2nd May 2021
There are many onomatopoeic1 words in Japanese, especially words that are repeated twice. Examples of this type of word are ゴシゴシ (goshigoshi) which is the sound of cleaning something strongly with a brush or ごくごく飲む (gokugokunomu) which is the sound of someone drinking something quickly and swallowing it.
ガチャガチャ (gachagacha) is the sound of the turning of the lever on the machine and is the name most people in Japan call the capsule toy machines. Gashapon or gachapon are other names for the machine depending on the maker.
Toy capsule machines started as gum vending machines in the 1960’s (nineteen sixties) in the USA. Worldwide they are probably most popular now in Japan, where there is a huge variety of machines. The machines do not usually have gum or other food items in them. Usually there are toys in the capsule and the toys were originally aimed at children. However there is now a big market for adults.
You might see these machines at the entrance to some supermarkets or in game centers*. Game centers are often called amusement arcades in English. There are other places too with these machines and there some specialist buildings with hundreds of gachagacha machines all together in the same building.
There are many types of things in the capsules. The things in the capsules might be plastic anime characters often as key holders** or are miniature versions of real objects, such as machines or food. There are many unusual ones, for example bonsai made from real plant material or even photos of general people.
The quality is often high and Japanese people are willing to2 pay more than people in many other countries. The price is usually about 200 (two hundred) or 300 (three hundred) yen but can be more.
Children or adults often want to complete a collection. You could say a lot of people in Japan like to collect miniature things and that might be one reason these machines are popular.
If you’re visiting Japan you may see these toy capsule machine soon after you arrive. You can see them at Nartita Airport, as a way to introduce the culture of Japan. Who knows, you could start your collection and finish your collection at the airport if you become a fan of the gachagacha machines during your time between using the airport.
center* – the word center is spelt the American way in Japan when it is written. You might see it on road signs or at train stations. The British spelling is ‘centre’.
keyholders** – key holders are a big part of the culture in Japan. In English they are called ‘key rings’ and are used to hold keys. In Japan key holders are not often used to hold keys. They are more often hung from bags or cases as a kind of decoration. They are called キーホルダー ’ ki-horuda-‘ in Japan.
2. ‘willing to’
<Example sentences>
■ Most people are not willing to work in that busy restaurant. The pay is low.
■ Would you be willing to let me use your car tomorrow?
■ Many people are willing to pay high prices for good seats in the stadium.
■ Do you ever use the toy capsule machines?
■ What is a common thing in the capsules?
■ Do you know of any unusual toy capsule machines?
■ Do you ever exchange the things you get with friends?
■ Can you tell me an onomatapaeic word you sometimes use?
■ You can see some gachagacha machines in ~.
■ I once collected ~.
■ Do you have toy machines in your country?