Capsule toy "Gacha" in Kansai Airport in October 2019.

 Various types of gacha can be purchased at Kansai Airport.

The word "Gacha Gacha" is a nickname.

The origin of the word seems to come from the sound it makes when you put coins in it and turn it around. There are many ways to call it, such as gacha-gacha, gacha-pon, gashapon, gacha, etc., depending on the era and region.

The capsule vending machine itself was invented in the United States. The main type of vending machine is said to be the spherical gum vending machine.

They were imported to Japan in 1965 and spread throughout the country in the 1970s, where they were installed in candy stores and supermarkets. Since around 2000, there have been "specialty stores" with dozens or even more than a hundred capsule vending machines.

These days, Gacha Gacha is not so much an "extra" as it was in the past, but is more elaborate and luxurious compared to its price. There are many unique Gacha Gacha based on characters, anime, and various other things. For this reason, there are more and more GachaGacha that can be enjoyed not only by children but also by adults.

There are always capsule toys available at large commercial facilities in Japan, and at Kansai International Airport, too, there are a variety of capsule toys for sale.

Sports Pictogram Badge

300 yen for 2 pieces

This is a pictogram of the topic of the Tokyo Olympics.

To begin with, pictograms are a method of conveying information or drawing attention to something through a simple and clear design. Pictograms are widely used for traffic signs and information boards in train stations because they can be understood more quickly and intuitively than reading text.

The fact that it is language independent and can be understood by anyone is also a major feature. During the past Olympic Games, pictograms have played an important role in informing athletes and spectators from all over the world of the location of competition venues and how to get there.

Disneyland Princess Gacha 

This is a capsule toy of Disney Princess accessories, and it is reasonable because you can get Disney Princess accessories for 300 yen a time.

Disney Character Capsule Toys

For only 300 yen a time, you can get a capsule toy of your favorite Disney character.

This is a capsule toy of the popular LINE game Disney Tsum Tsum.

It comes as a key chain and costs 300 yen each time.

This is a cute Minnie Mouse teacup. You can put your own stickers on it, so it's good for kids to play with on the plane.

This is 200 yen

Disney Villains capsule toys are also available!

Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Mascot

Capsule toys of the Tokyo Olympic mascot are also available.

For 300 yen, you can get key chains, can badges, and snow globes of the Tokyo Olympic mascot characters.

The mascots for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are "Militwa" and "Someiy".

Militwa (Tokyo 2020 Olympic mascot) (blue character)

Miraiwa, the Olympic mascot, has an impressive design with a checkerboard pattern on its head and body in indigo, the same color as the emblem of the Games.

The name comes from the docking of the two words "Mirai" (future) and "Towa" (eternity).

The concept of this character is "learning from the past. The concept behind this character is "Onko Chishin," a proverb meaning "to learn from the past and gain new knowledge and reason from it.

Somayti (Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Mascot) (pink character)

The mascot of the Paralympics is "Somayti".

The mascot for the Paralympics is Somayti, a cool character with sakura antennae and super powers. She/He uses the antennae on both sides of his face to send and receive telepathic messages.

She/He can also fly with her checkered cloak. According to his official profile, she/he is usually quiet, but when the time comes, she/he is a powerful force to be reckoned with.

She/he is a super character who can use his psychic powers to talk to stones and wind, and can even move things just by looking at them.

Its name is derived from "someiyoshino," a typical cherry blossom, and "so mighty," which means extremely powerful.

This is a reasonably priced, less bulky item to buy as a souvenir of your trip to Japan.

The capsule toys change frequently.