Gachapon machines are plentiful throughout Japan, however you can be sure to see them specifically near any Animate in Japan at the very least. Usually, you have to put in from 100 yen to up to 500 yen in coins in order to get a toy. Once you get a toy, most gachapon machines will have baskets or bins on top or on the side where you can throw away your empty capsules. Each machine will have a specific theme so you have a general idea of what toy you will get in the end, but it’s still random. The themes are indicated on a picture that’s on the face of the gachapon machine. Gachapon machines can be found in popular otaku spots and shops like in Ikebukuro, Akihabara, and Osaka’s DenDen Town. However, you can also find gachapon machines in shopping malls and other spots like even Osaka’s Dotonbori.

Gachapon toys and prizes will vary from cute things to otaku related objects. Like we stated in the previous section, each machine will have a specific theme, so the toys in each machine will revolve around that theme. Some people will merely look at a gachapon machine and see if they can get a specific toy that they want, but the odds may not be in their favor. People like Mayuri from Steins;Gate try to get the gachapon toys that are more rare. Others will attempt to collect all of the gachapon toys that are offered in a collection. This makes them fun for all consumers!

Gachapon will vary in theme from anime related to seasonal to cute. You will see pins, buttons, stickers, and toys of all sorts in these machines, but they aren’t limited to anime related. You can see cute anime characters like cats and hamsters! One of our favorites have to be the various Pokemon ones we’ve seen that can change with the season or with what’s popular. We’ve seen Halloween related ones and Pikachu themed machines!