| TOKYO, Dec. 23 – A series of capsule toys featuring Japanese local milk brands is making a big hit in Japan. The gacha toys created under the supervision of the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (ZEN-NOH) are as small as a little finger but look precisely like a 1-liter milk carton or a 200-ml milk bottle, which you see every day everywhere in Japan. Having a retro feel that attracts mostly young people and a lineup that allures collectors, they are helping to create milk fans.
You turn a lever of the gacha vending machine to get one of the six miniature milk cartons and bin, like that famous orange package of “Nokyo Gyunyu (JA Milk)” and “Rakuo Cafe au Lait” of Rakuo Kyodo Nyugyo Co., Ltd. in Fukushima Prefecture, in a white paper capsule designed in an image of milk. A “Meito Gyunyu (Meito Milk)” bin mascot even has a genuine plastic wrap on top. They went out of stock quickly at many places after they went on sale in November this year, causing a buzz on social networking sites (SNS) with the outcome of “more than expected,” according to a person from ZEN-NOH’s Dairy Department. On December 23, in Tokyo, ZEN-NOH held an event to invite people to drink and compare the six milk products featured in the capsule toys. “Everyone has a unique memory of local milk. We hope the toys will help people feel more attachment to milk,” the person said. |
The local milk gacha series looks genuine and makes you want to drink milk. (in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo)