Gacha Gacha(ガチャガチャ) means capsule toys in Japanese and has been around for nearly 60 years since it came to Japan. Now, you can see the vending machines of Gacha Gacha in many places. Have you already tried it? I’ll definitely recommend this experience if you ever come to Japan. It’s easy to feel Japanese subculture when you try for a mystery prize. I went to the exhibition of Gacha Gacha the other day in Tokyo. I’d like to share my thoughts on this amazing small toy. Let’s get started!
1. The History of Gacha Gacha
I went to an interesting and intriguing exhibition that I had wanted to go to for a while the other day in August. I didn’t even know there was an organization of capsule toys, which is called Japan Gacha Gacha Association. They hosted this event. According to them, it started with selling chewing gum or peanuts with small toys within the transparent glass capsule by vending machines in the 1930s in the US. It was a big hit among kids because their parents used them stop making a fuss for their kids. It’s well known as the “Shut-up toy” at that time. That was the origin of Gacha Gacha. And then, it started to sell only toys without any food in their capsules from the 1940s. After that, an American businessman, LO Hardman, introduced the capsule toy vending machine to Japan for the first time in 1965. That’s why he is called the Father of Japanese Gacha Gacha. Since then, they have spread widely across the nation, and the rest is history.
2. The concept
There are three main concepts out there: (1) Famous anime characters, (2) Describing funny or Kawaii scenes, and (3) Pursuing things precisely, I’d say. I’m going to dig deeper.
Famous anime characters
There are many famous characters’ toys in Gacha Gacha, like Anpanman, Demon Slayer, Doraemon, Precure, to name a few. Anime fans are looking for them because you can’t buy them at ordinary stores. Plus, you can’t choose which items, and you never know until when you get the capsule in the end. Sometimes, die-hard fans splurge on it to complete the full collection.
Describing Funny and Kawaii Scenes
At first, you might be surprised, asking, “what the heck this is, why is it so popular in Japan?” It’s a crazy idea that an office lady sit on the edge of a cup. It’s never existed before on the market. This toy is something that attracts people. You might be tired of your busy day in the office, whenever you see this toy, you might feel like she heals and cheers you up for a while. To do that the figure must be created in very precise detail. Otherwise, you just feel that this is just a toy. For example, her posing, costume and face are very natural and crafted very precisely. They’re bending over backwards to create the figures as if a real small office lady is there. The mixed real and surreal situations, where the lady is sitting on the edge of the cup, make me very engaged. This is what Japanese Gacha Gacha makers like to do.
Pursuing Things Precisely
Generally speaking, Japanese people are good at turning something big into something small exquisitely. “God is in the details” is a quote by American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. This idea is resonated with us, and we’re obsessed with finishing it perfectly to the end. Continuing to refine one thing without any compromise has an element of Japanese craftsmanship culture. You can see this element in many Japanese traditional items like bonsai, Japanese-style gardens, architecture, etc.
If you get a chance, I would appreciate to read my past article about Gacha Gacha. It will helpful for you to check it out .
How was that? I’d really appreciate visiting this exhibition because I could learn how capsule toys companies work on this small tiny toy since the beginning. That’s really amazing. I also learned each company’s concept for Gacha Gach in a structured way. Looking back, I realized that Gacha Gacha has been around for many years, but there hasn’t been any official organization. From giant toy companies to small businesses have been selling capsule toys, there’s no cooperation between them at all. I hope this organization will continue to these types of events. As a person who used to be involved in this industry, I know how difficult it replicate at the same as the original size. One of the big beautiful part of Gacha Gacha is how difficult every element of the original into a limited space like a small plastic capsule. Now, Gacha Gacha is for not only for kids, also for adults. If you ever visit Japan, you definitely give them a shot! You make sure to find your favorite one. Thank you for taking the time to read my article to the end. See you in my next article.
I worked at a trading company for many years. I live in Tokyo with my wife. Love skiing, traveling, IPAs, wine , X-treme sports, fashion, and learning English and Chinese.
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