Report on "Gashapon Bandai Official Shop Akihabara", the first place to look for capsule toys in Akihabara (Shun Gori's Akiba Exploration vol.16)

Capsule toys have been the talk of the town lately. Capsule toys are also known by various names, including "Gashapon," and have recently become popular as souvenirs for tourists from overseas as well as from other parts of Japan.

In the midst of all this, on March 1, 2023, Namco Bandai Amusement Inc. will open a directly managed game center in Akihabara. The news came that the "Gashapon Bandai Official Shop Akihabara Store" will be one of them.

As a capsule toy fan who buys capsule toys three to five times a week, Shun Gori was eager to cover the event, so we went there immediately.

Please note that the lineup in the photos in this article is current as of the time of the interview and may no longer be available due to product shortages or replacements.

On the first and second floors, there are many crane game machines, a prize corner "BAMPLAYA AKIBA FIGURE COLLECTION" specialized in BAMPLEST brand products, and "Ichiban Kuji Lottery" where you can buy the most popular lottery items currently on sale. The third floor will be home to "Taiko Drum Master" and "Taiko no Tatsujin".
On the 5th floor, BANDAI CARD GAMES official store "DESKTA (Dex Stadium)" will be open for the first time, handling BANDAI trading cards and offering a variety of information and events for card game players. The shop will also be selling Bandai's trading cards and holding various information and events for card game players.
We hope to cover these floors again in the future when we have the chance.

So, we arrived at the "Gashapon Bandai Official Shop Akihabara" on the 4th floor!
The sight of 800 Gashapon machines filling the entire floor was truly a sight to behold.

The shop offers an extensive lineup of products, including all of Bandai's new capsule toy products. Some of the products are limited items that can only be purchased at the Gashapon Bandai Official Shop and Bandai Namco Amusement, and as a capsule toy fan, Shun Gori cannot contain his excitement.

The floor is divided into categories for each popular character and capsule toy, and explanations of the capsule toys are written in each country's language for customers from overseas.

Also, for those who can get a general idea of what is inside from sample images, but would like to see the actual product before purchasing, there are actual products on display. This is a nice consideration.

The capsule collector also has a playful touch. Capsules that would normally be thrown away can be put into the "Gasha Point Station," a collection machine, and a stamp will be added to the Namco application. Collecting these stamps will enable you to receive special services at the store.

There is also a photo corner named "Gashadori Spot" where visitors can line up their purchased Gashapon to take pictures in a diorama exclusive to this store. In addition, after the photo is taken, it can be posted on Instagram with the hashtag "#Gashadori" to be featured on the "Gashapon no Departement Store" website. In this way, various interesting measures concerning Gashapon are being developed.

Even though it was a weekday when we visited, the store was packed with people spinning the capsule toys they wanted and checking out the huge lineup of toys. It seems that the popularity of miniature yet elaborately made capsule toys is increasing overseas as well, and many tourists from overseas could be seen.

Shun Gori was not satisfied with just covering the event, so he tried his hand at "Mobile Suit Gundam MS Mechanical Bust 02: Gundam Exia," which had just been released at the time of the interview! He was happy to get the "Mechanical Clear" he was looking for.

Mr. K, the director of Akiba Research Institute, who was with us for the interview, also tried the "Retro Cafe Ring" gashapon.

This Gashapon is a retro Showa-era coffee shop menu sample turned into a ring, but it is an idea product that can be displayed in a capsule as an interior decoration.

For the 16th installment of Shungori's Akiba Exploration, we visited the Gashapon Bandai Official Shop Akihabara, located inside the Namco Akihabara, which just opened on March 1. The lineup of capsule toys in the store is said to change on a daily basis, so be sure to stop by and check out the latest capsule toys when you are in Akihabara.
For other information on namco Akihabara's hours of operation, products handled, events, etc., please check the store's official page.

We will continue to add more Akiba information in the future, so please look forward to it!

You can also see YouTuber Shun Gori's activities on YouTube.
He is appearing in various places, mainly talking about Taiwan, where he used to settle, so please check out his YouTube channel as well!

Store Name : "Gashapon Bandai Official Shop Akihabara Store" *namco Akihabara Store 4F

Address ： Ichigo Akihabara Ekimae Building 4F, 1-15-9 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Opening hours : B1F - 4F 10:00 - 23:00
1F(Ichiban Kuji Lottery Official Shop) 10:00 - 21:00
5F (BANDAI CARD GAMES official store) 10:00 - 21:00
*Please refer to the official website for details on business hours.

Official page #

Store Map