Gachapon Machines

Gachapon Machines (called gumball machines in the United States) are all over the place in Japan. While machines like this are dying off in the States, they are surviving mighty nicely in the Land of the Rising Sun.

I guess it comes down to what the machines deliver - moldy, old, unpackaged candy in the US or cool toys and cell phone straps with your favorite cartoon and video game characters in Japan; which would you pick?

I went to the local mall today and in the toy store they have a grand total of 202 gacha machines (and over 20 of them offer various Pokemon toys)! You know they have to be turning a good buck (yen?) if a tiny mall toy store will devote that kind of floor space to these tiny vending machines.

But why the heck are they called gachapon machines (or gacha, for short)? I'm glad that you asked. The name is made up of the sounds that the machine makes - "gacha" is the sound turning the crank makes and "pon" is the sound of the toy capsule dropping into the receptacle.

I'd have to say that right after drink machines and girls in mini-skirts, gacha machines are the next most common sight in Japan.