Capsule Toys from Japan at Home: Turn Chiikawa, Hello Kitty and Mario Gacha into Charms and a Display

Japanese capsule toys (gacha), crane-game prizes and the tiny mascots hidden inside bath bombs are some of the most fun small souvenirs you can bring home, from Chiikawa and Hello Kitty to Super Mario and your favorite anime characters. This guide shows what you can collect, how Japan's popular "mejirushi accessory" charms work, how to turn any small mascot into a clip-on charm with parts from a 100-yen shop, and how to display your collection at home, with photos of the site owner's own shelves.

What you can collect: anime gacha, crane-game prizes and bath-bomb mascots

Small character mascots come from three places that are easy to find on a trip to Japan:

• Capsule toys (カプセルトイ, often called gacha or gachapon): put coins in a machine, turn the handle and get a random toy in a plastic capsule. Many series are anime, game and character goods. Our guide to arcades, claw machines and gacha explains how to play, what they cost and where the big capsule toy shops are.
• Crane-game prizes: plush mascots and figures you win at an arcade claw machine. The same guide covers how the machines work and the house rules.
• Bath-bomb mascots: Bikkura Tamago (びっくらたまご, "surprise eggs") are fizzing bath balls with a small mascot inside. Bandai's product page says the fun is not knowing which one you'll get until the ball dissolves. Look for them in the bath section of a Japanese drugstore.

Mejirushi accessories: Japan's clip-on charms

Mejirushi (目印) means "a mark that helps you recognize something". A mejirushi accessory (めじるしアクセサリー) is a small mascot with a clasp and a soft ring, made to clip onto your things so you can spot them at a glance: an umbrella in a stand, a water bottle, a bag. Bandai sells them as a Gashapon capsule toy line, and the official Gashapon site lists a long run of series, from Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters to anime, games and Chiikawa. Most are 300 yen a play, and a few are 200 yen or 400 yen.

For example, the official page for Chiikawa Mejirushi Accessory 3 lists five designs at 300 yen a play (tax included), for ages 15 and up. Chiikawa is a popular Japanese manga and anime series about small, cute creatures; see our guide to Chiikawa shops in Japan. Mejirushi accessories are a well-loved gacha line in Japan, so you will often see them in capsule toy shops.

They're useful on a trip, too: clear plastic umbrellas from convenience stores all look alike, and a charm on the handle helps you find yours in a crowded umbrella stand.

Turn any mascot into a mejirushi-style charm

Many mascots from gacha, crane games and bath bombs don't come with a clasp. You can add one yourself with craft parts from a 100-yen shop. DAISO's online store, for example, lists key-holder parts with lobster clasps, a mini-size version and stretchy silicone umbrella marker rings, each 110 yen a pack.

1. Pick a mascot with a loop. Look for a small metal loop, a strap hole or a short chain on the head.
2. Clip on a lobster clasp (the small hook with a spring gate). If it doesn't fit through the loop, try a mini-size clasp.
3. Add a silicone ring. Put the clasp through a soft silicone ring, the same idea as a mejirushi accessory.
4. Clip it on. Stretch the ring around an umbrella handle, the neck of a water bottle or a bag strap.

Small parts are a choking hazard, so keep finished charms out of reach of small children.

Display ideas: Hello Kitty, Mario and more in 100-yen-shop cases

Clear cases from a 100-yen shop make it easy to line up a collection on a shelf or a wall. On DAISO's online store, for example, a capsule toy display case made for hanging mini key holders is 110 yen, a wall-mountable display case with a magnetic front door is 110 yen for one tier and 330 yen for three tiers, and a larger clear collection case you assemble yourself is 550 yen (tax included, checked October 2026). Not everything at a 100-yen shop costs 100 yen, and what's on the shelves varies by store; see our guide to 100-yen shops in Japan.

• Hang the charms, stand the figures. Charms with clasps look neat hanging in a row; figures and bath-bomb mascots can stand on the shelf.
• Group by series or character. A row of Hello Kitty and Sanrio friends, a shelf of Super Mario and Yoshi, a case of one anime: each group tells a little story.
• Keep a few capsules. Colorful capsules, like egg-shaped ones, can be part of the display.
• Keep them out of strong sunlight so the colors last, and close the case to keep dust off.

The magnetic cases contain small magnets, so DAISO's pages say to keep them away from babies and small children.

Build a Chiikawa beach in a case

A small scene makes a display feel alive. The site owner built a beach for Chiikawa mascots in a white display case, with blue glass stones as the sea, sand on the bottom shelf, mini palm trees and shells. DAISO's online store lists interior glass stones, glass colored sand and miniature palm trees, each 110 yen.

1. Choose a theme: a beach, a forest, a café or a stage.
2. Lay the base: spread the stones and sand on the shelf, or on a small tray if you want to clean up easily.
3. Add the scenery: palm trees, shells or small props.
4. Place the mascots: stand figures on the base and hang charms from above.

The glass stones and sand are decorations, not toys, and DAISO's pages say to keep them out of reach of small children.

Bringing small toys home

• Keep the capsule. A capsule is a ready-made hard case for the trip home. A small zip bag works for charms too.
• Keep the paper insert if there is one. It usually shows the series name, which is handy for labeling your display later.
• Pack fragile figures in your carry-on, or wrap them in clothes in the middle of your suitcase.
• Plush mascots are light and squash into gaps in your bag.
• Bath bombs: if your hotel room has a bathtub, you can use the bath ball on your trip and take home just the mascot.
• Capsules you don't need: use the capsule collection box in the shop rather than leaving them on top of the machines (see our arcade and gacha guide).
• Display cases take up room. If your suitcase is full, bring the mascots home and find cases later.

Where to buy mascots and charms

• Capsule toys and crane games: the big capsule toy shops, airport capsule corners and arcades in our arcade and gacha guide.
• Chiikawa: official shops and themed spots in our Chiikawa shop guide.
• Hello Kitty and Sanrio: see where to buy Sanrio goods.
• Pokémon: see our guide to Pokémon Center stores.
• Cases and parts: see our guide to 100-yen shops. For other gift ideas, see souvenirs from Japan.

Pick up some cute mascots in Japan, and try displaying them at home.

Last reviewed: October 17, 2026. Prices, series and what each shop stocks change. Please check the official pages below.

References

• Gashapon official site (Bandai): Search results for mejirushi accessories (Japanese)
• Gashapon official site (Bandai): Chiikawa Mejirushi Accessory 3 (Japanese)
• Bandai: Bikkura Tamago bath balls (Japanese)
• DAISO online store: Key-holder parts, lobster clasps (Japanese)
• DAISO online store: Key-holder parts, mini lobster clasps (Japanese)
• DAISO online store: Umbrella marker rings, silicone (Japanese)
• DAISO online store: Capsule toy display case (Japanese)
• DAISO online store: Wall-mountable display case, one tier (Japanese)
• DAISO online store: Wall-mountable display case, three tiers (Japanese)
• DAISO online store: Clear collection case, self-assembly (Japanese)
• DAISO online store: Interior glass stones, blue (Japanese)
• DAISO online store: Interior glass colored sand (Japanese)
• DAISO online store: Miniature palm trees (Japanese)