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Japan is the origin of a wide variety of souvenirs, including the craziest trinkets and miniatures of your favorite anime characters. Items obtained from capsules located inside “gashapon” machines are extremely well-liked and exceptionally affordable.
The miniature toys, figurines and other collectibles dispensed in a machine is referred to as gachapon or gashapon. What does it means? The word gasha refers to the sound of turning the machine, while the pon means the dull thud sounded as the capsule drops.
You never know what you’ll get, yet one thing can cost anywhere from 100 to 500 yen! The prospective prizes are displayed in a different theme on each gashapon machine, but you never know for sure which prize will be awarded. Gashapon is a compulsive Japanese ritual made possible by the randomness of the machines and the huge variety of things available. Also, they aren’t just for kids. There are certain products and characters that adults will appreciate.
Using the Gashapon Machine
It’s similar to using a gumball machine. To get your capsule toy, just keep adding pennies until you reach the value indicated on the machine, turn the crank, and wait. Gashapon machines are a great way to spend your excess coins and get cheap mementos before going home.
Where and When Gashapon Machine Started?
The mechanical and aesthetic similarities between gashapon and cheap vending machines or gumball machines in the West end there. Items that come in gashapon are everything but the low-quality goods that are frequently associated with commodities purchased from a vending machine in the West.
A man by the name of Ryuzo Shigeta is responsible for the gashapon’s current existence. In the 1960s, Shigeta imported an American vending machine and set out to perfect it. He settled on placing everything inside of a plastic capsule. There’s a lot of respect for the machines and their capsules because they were so successful. In Japan, there are close to 360,000 gashapon, and the company Bandai has even registered the name as a trademark. The appeal and originality of the products are increased by the monthly release of new gashapon.
What Makes Gashapon Unique?
Despite their low cost, gashapon products such as capsule toys, keychains, trinkets, and other items are renowned for their outstanding quality. Any capsule can be opened to reveal the quality of the goods inside. Furthermore, the phrase “monozukuri” originates from the Japanese culture, which emphasizes beautifully made items. While “zukuri” means “make,” “mono” implies “item.” The Japanese idea of monozukuri is to create a product that is as high-quality as they can.
In addition to the high caliber of the products, Japanese “otaku” culture also contributes to the popularity of gashapon. The term “otaku” is more commonly used to refer to anyone who is obsessive about collecting or consuming a specific good or product, while frequently being linked with anime or manga fans. Gashapon machines can be used to acquire character sets, unique items, limited-edition stuff, and more, providing collectors with plenty of collectibles to snag and ensuring the machine’s appeal.
