Search Results for: gacha

October 20

The Most Only-In-Japan Halloween Costumes Ever

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Tired of being the same old sexy skunk or slightly NSFW goose in a tutu for Halloween? Keep your fellow costume partiers guessing with these only-in-Japan puzzlers! I found these at the always-entertaining Don Kihote megastore in Shibuya (here’s a map). And if you still haven’t hit on your dream costume, you can always check […]

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June 26

The Cat Shaming Vending Machine

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How did you guess that the moment I caught a glimpse of this vending machine filled with cat shaming gachagacha, all my laundry coins would be history? There was only one problem… I got the first four before running out of coins, but how could I not come back to try for the mystery cat? […]

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May 31

Move Over, Monkeys! See-no Evil, Hear-no-Evil, Speak-no-Evil Cats Are Here

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Sticking to the straight and narrow has never been cuter, thanks to these adorable kittycat gacha-gacha toys, and the vending machine that dispenses them on the Yanaka Ginza shopping street. But most of all… This series may be sold out by the time you’re next in Tokyo, but there will be plenty more to take […]

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October 31

The Shiba Inu Vending Machine

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  Finally! A series of shiba inu gachagacha toys made by an artist who understands that these devilish dogs are not just unbearably adorable, they come packed with a level of eccentric that makes eel-flavored ice cream look like vanilla. This series may be sold out by the time you’re next in Tokyo, but there […]

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December 27

Are Ya Feelin’ Lucky?

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Ah, New Year’s, when everyone in Japan visits their local kami-sama for the first time and gets a glimpse of their fortune for the coming year! But if you’re geographically challenged, and visiting your closest shrine would involve a butt-numbing plane flight, here are some dai-kichi (best luck ever) fortunes you can toss into a […]

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December 13

Top Ten Crazy Holiday Gifts from Japan 2017!

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It’s that time of year, when everyone who’s easy to buy presents for already has a big satisfying check mark next to their name, but the ones who don’t are driving me crazy, because I just can’t think of anything that will surprise and/or delight them. Or at least make them scream when they open […]

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June 22

The Host Club Vending Machine

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When I first saw this gachapon machine filled with little plastic champagne towers, I thought WAT? Who needs a set of miniature, light-up, host club furniture? I mean, even though it’s pretty happenin’ how they change color and all… …I wasn’t instantly throwing all my money at the coin changer. Until… This series may be […]

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December 22

The Drunken Pet Vending Machine

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So, today I came home and found THIS. I don’t know what kind of shenanigans YOUR gacha-gacha toys get up to when they’re alone in the house, but…   This series may be sold out by the time you’re next in Tokyo, but there will be plenty more to take its place! If you’d like to discover the […]

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October 09

The Peeing Statue Vending Machine

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It’s always hard to say goodbye to my favorite costumed peeing boy statue when I leave Tokyo, but now I don’t have to! Thanks to the awesome vending machine I discovered at Yodobashi Camera, I can take him home with me and develop a whole new level of procrastination skillz, crafting little costumes for him… But, […]

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May 27

The Catzilla Vending Machine

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Overcome with a burning need for yet more weird plastic toys (hey, don’t pretend this doesn’t happen to you!) I was poking around in my favorite Akihabara gachagacha emporium when I discovered THIS: If you’d like to visit the Akihabara area the next time you’re in Tokyo, photos & maps are on my website, The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had. And […]

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April 11

Gotta Catch Them ALL

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I was wandering through Akihabara doing important book research SHUT UP, when I discovered the key to collecting all those damnably elusive kittehs in Neko Atsume: put out lots & lots & LOTS of hundred yen coins and you can attract these. For those of us whose primary life goal is luring animated cats to visit our phones DON’T JUDGE, now there’s a way to […]

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January 20

The Angry Fox Ghost Vending Machine

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I thought I’d reached the highest level of gacha-gacha nirvana when I discovered the Angry Cat Ghost vending machine last year, but yesterday walking through what I’d previously thought of as the ninth-circle-of-hell Shinagawa station, I spied these: YOKAI FOXES! As you can see, they come in six, count ’em SIX, fabulous colors, three with lucky messenger-of-the-gods markings. And yeah, as you […]

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October 24

Vending Machines Of The Dead

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• Read a novel set in Tokyo  

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August 19

Vending Machine Panties

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…for your water bottle! (*_*) Yes, Japanese PET bottles have suddenly developed a taste for modesty after years of flaunting their unseemly summer nudity, and now there are gachagacha vending machines devoted to dispensing adorable undies for every occasion! But apparently PET bottles aren’t the only inanimate objects suddenly ashamed of their nakedness. I mean, as soon as I stepped out for an […]

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June 25

The Angry Cat Ghost Vending Machine

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Walking through Shinjuku station today, I discovered I had a burning need for angry cat ghosts. Fortunately, there was a bank of gacha-gacha vending machines smack in the middle of the concourse, ready to cater to all my feline spiritual needs. This series may be sold out by the time you’re next in Tokyo, but […]

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December 11

Ten Best Stocking Stuffers From Japan!

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10. SUSHI SOCKS 9. DIY CROSS STITCH PHONE CASE 8. ANIMAL SKELETONS 7. DEVIL WAX 6. EYELID EXERCISER 5. EMOJI EYE MASK 4. DEODORANT CANDY 3. NINJA SNACK PICKS 2. THE STATUE OF TOO MUCH LIBERTY 1. PIGGY ZAPPER And of course, if there are any book lovers on your list, you can get your shopping done in a flash, because the Only In […]

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October 16

The Statue Of Too Much Liberty

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These have got to be the most awesome gacha-gacha vending machine snags of all time! These little plastic figures depict Lady Liberty morphing into “Too-Free Goddess” and assuming unseemly poses! But forget trying to blackmail her with threats to tweet her indiscretions far and wide – there are already stop-action videos up on YouTube… For even more weirdness, there are videos that go with […]

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