This month, a squishy capsule machine and a miniature Japanese umbrella, the fruit of Japanese culture! Wacky Kaiyama's latest gacha exploration No. 26

Wacky Kaiyama, a capsule toy concierge with 100,000 capsule toys in his collection, introduces the latest and greatest capsule toys!

With the recent trend toward inbound travel, many capsule vending machines have been installed at airports with international flights, and as a result, capsule toys have become a standard souvenir that can only be found in Japan. Among the many capsule toys available, we will pick up a capsule toy from Japanese culture and a capsule toy with a strange, tactile feeling! and the classic squishy Squeeze! Let's start another exciting Gachapon adventure!

Chururun! Capsule Machine" AT Enterprises, 200 yen

AT Enterprises, which appears in this column for the first time, handles not only capsule toys but also a wide variety of fancy toys, and they also handle many "swing products" made of soft, squishy, pliable materials. Although many of the recent gacha products are geared toward adults, the lineup of products that can be enjoyed by younger children is very appealing. Capsule toys were originally intended for children. The lineup of products that do not forget this philosophy shows a firm belief that there is no squishiness in the lineup.

Among them, I would like to introduce "Chururun! Capsule Machine. What? The capsule machine itself is squishy!

The moment I opened the capsule and picked it up, I couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow! It's so squishy.

But ......, the capsule's squiggly texture, the colorful capsules ...... that spring from the depths of the capsule. What in the world is this!　Comfortable~! Each time you hold the gnuzzle, a different color comes forward. The sound of "butchubutu-butchu~" is also unpleasant but pleasant! You can also enjoy the thrill of feeling like you might accidentally burst the capsule, which is a very pleasant sensation.

When all six colors are collected and lined up, a wonderful scene unfolds. The capsules are filled to the brim, and they look like the belly of a father who is a bit plump. Looking at the chubby machine makes me feel happy.

Now, let me introduce each color!

Blue.

This color reminds me of the 200 yen machine from the old capsule toy maker "Cosmos", which changed its name to "Yu"! Gnew!

White

Is this like the capsule machines we sometimes see repainted in white? Let's stack them on top of each other to make two tiers. Gunew with a fist on top!

Orange

This is a color that used to be in the Takara Tomy Arts capsule machine! Stack them on top of each other, too, and gnaw! Buzz off .......

Red.

Oh! It's exactly the "Cosmos" gacha! I want to turn it by stacking 10 yen coins. ...... Gnew!

Green.

This one looks like a "Cosmos" 100 yen machine. In the suburbs, some machines are still in use! Gnew!

Yellow

This is a "Cosmos" 50 yen machine! The chance of winning was higher than with 20 yen machines, and you could get them to change to bigger items at the store! There was a time when that was the case! Gnew!

Gacha Bun-no-ichi Series: Japanese umbrella, Takara Tomy Arts, 300 yen.

The capsule is filled to the brim with the body of the umbrella, but what about the handle? The question is, what about the handle?

When connected, the handle is about 10 cm long, which is a nice touch!

Now, the "umbrella cloth," which can be called the main body of the umbrella, is indeed a Japanese umbrella! The paper-like fabric creates a calm atmosphere, which I would like to say is the essence of Japanese culture. The calm and serene appearance of the umbrella is irresistible.

The gimmick of the umbrella is also comfortable, with a diameter of about 15 cm. To prevent the umbrella from opening easily, a clasp is also included.

The tip of the umbrella is also noteworthy. By making it a separate part from the handle, the detailing has been made so that when the umbrella is unfolded, it looks dynamic, even though it is a miniature! It's amazing.

By taking the parts apart, it fits compactly into the capsule. By assembling them, a large Japanese umbrella is completed. This is truly the wisdom of monozukuri.

Now, let us introduce the lineup of Wagasa.

Edo Purple

For a moment, you may think it is a tsukudani (food boiled down in soy sauce) made of nori (seaweed). The name of this product makes you think "nori tsukudani" (seaweed tsukudani). The purple color is printed with cherry blossoms in full bloom, and a swirling wind is drawn toward the center. A flurry of snowflakes seem to be sucked into it! It gives a sense of dynamism and chic. I would love to carry it with me during the cherry blossom viewing season. When you spin it around, the flowers dance and dance~. It makes my eyes spin!

Benihi.

The deep red fabric reminds us of the arrival of autumn. Cosmos and other autumn flowers are depicted. We can feel the life force of the flowers, which are trying to bloom one more color before the winter comes.

Light moegi

This umbrella was especially used by the common people in the Edo culture. Although it is called "light moegi," the color may be green. The color is not too strong, so you will never get tired of seeing it.

Janome Konruri

This color was popular as a color for kosode in Edo period (1603-1867). A white circle in the center looks like a snake's eye. It is a novel design.

Karakurena: "Snake's eye.

A dark red color dyed with safflower. It also has a white circle. It is exceptionally gorgeous. It is a simple but stylish design!

When you open the umbrella, you can faintly see the pattern behind the cloth. That's what makes it so elegant. It will surely become a must-have souvenir for foreigners visiting on vacation! Why don't we Japanese learn about traditional culture again from miniature Japanese umbrellas?

This time, we introduced two items of completely different colors, but it is interesting to note that they both come out of the same capsule machine. Now, what will appear next time? Please look forward to it~!

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Wacky Kaiyama

Freelance TV personality and capsule collector (capsuleist)

He has been collecting GACHA-GACHA since he was 7 years old and owns 100,000 GACHA-GACHA. He has published several books including "All About My Beloved Phony Gachagacha Cosmos", "The Wonderful World of Phony Gachagacha - Cosmos Forever", and "The Final Definitive Version! The Truth of Phony Gachagacha - Cosmos, Its Love" (Futabasha), and "Nihon Kaishika Gachagacha Daizensen" (Tatsumi Shuppan).