Weird but cute: Japan`s capsule toys play big in Internet age
(Artdaily.org)

A tiny replica of an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus and a plastic cat squatting on sushi: just two of the weird-and-wonderful capsule toys that have become a multi-million-dollar craze in cute-obsessed Japan. The industry is now worth an estimated 30 billion yen ($265 million), with the fastidious attention to detail in the toys appealing to the Japanese sense of precision along with a well-documented love of all things `kawaii` or cute. One store, in Tokyo`s famous Akihabara electronics district, is crammed with around 500 capsule toy vending machines stretching out as far as the eye can see. `When I see something I want, I keep on turning the crank until I get it,` said Shota Makita, a 23-year-old careworker on the hunt for a fun toy. `There`s a sense of excitement about not knowing what I`ll get,` said Makita, one of a growing number of adult consumers of capsule toys, known as `gachagacha` or `gachapon` in Japanese after the cranking sound. Store manager Yo Kono says the customer bas