What is Gashapon? Japan's capsule toys explained

Gashapon is Bandai's brand of capsule toys — you put coins in a machine, turn the handle and get a random item from a series.

• Typical price: about ¥300–¥800 per turn.
• New series arrive every week in Japan; Bandai publishes a monthly release schedule.
• Series often have several variants, sometimes including a secret one — collectors love completing full sets.

Getting Japan-only series from overseas

• Many series are sold only in machines in Japan, so they can't be ordered online directly.
• After release, complete sets and single variants appear on Japanese resale sites, which you can buy through a proxy service.
• Some series also reach official Gashapon Bandai shops outside Japan.

JP Drops posts Gashapon series from popular franchises (Pokémon, Chiikawa, Sanrio and more) with price and release week.