Capsule toys capture overseas visitors in Japan’s latest cultural craze
A tourist from Thailand shows off the capsule toy she obtained from a vending machine at the Gashapon Bandai Official Shop in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district. (Photo by Yuji Murakami)
TOKYO — Insert a coin into a vending machine slot, turn the handle clockwise, and a small toy in a translucent capsule pops out at random. It’s a shopping habit that increasing numbers of foreign visitors to Japan are enjoying as capsule toys catch on.
