A whole new calibre of capsule toy you won’t find anywhere else.

Japan has strict gun laws that limit possession to hunters and target shooters, so it’s rare to encounter anyone who owns a firearm. However, one store in Kimitsu City, on the Boso Peninsula in Tokyo’s neighbouring prefecture of Chiba, is owned by a hunter, and one of the unusual things you’ll find there is “野生 ガチャガチャ” (“Yasei Gacha Gacha”), or “Wild Capsule Toys”.

▼ The Ryoushi Kobo Drive-in (Hunter’s Workshop Drive-In) is a combined general store and restaurant, where they have all-you-can-eat wild game on the menu.

In a country where wild boars and bears pose a real threat to humans, hunting is largely seen as a necessary evil to protect residents, especially in rural, mountainous areas like this one. While the store is filled with hunting-related goods that’ll surprise visitors, it’s the gacha machine that steals the spotlight, with its homemade sign reading “Wild Gacha Gacha”.

There’s nothing to indicate what lies inside this capsule toy machine, so the only way to find out what it contains is to insert a 500-yen (US$3.39) coin and turn the handle.

▼ Turning the handle reveals…

▼ …a rather ordinary-looking capsule.

▼ However, what’s inside is far from ordinary.

▼ What the heck is this?

Inspecting the item, it seems to be some sort of plastic tube with a metallic end. While it looks to be a container of some kind, the metal end doesn’t twist off, so it isn’t a lid.

Making it even more odd is the open end at the bottom, which would make anything you put in there fall out.

Enquiring with staff, however, reveals what the item really is.

▼ “It’s a cartridge. It’s a container used to hold gun powder.”

Well, this really is a unique item that you won’t find anywhere else, and though the capsules in the machine tend to contain plastic cartridges, fashioned to be used as key holders, there are metal versions available to purchase for 550 yen.

There are thousands of capsule toy machines around Japan, but you can bet your bottom dollar you won’t find one like this anywhere else. It’s definitely a wild gacha that’s even more unusual than these other surprising gacha finds in Japan.

Store information

Ryoushi Kobo Drive-in / 猟師工房ドライブイン
Address: Chiba-ken, Kimitsu-shi, Sasa 1765-9
千葉県君津市笹1765-9
Shop hours: 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; 10:00-5:00 p.m. (during winter months)
Restaurant hours: 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. (last order 2:00 p.m.)
Closed Wednesdays

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