Table of Contents
Introduction
Last week, we went to a Japanese supermarket in Makati to enjoy some hokaido milk matcha soft serve and stocking up on some furikake and curry noodles. Continuing the trend of putting off a trip to Japan and enjoying what we can in the Metro, we decided to revisit Mitsukoshi Mall in BGC. We visited the japanese themed mall before when it opened and was still mostly empty. A lot has changed since we first visited, the NITORI Department store on the 3rd floor and the Bandai Gashapon area in the 2nd floor peak our interest among the other newly opened stores and restaurants.
Physical Gamba
Japan’s beloved gashapon (capsule toys) is a staple of japanese culture. While this isn’t the first time I’ve seen a gashapon machine in the country, this is probably the largest collection of gashapon machines so far and it’s an official store by Bandai. For those unfamiliar, you do get a guaranteed capsule when you put in the appropriate amount of tokens. The character or item you do receive will be randomized and that is what makes it a little fun or frustrating for those kiddos (and adults) who try to get some.
A Lot to Choose From
With Bandai involved, a heavyweight on the japanese entertainment industry, you can expect a lot of classic and modern anime franchises, game franchises, or cute japanese collectibles. The quality of the collectibles also varies a lot. If you’re unsure about what you want or if you find the labels unclear, the staff were helpful and were willing to answer any questions we had. You’ll have a better idea of specific franchises on their fb page.
Pricing
To claim some gashapons, the vast majority of the machines required at least three (3) tokens but it all depends on the collectibles set you want. There’s also a premium gashapon section where they can cost up to 15 tokens. Each token costs P65. And with most items costing three (3) tokens, most collectibles would cost on average P195. I’ve included the Gashapon token conversion they had in the store as well as some images I took below:
Conclusion
We didn’t exactly plan to make a trip to get some gashapon collectibles in Mitsukoshi mall. We were pleasantly surprised by the rows and rows of gashapon machines they had. There were a good mix of kids and adults trying their luck. I wasn’t much of a fan of the mini Gundam figures except for the Zakus in the premium section but they were a little too pricey for me. If you’re ever in Mitsukoshi or near Uptown BGC, the Bandai Gashapon store may be worth visiting.
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