Capsule toy vending machines, or 'gacha' machines, can be found all over Japan. They dispense random toys and collectibles for a small fee, with themed machines covering everything from popular anime ...

Japan has a well-deserved reputation as the world’s most enthusiastic country when it comes to vending machines. In downtown Tokyo, it seems like you can find a machine selling drinks on just about ...

Before I visited Japan, I always had the idea that the gachapon capsule toy machines were really plentiful. I expected I’d see them everywhere. This proved mostly true! The KIX airport had some both ...

First imported from America in 1965, capsule toys – or gachapon – really caught the Japanese imagination in the 1970s and rapidly spread across the country. The machines were initially set up in front ...

There are certain places in Japan where you can pretty much always find capsule toy vending machines. Electronics shops, for example, usually have a row of them near their entrance or in the corner of ...

HAVE you ever felt the thrill of discovering a hidden gem in a Gashapon Station? Yes, those capsule vending machines offer miniature figures and pop culture trinkets that bring joy to collectors ...

If you ever go to Japan, you may notice these little machines that look familiar back home. They’re capsule machines with little toys and they’re called Gachapon. The reason they’re called that is ...

"Gashapon Department Store Ikebukuro Sohonten," a capsule toy specialty store, is seen in Tokyo's Toshima Ward, Aug. 1, 2025. (Mainichi/Reina Kamoda) TOKYO -- The capsule toy market in Japan has seen ...

You feed coins into a “gacha gacha” vending machine, crank the handle and voila, you get a capsule toy. I was astounded by how sophisticated the toys had become when I visited a specialty store in ...

Capsule toy machines, better known as gashapon in Japan, are a fun way to use up your loose coins. Plus, the treasures hidden inside these plastic ‘eggs’ often make for great souvenirs, ranging from ...

Some of the about 20 items available from the "Aji Stone gacha" capsule toy vending machine, such as paperweights and vases, are seen at Miyama Park in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, Aug. 22, 2025.