almost eat it (but don’t!). Each toy capsule contains four pieces and there are four in the grill pan food gachapon series – mushroom hamburgers, seafood paella, meat doria and gratin. Delicious but talk about small food portions!

29. Animal Skateboards

A wheely good gashapon collection, this series sees four cute creatures on their skateboards.

A bulldog, a hamster, a buncho (sparrow) bird plus a cute cat – all the cute animals have cool hats too.

Animal on Skateboards Japanese toy capsule

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30. Retro Vending Machine Mascots

These retro vending machine gashapons have moving parts and small snacks to put inside – press the button to be served your snacks.

This is retro vending machine gashapon series two and includes a soba vending machine, a miso soup dispenser plus a hot hamburger hatch. Tasty!

Retro Vending Machine Mascots capsule toys japanese

31. Mini Pinball and Darts Slot Machines Gachapon

Game on! A throwback to dimly lit bars and vintage pub action, there are three miniature pinball and two dainty dart boards to collect (the latter even has tiny darts). Sticky floors and pint glasses are sadly not included!

Mini Pinball and Darts Slot Machines Gachapon Japan

32. Desktop Partition Belt / Queue Dividers

We hate the queue dividers in airports whilst travelling around Japan and other countries but they must be popular as you can now get desktop queue dividers (partition belts) in capsule toy form.

Limited edition and available in only five colours – so form an orderly queue outside your local gashapon shop!

33. Block Wall / Breeze Block

For us, this is certainly one of the most unusual gashapons we’ve ever seen in Japan – five different types of concrete breeze blocks but in plastic / pocket form.

One of the cheapest gashapons we’ve seen at 200 yen a pop, they can also be used as stages to demonstrate other gashapon capsule toys – very meta!

Block Wall / Breeze Block Gachapon Capsule Toys

34. Dining Bar Mascots

We’ve seen tiny pinball machines and dart board capsule toys but what about dining bar mascots in gachapon form?

In this series, you can get a barrel server set complete with a tiny tankard and beer bottle, two different bar table sets, a glass holder and wine bottle set plus a barrel seating set complete with a small scale Corona. Cheers!

Miniature Dining Bar Mascots Japanese toy capsule gachapon

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35. Concrete Mixer Set Gachapon

All the tools of the concrete mixing trade but in tiny form – you can even operate the cement mixer by turning the handle. So perhaps this gachapon will help to cement the breeze block selection mentioned before.

36. Beer Server / Brewing Mascots

One for fans of craft beer or the brewing industry, this cute capsule toy is various brewing equipment in baby form. As well as a gas canister, beer pump and beer kegs, you can also get a tiny box of beers.

37. Zoo Keepers & Lion Sets

Like going to a day out at the zoo but in teeny tiny form – this gachapon collection contains a keeper and wheelbarrow, cleaning tools, a boar, giant tortoise and giant buckets as well as king of the beasts, a lion.

Zoo Keepers & Lion Sets Japanese toy Gachapon

38. Tinned Cat Food Rings

Cute cat food rings – now that is a curiously cute capsule toy. Although it may sound like a fishy gachapon, this is a charming piece of jewellery available at 300 Yen – a purrfect ring.

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39. Animal Camp Gachapon

Even animals need a vacation sometimes – hence this gachapon series sees various wild animals on outdoor adventures.

Animal camp gashapon is a series of 5 creatures with each capsule containing parts of a large tent (so you gotta catch em all if you want to make the tent).

40. Desktop / Teleworking Animals

Hardworking animals using desks and phones is the gachapon you never knew you wanted – but obviously do. These cute capsule toy critters include a panda in a suit, a gerbil with a laptop, a shark on a webcam plus a dog with quite the big bone!

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41. Little Cat Maho Gachapon

Cats in boxes are always a bit hit on the internet – so it is no surprise there are various cats in boxes available in gashapons. One of the most popular cat gashapons is the Little Maho cat in a box series.

42. Cat Hats / Kitten Covers

Dress your cat as a sweet wrapper – or possibly a pirate. We aren’t sure but capsule toy cat hats are a big business in Japan with various gachapon cat hats and covers available – literally dozens of different hats and garments to choose from.

So if you have a fussy pussy, your luck is with all the outfits available in gashapon shops.