Turn the lever: Foreign tourists can't resist lure of capsule toys

Asahi Shimbun

21 hours ago

No longer catering only to children, a store in Tokyo's Harajuku district offering about 1,700 capsule toy dispensers on its two floors drew Jo Hyeon-jeong in a recent day.
The 25-year-old South Korean tourist said she visited the Capsule Lab outlet located in the Takeshita-dori shopping alley to look for figurines of Hello Kitty and characters from the "Chiikawa" manga and anime series.
Jo said there are specialty stores in her country but Japanese shops offer more varieties that are cheap and cute.
According to a staff member in charge of managing the shop operated by Capcom Co., the capsule toys were initially aimed at families.
But there has been a growing demand from inbound tourists in recent years as seen by the many customers at the store on the weekday morning, many of whom were non-Japanese.
SPECIALTY SHOPS SPROUTING UP
Sixty years after the first plastic egg-shaped container tumbled to the bottom of the vending machine in Japan, capsule toys have continued to evolve to win the hearts of children and adults alike.
Experiencing a boom for the fourth time, 'gacha gacha' toys are now available at specialty shops packed with foreign tourists.
With gacha gacha toys becoming popular as souvenirs from Japan, overseas tourists now account for half of the customers.
Capsule toys are usually sold in a price range between 300 yen ($2.10) and 500 yen, with some priced at 1,000 yen or more.
"Previously, they were merely used to fill unused spots at commercial facilities and train stations, but there has been an increase in specialty stores since 2000," a staff member at Capsule Lab said. "They have gained popularity because of the special space in which customers can enjoy looking for their favorites from among many items."
The Geo Group, which operates DVD rental shops and other businesses, has been operating Capsule Rakkyoku shops since 2022.
It has been opening new outlets each year, aiming to operate 100 shops in the future.
SEARCHING FOR 'NEXT BIG THING'
Capsule toy makers are also making efforts in developing products.
Industry leader T-Arts Co. releases new items from about 50 series every month.
In recent years, pastel-colored, fluffy and cuddly products that are popular among women in their 20s and 30s have attracted attention.
"Merchandise for which we go all out to bring out their cuteness are popular," said Kentaro Endo, senior general manager and head of the Capsule Toy and Candy Toy Division.
When customers share photos of their capsule toys on social media, it creates a virtuous cycle in which others are captivated by their cuteness and want them for themselves, he added.
Endo and his team monitor conversations on social media to seek inspiration for what will be the next big thing.
Meanwhile, there has been an increasing number of gacha gacha toys produced in collaboration with other companies in recent years.
T-Arts first collaborated with Japan Post Co. to jointly produce capsule toys in the motif of post office equipment.
Then it worked with regional fixed-line carriers NTT East Corp. and NTT West Corp. to offer products modeled after public phones, more than 2.9 million units of which have been shipped.
T-Arts has also joined hands with many other collaborative partners, including municipal governments.
Taking note of the popularity, Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward office released Shina Gacha capsule toys themed on its local souvenirs.
FOURTH BOOM
According to T-Arts and other sources, the forerunner of capsule toy dispensers originated in the United States in 1930.
Sales of capsule toys began in Japan in 1965 after Penny Sales Co. (present-day Penny Co.) imported the dispensers.
Initially, they were set up in front of candy stores and other shops, gaining popularity among children.
In the 1980s, erasers in the shape of characters from the "Kinnikuman" manga and anime series were all the rage.
A wide variety of merchandise targeted for male customers have been released since then, including those featuring anime characters and trains.
According to capsule toy critic Omatsu, a turning point came in 2012 when Kitan Club Co. released the Fuchico on the Cup figurine series.
It features a female office worker in various poses that can be attached to the rims of glasses and cups.
The series gained popularity through social media, attracting an increasing number of female customers.
The capsule toy market continues to expand.
According to the Japan Toy Association, the market was worth 64 billion yen in the fiscal year ending in March 2024, up 5 percent from the previous year.
"We are in the middle of the fourth capsule toy boom," Omatsu said, explaining that it largely is due to specialty shops that grew in number during the COVID-19 pandemic to cut labor expenses.
Specialty shops are also making their foray into foreign markets, he added.
He continued, "Japanese people have a culture of collecting small things like capsule toys and being open to paying money to uncertain things such as 'omikuji' fortune slips. I think (capsule toys) have become popular among foreigners because they are 'so Japanese,' including that factor."
(This article was written by Eriko Noda and Seri Ishikawa.)