Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan

Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan is a popular capsule toy store in Tokyo, Japan. It is known for having a wide variety of gachapon machines, which are vending machines that sell small toys in plastic capsules. 

The store has operated in the Akihabara district for over 20 years and has expanded from a corner shop to one of the largest gachapon stores in Japan. Some of the machines have been left unchanged since the shop opened, retaining the old-time charm of Japanese toys.

The name "gachapon" comes from the sound of turning the machine's handle ("gacha") and the dropping capsule ("pon"). On weekends and during peak hours, the shop can become a hotspot for collectors and fans to gather and "gacha hunt." 

Gacha hunting is the act of trying many different machines in order to obtain a specific toy. Some fans spend hours trying each of the hundreds of different machines, which cost about 200-500 yen per play.

Capsule toys are not the only thing you can find in this shop. The floor to ceiling machines and the constant sound of handles turning and capsules dropping make the shop a cultural icon that represents modern Japanese pop culture.