After much anticipation, the first official Bandai Gashapon Store in the Philippines is now open in Mitsukoshi BGC!
Otakus, toy collectors, and fans of all things Japanese were thrilled last month when news about the Gashapon store was shared online. While there are gashapon (or gachapon) machines in various toy stores in the country, this is the first official shop of its kind in the country.
This is an exciting shop for many as it’s designed to be similar to the dedicated gacha stores found all over Japan. This gives Pinoy otakus and collectors a chance to experience a slice of Japan without having to book a plane ticket.
Bandai Gashapon Store Manila: Token Price
In Japan, gashapon capsule vending machines are found in pretty much all major cities, and they take Japanese Yen coins. Typically, they take 100 Yen coins, though some machines require 500 Yen coins — these are typically machines with more premium goodies inside.
For the Philippine store, these machines will require tokens as the machines aren’t made to accept Philippine Peso coins. Thus, here is the token conversion price in PHP:
- PHP 65 – 1 Token
- PHP 195 – 3 Tokens
- PHP 325 – 5 Tokens
- PHP 520 – 8 Tokens
- PHP 650 – 10 Tokens
- PHP 1,950 – 30 Tokens
Take note, this conversion rate is based on the rates we saw during the opening day (November 8, 2023).
Many of the gacha machines in the store require 3 tokens, meaning you’ll spend PHP 195 on average to get one toy. Of course, there are premium options that require 5 or more, so be prepared to fork out some dough if you want to get some of the big ticket items.
Official Store Gacha Lineup
As for the gacha lineup, based on what we saw during the opening day, the collectible goodies here include small figures and keychains from popular anime titles like Spy x Family, Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, and even classic shows like Yu Yu Hakusho.
Here’s a look at some of the collectibles that you can get:
Of course, the toys available there aren’t purely anime. There are also lots of adorable items from games, Western media, and even some random goods that are too cute to resist.
If you’ve been to Japan at any point in 2023, chances are that you’ll be familiar with many of the items that are available on the shop. This is great news for those with a big dose of Japan sepanx, as well as for otakus who want a taste of Japan within Metro Manila.
The official Bandai Gashapon Store in the Philippines is now open at the 2nd floor of MITSUKOSHI BGC in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.