Looking at the photo above, where do you think it is? A department store? A toy store? A game center? The answer is a Gacha corner in Akihabara Station.
“Gacha” is what people in Japan usually call capsule toys. It is said that the word comes from the sound when you turn the capsule toy machine. In the past, they were usually seen in toy stores with children as the target audience. In recent years, there are more and more adult fans of Gacha, and it has also become popular among foreign visitors. As a result, we are seeing more and more of this type of Gacha stand in the airports and stations.
In my opinion, the charm of Gacha is, once you have found the toy or item that catches your interest, you won’t be able to help turning the handle until you get the one you want. Then when you have some of a series or set, you will want to keep going to complete the set. When I was young, it was rare to play with a Gacha machine. So when I grew up, I just keep turning the handle to my heart’s content. I think many people have the same experience as me.
When you come to such a big Gacha stand like the one in Akihabara Station, I’m sure you can find something you like, as there is everything from animation characters to animal figures.