Gacha Gacha Got Me CRAZY!!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Academic Disclaimer: This blog is a class project for my Visual Anthropology class; as such it is for educational purposes only. All photos posted here are taken by myself unless otherwise noted.

Cup no Fuchiko on my arrange latte,

Cup no Fuchiko on my Doutour hotdog.

For me, one of the best parts of living in Japan is the gacha gacha. For foreigners who are unfamiliar with the term, they are basically much "gum ball machines" with much cooler albeit more expensive prizes. These machines are named gacha gacha for the sound made when hey circular handle is turned and the prize is produced in the prize slot. These machines can include figurines, keitai (cell phone) straps, stickers, pins or badges, stamps and many other small prizes. Some gacha gacha, depending on the prize, can cost up to 400 yen (about $4.00). My current favorite is コップのフチ子 (Cup no Fuchiko). The Japanese word Fuchi means to be on the edge and ko means little and is often added to the end of girls names in Japan. Fuchiko is a Japanese OL (Office Lady). Office Ladies are a common "gendered" role in the work place for Japanese female workers who are most likely not looking for a lifetime position at their respective company. 

Gacha gachas are found all over Japan in areas such as tourist locations, arcades, malls, train or subway stations, department stores or lining streets of trendy areas. Here are some interesting ones I've seen around Ikebukuro recently.

Bikini pants for your Smartphone! The
Japanese katakana reads : "Smart Pants."

Cat/Woman hybrid in the style of Capcom's
"Felicia" character (see Street Fighter). This
little kitty is designed to sit on the edge of
your computer screen, similarly to how
Fuchiko is designed to sit on the edge of
your cup.