‘Kidults’ fuel Japan’s ‘gacha gacha’ capsule toy mania

{"text":[[{"start":8.8,"text":"Japanese adults are going wild for “gacha gacha” capsule toys as “kidults” refuse to give up the hobbies of their youth and specialist megastores proliferate in prime shopping spots."}],[{"start":20.9,"text":"The market for miniature toys of cute characters, animals and key ring accessories costing ¥300 to ¥400 has more than quadrupled since 2021 to ¥196bn ($1.2bn) last year, according to the Japan Gacha Gacha Association."}],[{"start":38.2,"text":"The scorching growth defies the dearth of children in Japan, where half as many babies are being born compared with 40 years ago, as adults — especially younger women — indulge in hobbies that had traditionally been seen as exclusively for kids."}],[{"start":52.6,"text":"The kidult trend has also been a boon for a range of other entertainment forms globally, from video games and Lego to other collectibles such as Pokémon trading cards and Labubu furry monster dolls."}],[{"start":63.650000000000006,"text":"The societal change has coincided with specialist capsule toy stores, thanks to low overheads for energy and labour, popping up in spaces left empty in shopping centres and high streets following the Covid-19 pandemic. About 1,400 such capsule stores now exist."}],[{"start":79.85000000000001,"text":"Atsushi Otsuki, who manages the capsule toy business at T-Arts Company, the second-biggest player, said the confluence of those two trends had cemented gacha gacha as “part of Japanese culture” as expectations of adults have dramatically changed."}],[{"start":95.7,"text":"“In the past, life was simpler,” he said. “There was a strong societal expectation that you’d be married and have children at a certain age.” "}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":104.05,"text":"“Now, people are allowed to keep doing what they love”, and other countries are now catching up with Japan in accepting character goods and toys as an expression of individuality, Otsuki added. "}],[{"start":115.85,"text":"“Even Andy in Toy Story probably didn’t really want to throw away his toys . . . If Toy Story was made today, then maybe Andy wouldn’t have thrown away Buzz and the gang and he would have kept them,” he said, expressing a personal view. "}],[{"start":129.4,"text":"That sentiment rings true on the gacha gacha store floors. Inside what used to be a shoe shop in downtown Tokyo, Yuko Suzuki was spending her lunch break one Tuesday afternoon browsing 500 capsule toy machines hoping to find a spark of ¥400 miniaturised Hello Kitty joy."}],[{"start":147.15,"text":"“Even just looking at them is fun,” said the 34-year-old office worker, who visits the newly opened store twice a week to pursue her “secret” hobby. “In Japan, toys aren’t just for kids — they are like a personal escape or a place of comfort for the heart.”"}],[{"start":162.1,"text":"Katsuhiko Onoo, chair of the Japan Gacha Gacha Association, said five years ago there was still a “strong perception” that capsule toys were only for children. That “psychological barrier” had now disappeared, in part thanks to social media."}],[{"start":176.79999999999998,"text":"He contextualised Japan’s love of capsule toys as a link back to the netsuke culture of the Edo period – ornate mini sculptures that were used to fasten personal items to kimono sashes in lieu of pockets. "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":190.6,"text":"Visitors to Japan have also helped to further fuel the boom, aided by the TikTok and Instagram-friendly aesthetic of rows of machines in megastores."}],[{"start":199.79999999999998,"text":"While the industry believes Japan may be close to saturation on new store openings, it predicts sales growth can come from the furious pace of product development, with 700 new toys released every month."}],[{"start":213.85,"text":"The capsule toy industry also wants to take the business model overseas, especially to the US. "}],[{"start":219.79999999999998,"text":"It faces the challenge of coin-fed machines in cashless societies, drumming up demand for $6.60 mini toys next to bigger prizes in claw machines and replicating the scale in Japan that allows operators to shuffle stock between stores."}],[{"start":236.35,"text":"Back home, the boom is also under threat. Capsule toys are almost uniquely threatened by skyrocketing plastic costs driven by the Middle East oil shock because prices can only be raised in ¥100 increments, meaning huge price rises of 20 to 33 per cent."}],[{"start":253.25,"text":"“I already think they’re expensive enough,” said Suzuki, the office worker. “It would be difficult if prices rise any further.”"}],[{"start":267.40000000000003,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1779604243_9932.mp3"}