History: From 1965 Imports to the 50th Anniversary
Capsule toys reached Japan in 1965, Bandai entered in 1977, and the format marks its 50th Bandai anniversary in January 2027.
| 1965 | Capsule toy machines introduced to Japan (commonly dated starting point of the Japanese market) |
|---|---|
| 1977 | Bandai enters the capsule toy business |
| January 2027 | 50th anniversary of Bandai's capsule toy business |
| October 2026 | Bandai announces its 50th-anniversary growth strategy: official shops 303 in Japan and 184 across 18 countries and regions, with a target of 500 + 500 = 1,000 shops |
The early decades
Vending-machine toys arrived in Japan in 1965, adapted from American bulk vending. Early Japanese machines stood in candy stores (dagashi-ya) and department-store corners and sold inexpensive charms and erasers to children for small coins. The format stayed a children's pocket-money product for its first decade.
Bandai entered the business in 1977 — the date from which the company counts its capsule toy history, reaching 50 years in January 2027. Character licensing changed the format's ceiling: capsules began carrying figures from anime, tokusatsu and games, which made the series — not the single toy — the unit of collecting.
The adult turn and the specialist store
From the 2000s onward, quality rose sharply: sculpting, painting and niche subject choice improved until many series were aimed squarely at adults — miniature food, animals, stationery, retro objects and highly specific everyday items. Prices moved up with quality; the current mainstream official band is JPY 200 to 1,500.
The other structural change was the shop. Rows that once filled a game-centre corner became entire specialist stores: Bandai's official shops and the Gashapon Department Store format, plus chains such as #C-pla, turned 'going to turn capsules' into an outing. At the October 2026 strategy briefing Bandai reported 303 official shops in Japan and 184 overseas across 18 countries and regions, targeting 1,000 in total (500 domestic + 500 overseas), with a first Brazilian store planned for FY2027.
How to read the numbers on this site
Market figures differ by who counts and what they count. This guide always names the survey behind a figure (Bandai survey vs JCTA shipment basis) and gives the FY2025 market as a range of about JPY 170-196 billion rather than a single headline number. Store counts are given with their date, because chains open stores continuously.
Sources: Bandai / Bandai Namco Gashapon official information and 50th-anniversary growth-strategy briefing (8 October 2026, reported by Mynavi News, Real Sound and Asahi Shimbun); Japan Capsule Toy Association (JCTA) market survey (figures cited via industry reporting — survey scope differs from Bandai's, so market size is given as a range); Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) visitor statistics 2025; official shop pages (Bandai official shops, Gashapon Department Store, #C-pla and other chains); Wikipedia 'Gashapon' (CC BY-SA 4.0, credited only, not a destination). Checked 5 November 2026.