Things that didn't exist early on: gachapon specialty stores

When I first came to Japan gachapon capsule toys were very popular. But there were no gachapon specialty stores. You could get capsule toys at many different locations, but a store dedicated to just capsule toys didn't exist. While capsule toys have been around for decades, Gachapon / gacha capsule toy specialty stores are a relatively new phenomenon.

The very first store dedicated to selling just capsule toys opened two years after I came to Japan, in 2002. At least, Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan hall opened in in 2002. Akihabara Gachapon Hall is widely regarded as one of the first, if not the very first, capsule toy specialty store to open in Japan. It wasn't until the 2010s that capsule toy specialty stores became a bit more common. 

But the latest surge in capsule toy stores is only in the last six or seven years. Bandai, for example, didn't open their first Gashapon store until 2019. Gashapon is the brand name of Bandai's gacha capsule toys. Now it feels like there is a new capsule specialty store opening every month! Have you been to a gachapon or gashapon store?