Batman" and "Star Wars" ...... visited the Tokyo ToyCafe, a café where you can experience the passionate spirit of toy collectors from all over the world! [Hobby Industry Inside #67

Last November 2020, a large number of "Star Wars" figures and toys were found as mementos of a collector who died in the United Kingdom and were worth a total of 54 million yen, The Times Magazine reported.
But how do the actual collectors feel about collecting toys and character goods?　Yushi Ueda, manager of Tokyo Toy Cafe, which opened last year in Meguro-ku, Tokyo, is a global figure who is in contact with collectors not only in Japan but also abroad. We interviewed Mr. Ueda in the store, which is filled with goods of "Batman" and "Star Wars" stormtroopers.

If we don't create a place where everyone can share toys now, it will be too late. ......

─ How did you come to collect toys?

Ueda: When I was a child, I was in the U.S. due to my parents' work, and I saw the live-action "Batman" starring Michael Keaton in 1989. It made a strong impression on me, along with the song "Batdance" that Prince wrote for the movie. I didn't buy toys or figures at that time, but when I came back to Japan, I walked around this neighborhood (near Ebisu, Tokyo) and found hobby stores like "Monster Japan" and "Mr. Craft" and bought one of the "Batman" figures. After that, I bought toys of various characters. When I studied in Australia, it was the time when the Internet was beginning to spread, so I searched "Batman 1989" on eBay. Then a great number of items came up. Then I thought, why not search by the year "Batman Returns" was released, 1992, and started sorting them one by one. I could sort forever, changing the conditions, not only by year, such as 1966 when the original movie was released, but also by what "Batman" related food items were available, or what goods were available in collaboration with companies, such as ....... That's where I got hooked. Batman" has been around for 80 years since the original comic was published, and there are so many elements to delve into. That's when I started collecting them. In terms of sorting and searching, it's not so different from buying and collecting "Bikkuriman chocolates" (laughs). I have been collecting Bikkuriman, Kinkeshi, Mini 4WD, etc. since I was a child.


─ ─ Why do you collect "Batman" and the stormtroopers from the "Star Wars" series?

Ueda: In terms of "Mobile Suit Gundam," I like Zaku. In other words, although he is a small fry character, he always appears in the series and symbolizes the work. From there, a new story can begin. Everyone who likes "Star Wars" knows stormtroopers, and "Star Wars" would not be complete without stormtroopers. In fact, I've spent about 20 years collecting "Batman" merchandise, and I've almost reached. By reach, I mean that I've almost finished collecting the desired items and the only thing left is the money ....... At that time, I wondered what kind of merchandise there was for stormtroopers, even though I like "Star Wars" in general. I did some research and found out that there is a tremendous amount. If there are so many, it is worth collecting. Since the rights to "Star Wars" were purchased by Disney, there are many more kinds of goods. Perhaps the amount of Stormtrooper merchandise I have collected has increased more than that of Batman.


─ But even if you collect that many goods and toys, you wouldn't go to the trouble of building a store to show them to people, would you?

Ueda: I worked in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) for about seven years, and I almost died of a myocardial infarction. At that time, I strongly felt that I wanted a place where I could share my collection with others and transmit information while I was still able to. I felt that if I didn't do it now, it would be too late.
For reference, I visited stores with similar concepts in Tokyo. In many cases, they put all the characters on display. If it was American Toys, all the characters from "Ninja Turtles" to "Transformers. That's fun, but I wanted to do it in a way that said, "No, no, there are so many figures and goods for one character. I thought that if the store had that kind of individuality, other people probably wouldn't think of it. You can look at our store and say, "Wait, how many goods are there just for R2-D2? and start looking for them. The characters may be different, but the passion for collecting them is the same. Japanese collectors in particular are truly amazing. The other day, I interviewed a person who collects Maradona uniforms and uploaded a video of him on YouTube.

─ So you are not only running a store, but also making documentaries?

Ueda: Yes, Maradona himself passed away last November. If I interview collectors, even if they pass away someday, I will know about them in the form of images. There are many collectors who are even better than I am, so instead of boasting that I have this or that, I am showing them my treasures and preserving them on film.