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What is Gachapon?
It’s basically a machine that spits out a capsule containing a tiny plastic toy—but these toys come in sets, appeal to all different tastes, and some are highly collectible, making Gachapon a bit more nuanced than just opening a Kinder Egg.
The name is a mish-mash of two sounds – the ‘Gacha’ noise that the handle makes when you turn it and the ‘pon’ that the capsule makes when it falls into the hole.
You’ll sometimes see them called Gashapon, which is the name of the machines licensed by one specific company.
They were actually invented in the US in the 1960s, but Japan went mad for them when they arrived,
Now, Gachapon machines are everywhere in Tokyo, particularly in geeky centers like Ikebukuro and the mother ship of Gachapon, Akihabara.
Akihabara is one of the best places in Tokyo to visit if you want to start collecting Gachapon.
And if you are going to start buying Gachapon on your trip you need to know how it works.
How Gachapon Works
The first thing you need when going Gachaponing is 100 yen coins – as many of them as you are willing to spend. I tend to collect all my 7-11 change (and you’ll get quite a lot of that, which is why one of the things you’ll find on our Japan packing list is a coin purse)
Each machine costs between 100-500 yen, but most will cost you 200-300 to buy a toy.
If you get stuck, change machines in the store will spit out shiny coins in return for your notes.
Once you have your cash, you need to decide what toy you want—this may take a while.
The variety of plastic toys you can buy in a Gachopon machine is almost never-ending.
Have you ever wanted a small plastic figure of a capybara in a bath drinking sushi? He’s part of the animals drinking sushi collection.
Need a hat for your cat? Gachapon Cat Hats are your answer – and a very popular souvenir or gift for your cat-loving friends.
Always wanted to see a cat that looks like a piece of sushi…off you go to the Gachapon superstore, Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan to find your heart’s desire.
The Mistake Not to Make
Now, be careful in your excitement here.
With all the machines looking pretty much the same and all being lined up together, it’s a bit confusing to work out which machine is going to spit out your plastic ball of choice, so remember the balls fall down into the hole, and the money slot and handle are below the box that holds your treasure.
Now that you’ve checked that you’re at the right machine, you’re off—feed your coins in, turn the handle (see, it really does sound like gacha gacha), and wait for a reassuring clonk to say that the ball has fallen downwards.
If it doesn’t, go find one of the store staff, and they’ll help you. Now, the exciting bit….the reveal.
Scratch away the little tape holding the capsule together, twist it apart, and – oh no – instead of the capybara in the bath you’ve got a cat, Why, Why has this happened?
Ah, yes, oh naive one, right now is where I point out the catch.
See Gachapon toys come in sets of five or six designs.
You might want the whole set, or you might want one specific creation—but don’t think you’re only going to spend 100 or 200 yen to get it. The world of Gachapon is random, and so you get whatever the gremlin inside the machine wants to give you—and, to add to your woes, the really special ones from some sets are very hard to get.
The bride from this rather fabulous fox wedding is rarer than hen’s teeth.
This can cause a little problem of Gachapon frenzy where you keep pumping money into the machine in an attempt to get the figure you want.
I’ve seen this in action, people. It’s not pretty. The person (let’s call her my friend Kendall) becomes obsessed—more and more money goes into the little chutes until finally, defeated, they have to walk away.
Later that day, when, away from the heady plastic fumes, they come to their senses, the Gachaponer will look into their purse and wonder where all their money has gone – until you stare pointedly at the collection of small plastic creatures in their handbag.
Oh, and don’t think you can stand there looking all smug while your friend pumps in all their cash, either.
Stay there long enough, and you will be lured in by something.
It might be a plastic cat that looks like sushi, it might be a set of small turf-covered creatures (ahem, guilty as charged with that one), but something, something will get you putting your own money in there in the end…..run, run, before you lose everything.
Or, enjoy spending a fantastic afternoon, blowing a few thousand yen and doing something totally Japanese… you can guess which we chose! In fact, collecting gachapon made it onto our list of the top small things not to miss on your trip.
Where to Find the Best Gachapon in Tokyo
If you want to try your luck with gachapons, too, here are some of the best shops in Tokyo.
Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan – a sea of orange and white. This is where I finally fell for it myself. There are hundreds of machines in this rabbit warren-like arcade containing everything from tiny rabbits doing cute stuff to small plastic figures of ladies with large boobs!
Akihabara Radio Kaikan—This store is full of all sorts of toys, figures, outfits, and more, but you’re heading up to the fifth floor to the Kaiyodo Hobby Lobby store, which has a wall of machines to play on. This is where you’ll find some more unusual machines that you won’t find anywhere else.
Village Vanguard in Shibuya has heaps of machines outside it – and has the added advantage of being right next to the Dole Banana Vending machine, which never gets old (see more on our guide to Shibuya). Also, check out the Village Vanguard in Shimokitazawa.
Animate: If you’re into anime, Animate stores in Ikebukuro and Shinjuku have all the plastic figures you need.
Gashapon Kan: If you’re in Shinjuku, head to Gashapon Kan in Yodobashi Camera
The Airports: And just in case you haven’t had enough of buying small plastic creatures or are still searching for that last cat hat to complete your set, there are also machines at Narita and Haneda airports. These are apparently filled with the goodies tourists like most – cat hats and tiny fox masks, it is, then.
In Narita, I spotted them in Terminal Two when I went the wrong way down an escalator just after I arrived. They are on Basement level 1. There are also some in Terminal 1, level 5
In Haneda, you’ll find them by the Starry Cafe on the fifth floor.
But you don’t have to make a special trip to Tokyo, or even a Gachapon store to find a machine – they literally are everywhere.
Buying Gachapon Elsewhere in Japan
Keep an eye out as you travel around the rest of Japan, as the contents of the Gachapon machines can be specifically tailored to your location.
In Ainoshima – an island full of cats close to Fukuoka in Western Japan. for example, you might find cat-themed gachapon
On the art-filled island of Naoshima, the machines had a set of plastic reproductions of the island’s most famous works of art!
The Shinsekai area of Osaka even has adult-themed ones, so if your kids have the gachapon bug, you might want to watch them carefully there!
Happy hunting.
Collecting Gachapon is one of the many fun small things you can do to make your Japan trip special – have a look at some others here.
Note: This post also appears on Japlanease’s sister blog Differentville. So, don’t worry if you’ve seen that post too, I’m not copying it. They’re both written by me!
Who Writes This Blog?
My name is Helen Foster, and I’m a journalist and author. My travel articles have appeared in publications including The Australian, Escape, RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, Sainsbury’s Magazine, and more.
I’ve traveled to Japan eight times before – solo and with my partner and visited over 25 towns and cities. My last visit was November 2024 so, everything here is pretty up to date.
This is so cool! I had never heard of Gachapon before, but it kind of reminds me of the excitement I felt when opening a McDonald’s Happy Meal as a kid. I never knew which Beanie Baby or princess figurine would be in there. Hopefully I will make it to Japan sometime in the future, and now I will be on the lookout for Gachapon machines 🙂
It is a little bit addictive!
Thank you for the recommendation, These sound wicked! 🙂