Any trip to Japan isn’t complete without spending loose change at a gashapon machine that you’ve stumbled upon at a train station, along a shopping street, or even inside a store. These coin-operated vending machines are littered all over the country bearing some of the cutest toys, stationery, and knick-knacks you’ll ever find, encased in plastic baubles.
As a lover of gashapon, there was no way I could miss out on visiting the largest Gashapon shop not just in Tokyo but in the whole world, located in Sunshine City Mall in Ikebukuro. Here’s what I found!
Gashapon Department Store Ikebukuro, owned by Bandai-Namco company, opened in February 2021 on the third floor of Sunshine City Mall and houses over 3,000 capsule toy machines. There’s a wonderful mix of collectibles—from anime figures to K-pop goods, from beloved Western characters to eccentric animals, from keychains to shopping tote bags—that you’re guaranteed to never come out empty-handed.
Visiting the Gashapon Department Store for the first time may be overwhelming, especially when you don’t know what to check out first. Thankfully, gashapon machines are grouped together according to what they contain and you can see what each section is from the sign located above them.
The cheapest capsules cost JPY200-300 and some of the more nicer, in-demand ones will set you back around JPY500.
Since these are coin-operated vending machines, you will naturally need coins to buy your gachas. There are machines around the store where you can conveniently convert your bills to loose change. Just be mindful of your budget! It’s so easy to lose track of how much you’ve spent while buying gachas so a great tip is to decide straight away on how much you’re willing to spend, convert that amount to coins at the entrance of the store, and only spend that amount.
Here’s everything I got at Gashapon Department Store for a strict budget of JPY5,000!
There is definitely so much more to find at Gashapon no Depato and this is surely a must-visit for anyone who loves collecting adorable things to display at home!
How to get to Gashapon Department Store: From Ikebukuro JR Station, walk to Sunshine City Mall and take the escalator or elevator to the 3rd floor of the World Import Mart Building.
Watch our videos below!
@reseaseo Blacked out and bought so many gachapon at the World’s Largest Gachapon Store in Ikebukuro… 😬 Take me baaack! 💸 #gachapon #sunshinecity #ikebukuro #tokyo #japan #gacha #capsuletoy ♬ Music / BGM perfect for quiz shows – G-axis sound music
@reseaseo All the gashapon toys I bought in Japan! #gashapon #gachapon #japan #tokyo #gashaponmachine #gashaponcollectors #gashaponhaul ♬ original sound – Therese A.
Gashapon Department Store Ikebukuro
Website
3F, World Import Mart Bldg., Sunshine City, 3-1-3, Higashi Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
Open every day from 10 AM to 9 PM
Free admission
Do you have a story for the WhenInManila.com Team? Email us at story.wheninmanila@gmail.com or send us a direct message on WhenInManila.com Facebook Page. Interact with the team and join the WhenInManila.com Community at WIM Squad! We also share our stories on Viber, join us!
