
Fuchiko the gachapon capsule toy office lady seems to have a knack for always getting herself into strange situations. She’s wrapped herself in sushi, fooled around with Tuxedo Mask, and has been caught red-handed… sitting in some fold-up chairs.
Of course Fuchiko is not the only cup/bowl caddy that you can get out of a capsule toy dispenser. The company that makes her has teamed up to do collaborations before, and their most recent one is by far their most unusual. Instead of choosing another anime or manga character, they went with the bizarre Tower of the Sun building from Osaka.
If you’ve never heard of the Tower of the Sun, then before you do anything else, take a look at it:
▼ It’s… fantasti-confusing!

The Tower of the Sun was originally built for the 1970 World’s Fair, the first one held in Japan, and it’s just kind of stuck around since then. Standing at seventy meters (230ft) tall and twenty meters (66ft) wide, it’s quite the intimidating figure, especially with its outstretched wings and three displeased-looking faces.
Perhaps because of its unusual appearance, the Tower of the Sun has popped up in Japanese pop culture before. We’ve seen it before transforming into a giant Gundam, and now – probably as a merchandizing opportunity from it recently opening back up to the public – you can get your own Tower of the Sun in gachapon form.
400 yen (US$3.39) and a turn of the crank will get you one of these seven possible toys:
▼ There’s adorable bowl-caddy Tower.
▼ Seductive bowl-caddy Tower.
▼ Bathing bowl-caddy Tower.
▼ Tower showing off his rarely-seen backside.
▼ Tower sniffing out trouble.
▼ Uh, apparently you can also get a shirtless figure of the artist who designed the Tower, Tarō Okamoto.
▼ And the last one is a surprise. You’ll just have to keep putting in yen and turning the crank until you have ten copies of all the others before you find out what it is.
If having a Tower of the Sun (or its artist) hang out with you on your cereal bowl or wine glass sounds like an awesome idea, then check out your local gachapon store after February 25, which is when they will be on sale. If you simply cannot wait that long, then head over to the Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum in Tokyo where they’ll be available starting February 11.
Just look for the things that look like this:
▼ No, they’re not screaming one-eyed robots, they’re gachapon machines.
Taro Okamoto was known for saying, “Art belongs to the public. Art that cannot be touched by the public is meaningless.” Well, it doesn’t get any easier to touch than a capsule toy, so we have a feeling he would probably approve of his art being used in this collaboration.
▼ Well, either that or he’d rip off his shirt and start beating us with a spoon.
Source: Kitan Club, Wikipedia
Featured/insert images: Kitan Club
[ Read in Japanese ]









New gachapon vending machine capsule toy range features miniature sweaters for water bottles
New Japanese gacha capsule vending machine toys bring you sheep’s clothing to dress your cats in
Brand-new Square Enix Cafe to open in Tokyo…and in Los Angeles too!
Nagasaki high school students collab with sweets veteran to release carrot nama dorayaki
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
We find the best “homestyle” onigiri at a super local chain of convenience stores
What’s up with the “mosquito buzz” noise at Shibuya Station?
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Daily horde of commuters into Tokyo is larger than one of history’s fiercest conquering armies
Trying a pouch of instant curry that costs as much as a full meal at a nice restaurant
Sanrio amusement park in Tokyo to host Psycho Game horror event this summer[Video]
Pics of Pikachu packs from a day of Pokémon hunting in Yokohama【Video】
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Studio Ghibli launches huge new anime movie T-shirt collection with special design details
Tifa’s Final Fantasy VII bar is going to pop up in real-world Tokyo
Japanese convenience store gives away free ice cream with creative ad at Shinjuku Station
Japan is so hungry for workers it used up its five-year visa quota in record time
Tsujihan sushi bowl restaurant goes viral with foreign tourists, but is it worth the hype?
7-Eleven Japan releases Uji matcha smoothies… but only at select locations
7-Eleven Japan’s cooked-in-store takoyaki is here! How does it fare against the street food king?
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
Injuries on stairs in Tokyo highlight an overlooked design flaw
Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home